In donating to a food pantry like that of NEEDS, it’s often hard to know what’s needed most. Of course, our pantry will use anything that’s donated.

However, when organizations do ask about best options, we often recommend gift cards for local grocery stores. They allow us to buy what’s needed at the moment, track local prices, and buy when things are on sale.

For the second year in a row, Good Shepherd Catholic parish put grocery gift cards on their Advent giving trees. This year, their appeal resulted in an amazing donation of gift cards that was immensely appreciated. Similarly, Everything But the House (EBTH) donated Kroger gift cards. The Montgomery Woman’s Club also chose to donate grocery gift cards.

To be clear, the NEEDS pantry will accept any and all donations! Gift cards are just one easy and effective way to donate.

Thank you!

Before their holiday break, students at Madeira Middle School held a food drive to benefit NEEDS. Our pantry coordinators shared this note of appreciation:

“Thank you so much for your donation to the NEEDS pantry in December. You did a great job of collecting so many of the items we needed to help our families during the holiday season. We loved seeing the enthusiasm of the students as they helped us load the car. It’s so special to see young people involved in community service. We’d like to add our special thanks to Ms. Kara Foley for coordinating this effort.

The NEEDS pantry has been in operation for over 40 years, operating out of Kenwood Baptist Church. The number of families we serve each year has more than doubled in the past four years. As a 100% volunteer and donation-run organization, we rely on contributions from schools, churches, and businesses to operate. We appreciate your efforts to help the less fortunate in our community.”

You can get involved, too! Click to DONATE or join our VIRTUAL FOOD DRIVE today.

Each month, members of Montgomery Community Church participate in “Second Saturday Serve” — a food and product drive to benefit local organizations. In December, the church collected a generous donation for the NEEDS pantry! We are so grateful for MCC’s ongoing support.

Our pantry coordinators shared, “The family that brought the donation was upbeat and generous with their time. It was a joy to have them ask to tour the pantry. We look forward to continuing to partner with MCC in the New Year!”

Want to help stock the pantry? Click HERE to learn more!

Church of the Saviour is one of NEEDS’ member organizations. During the Christmas season, the church’s Wednesday Bible study group joined forces to make a generous cash donation to NEEDS, trusting volunteers to use the money where it is most needed.

As our pantry coordinators note, “The last months of 2025 have been hard ones for the less fortunate members of our community. The cutoff of SNAP benefits drove even more families to seek emergency food support from our pantry. In fact, the numbers of those seen rose by 50%. SNAP benefits have just recently been reinstated, and our families are also facing an imminent increase in health insurance costs.” We are so grateful for each donation that helps us to serve our neighbors!

You can get involved, too! Click to DONATE or join our VIRTUAL FOOD DRIVE today.

NEEDS relies on donations from many local organizations, including churches, businesses, and schools. Pantry coordinator Maureen shared this note of gratitude to Cincinnati’s International Facility Management Association chapter, whose members gave generously during the holiday season:

“On behalf of all of us at NEEDS, I’d like to thank you — and all the contributing members of the International Facility Management Association — for the generous donation of non-perishable food and personal/household care items that you delivered. 

The last months of 2025 have been hard ones for the less fortunate members of our community. The cutoff of SNAP benefits drove even more families to seek emergency food support from our pantry. In fact, the numbers of those seen rose by 50%. SNAP benefits have just recently been reinstated, and our families are also facing an imminent increase in health insurance costs. All of that testifies to how important your support  is to NEEDS. We honor and bless your commitment!”

You can get involved, too! Click to DONATE or join our VIRTUAL FOOD DRIVE today.

Students at St. Vincent Ferrer School collect food for NEEDS annually — and this year’s drive was a remarkable success! Pantry coordinators Janie and Maureen shared, “Wow! You all outdid yourselves this year! You collected 362 boxes of cereal which is almost double last year. That’s amazing! Your collection will keep us in stock for months on an item that is costly for us to replenish. 

We understand that you made it a fun event for the students by creating a cereal box domino display. That’s a creative way to encourage participation while helping the less fortunate in our community. Many thanks to Michele Frost for leading this effort each year. We’d also like to thank the students who helped carry the boxes to our cars and used their creativity to fit it all in. Great job!

“NEEDS is a 100% volunteer and donation-run organization. We rely on contributions from schools, churches, and businesses to operate. The NEEDS volunteers and the families we serve thank you! We look forward to continuing our partnership in the years ahead.”

You can get involved, too! Click to DONATE or join our VIRTUAL FOOD DRIVE today.