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NEWS: February 2015

Schools Bring Their Volunteer Talent to Help NEEDS

Do you ever wonder what skills you have that could be useful to a charitable organization?  The North East Emergency Distribution Service (NEEDS) wants you to know that it only takes the love of your neighbor and some spare time to be a NEEDS volunteer.  This November and December, in preparation for the holiday season, many schools shared their spare time and their best skills collecting for the NEEDS food pantry. 

Volunteering as a child, teen or adult doesn’t require unusual ability or enormous strength. This was particularly true for our school volunteers from schools such as Sycamore Jr. High, Montgomery Elementary and Blue Ash Elementary. Each school considered their best skills and used those to enhance their volunteerism. For example St. X donated multitudes of canned goods and strong young men who loaded cars to go to the pantry. All Saints students in the kindergarten through 2nd grade collected cake mixes, icing, candles and birthday bags to give out at the pantry as a means to celebrate Jesus’ birthday.

The All Saints Brownie Troup wrapped and decorated boxes filled with personal care items. Madeira Middle School students had a contest using “The Hunger Games” theme that collected a carload of canned goods for the NEEDS pantry.  Lastly the Green School Strive student community service group brought a load of canned goods, sorted everything by date and then proceeded to shelve the items with the greatest of care.  What’s notable is how each student used the best of themselves to give of themselves. That’s what NEEDS is all about, caring for our neighbors in need and doing so with open arms and an open heart.

The NEEDS Board is comprised of representatives from a community of 25 churches and civic organizations whose mission is to do God’s work through caring for their neighbors by providing basic emergency assistance.  NEEDS board oversees an active food pantry that is located in the Kenwood Baptist Church and provides neighbors-in-need with housing and utility payment assistance.  As an all-volunteer cooperative, the NEEDS Executive Board meets monthly to determine the most efficient way to fill its food pantry shelves and how best to spend its resources as they help local families survive stressful times. NEEDS does not receive government funding.  During the year NEEDS supports local school students through school supplies and clothing drives. NEEDS serves more than 2,500 people in northeastern Hamilton County.

You, too, can support NEEDS. It is the NEEDS food pantry that serves to help our neighbors who face family food shortages. Volunteers are needed to work the food pantry front desk, stock the shelves, and help with grocery shopping. More importantly during hard times there can never be enough canned food drives.  Ask your church, office group or civic organization if it’s part of the community that supports NEEDS; there is always room for more volunteers however you choose to help.

It is the mission of the Northeast Emergency Distribution Service (NEEDS) to provide emergency assistance to the neediest families in the Northeast Cincinnati community.  In addition to canned goods and non-perishables, community members can also support NEEDS monetarily by sending checks to:  NEEDS, 8341 Kenwood Rd., Cincinnati, Ohio 45236. 

The NEEDS food pantry is located at the Kenwood Baptist Church, 8341 Kenwood Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236 and is open Tuesday and Thursdays from 9 am – 1 pm.  Donations of canned goods and other items are always accepted at the NEEDS food pantry. For pick-up of donated items or to ask questions please call (513) 891-0850 (NEEDS) or checkout NEEDS website: www.cincyneeds.org/

K,1st, and 2nd graders collect cake mixes, icing, candles, and birthday bags to celebrate Jesus's birthday to give out at the NEEDS food pantry  All have permission to have names published  Top row first L to R: Mrs. Gleason, Maggie Razzano, Sierra Smith, Kaleb Vanden Eynden, Cristina Williams, Anna Winkler, Beth Yaecker Middle row L to R: Sophie Goodrich, Aaron Knoche, Mathias Le, Luke Loudon, Reid Meutsch, Sadie Nugent, Kaitlin O’Keefe Bottom row L to R: Ethan Baird, Griffin Booth, Molly Corder, Clare Dallas, Samantha Fitzpatrick K,1st, and 2nd graders collect cake mixes, icing, candles, and birthday bags to celebrate Jesus's birthday to give out at the NEEDS food pantry  All have permission to have names published  Top row first L to R: Mrs. Gleason, Maggie Razzano, Sierra Smith, Kaleb Vanden Eynden, Cristina Williams, Anna Winkler, Beth Yaecker Middle row L to R: Sophie Goodrich, Aaron Knoche, Mathias Le, Luke Loudon, Reid Meutsch, Sadie Nugent, Kaitlin O’Keefe Bottom row L to R: Ethan Baird, Griffin Booth, Molly Corder, Clare Dallas, Samantha Fitzpatrick K,1st, and 2nd graders collect cake mixes, icing, candles, and birthday bags to celebrate Jesus's birthday to give out at the NEEDS food pantry  All have permission to have names published  Top row first L to R: Mrs. Gleason, Maggie Razzano, Sierra Smith, Kaleb Vanden Eynden, Cristina Williams, Anna Winkler, Beth Yaecker Middle row L to R: Sophie Goodrich, Aaron Knoche, Mathias Le, Luke Loudon, Reid Meutsch, Sadie Nugent, Kaitlin O’Keefe Bottom row L to R: Ethan Baird, Griffin Booth, Molly Corder, Clare Dallas, Samantha Fitzpatrick
Gift bags of personal items put together by the All Saints Browner Troop.

K-2 grade students
All Saints K,1st, and 2nd graders collected cake mixes, icing, candles, and
birthday bags to celebrate Jesus's birthday to give out at the NEEDS food pantry.

Back Row L to R: Mrs. Gleason, Maggie Razzano, Sierra Smith, Kaleb
Vanden Eynden, Cristina Williams, Anna Winkler, Beth Yaecker.

Middle Row L to R: Sophie Goodrich, Aaron Knoche, Mathias Le, Luke
Loudon, Reid Meutsch, Sadie Nugent, Kaitlin O’Keefe.

Front Row L to R: Ethan Baird, Griffin Booth, Molly Corder, Clare Dallas,
Samantha Fitzpatrick.

Saint Xavier Volunteers for NEEDS
Saint Xavier volunteers for NEEDS.

Left to right: Tom Young, Quinn Haehnie, Knud Grigat, Noah Smoyer.

Saint Xavier Truck
St. Xavier High School students with truck load of
canned goods for the NEEDS Food Pantry.

Left side of truck: Dee Cohen, NEEDS Board member and pantry volunteer.
Right side of truck: Tom Young, Knud Grigat, Quinn Haehnle.

Sycamore students delivering to the NEEDS Food Pantry.
Sycamore students delivered groceries to the NEEDS Food Pantry.


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