The NEEDS pantry served over 600 people in May! As we work to meet the needs of our community, the pantry shelves are quickly depleted. You can help by donating some of our most-needed items.
Please check out our top needs below, but know that anything you choose to donate will be put to good use!
Donations can be dropped off at Kenwood Baptist Church during our open hours (Tuesday and Thursday 9:00-1:00). Thank you!
Top Five Needs: Laundry detergent Sanitary pads Tampons Shampoo Toothpaste
Other Needed Items: Canned black beans Canned beef ravioli Boxed cereal
Last month, the NEEDS pantry served over 100 more people than in April – including 19 families seeking help from NEEDS for the first time. As we move into the summer, it’s clear that need in our community doesn’t take a vacation!
Here are the latest totals:
During the month of May, the NEEDS pantry provided food to 172 families – for a total of 608 people!
NEEDS also provided emergency financial assistance to 9 families, distributing $3914.00 to cover rent and utilities.
NEEDS is seeking a new volunteer treasurer and/or volunteer bookkeeper. This is a challenging, fulfilling, and vital role in helping NEEDS to feed and assist our neighbors in northeast Cincinnati – all done at home and on your schedule!
Duties include working with other assistant treasurer volunteers to record donations, pay expenses, and prepare and present financial reports at our monthly board meeting. Accounting or bookkeeping experience highly desired. QuickBooks experience very helpful.
For information on this volunteer position, contact Carol Topp (current treasurer) at 513-777-8342 or CarolToppCPA@zoomtown.com.
The NEEDS pantry served more families in April than in any previous month this year. Requests for emergency financial assistance increased as well. Here are the latest numbers:
During the month of April, the NEEDS pantry provided food to 151 families – for a total of 507 people!
NEEDS also provided emergency financial assistance to 17 families, distributing $7138.00 to cover rent and utilities.
Each year, the Freestore Foodbank hosts a Memorial Day Hunger Walk fundraiser to benefit its partners – including NEEDS. Registration fees and all other donations are given back to each partner to help feed people in their neighborhoods.
This year’s Hunger Walk will take place downtown on May 29, but you don’t have to walk in the live event in order to sign up and earn money for NEEDS! Simply visit http://cincinnatihungerwalk.org and join team NEEDS!
You can also register as an individual or create your own team. Just be sure to choose NEEDS as your community agency – and remember that 100% of money raised in our name will go directly to NEEDS!
Want to support NEEDS – and win cash? The Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon’s Piggest Raffle Ever is the perfect opportunity!
Simply visit piggestraffleever.com, choose NEEDS as your charity to support, and select the number of tickets (or “pigs”) you’d like to purchase. Each ticket is $5, and 100% of proceeds go directly to NEEDS!
On May 7, the grand prize winner will receive $5000 – with an additional $5000 awarded to their charity!
March was another busy month for the NEEDS pantry, as SNAP emergency benefits for many families came to an end. Requests for emergency financial assistance also remained high. Here are the latest numbers:
During the month of March, the NEEDS pantry provided food to 137 families – for a total of 465 people!
NEEDS also provided emergency financial assistance to 12 families, distributing $5600.00 to cover rent and utilities.
Millions of American families rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to afford food and other essentials. During the COVID-19 crisis, qualifying families received extra funds (known as an “emergency allotment”) each month. Those funds have now been stopped.
According to a recent NPR article, SNAP participants will see an average decrease of $82 per month, with some households losing as much as $250 in assistance per month. But food prices continue to rise – as we can all see each time we visit the grocery store. For our neediest neighbors – from working parents to the elderly to those with disabilities – this reduction in SNAP benefits may make it difficult, if not impossible, to afford basic necessities.
You can help! NEEDS provides emergency food and financial assistance to over a thousand families each year. Visit https://cincyneeds.org/donate-volunteer to learn more about how you can join us in meeting the needs of our community.
The NEEDS annual report for 2022 is now available! The past year saw a steep increase in our community’s need for emergency food and financial assistance. As food prices go up and SNAP benefits drop back to pre-pandemic levels, this trend will almost certainly continue in 2023.
NEEDS remains grateful to the churches, corporate sponsors, and individual donors who enable us to meet our community’s growing needs!
February may be a short month, but the NEEDS pantry served almost as many clients as in January. Meanwhile, requests for emergency financial assistance were even higher this month. Here are the latest numbers:
During the month of February, the NEEDS pantry provided food to 137 families – for a total of 462 people!
NEEDS also provided emergency financial assistance to 19 families, distributing $7997.00 to cover rent and utilities.
