by Wendy Tarr

Welcoming and walking with individuals reentering society after incarceration extends the love and compassion to those in the margins, and fundamentally improves the quality of our shared communities. Did you know that over 650,000 individuals are released from prison facilities every year in the U.S.¹? Ohio alone saw 18,671 individuals released from their prison facilities in 2021².

Chances are that in the last week alone, you’ve spoken to someone whose loved one has been or is currently incarcerated. Maybe you - the person reading this - are that someone. 

Returning citizens have paid their debt to society by serving jail or prison time. Despite this, they continue to face monumental challenges in becoming integrated back to the community. The stigma they carry often results in unemployment, homelessness, and mental health challenges.  

Mass incarceration is also built on a history of injustice in the United States. Black Americans are incarcerated in state prisons at nearly 5 times the rate of white Americans across the US³. Between 1980 and 2019, the number of incarcerated women increased by more than 700%, rising from a total of 26,378 in 1980 to 222,455 in 2019.

The mission of ARCH (Accompanying Returning Citizens with Hope) is to equip local congregations in Central Ohio to help meet the needs of returning citizens on their road to reintegration and healing. In this way, we can reduce poverty and limit disenfranchisement and stigma in our communities.

Incarceration is a fundamentally isolating experience. Often, incarcerated individuals have extreme difficulty communicating with their family members and friends on the outside. They can also become isolated and disconnected from their faith. Because of this, ARCH has joined with the the HOPE Letters project, a ministry founded by Grace United Methodist Church in Dayton, Ohio in collaboration with those directly impacted.

HOPE Letters is a program which provides both hope and guidance to individuals incarcerated in Ohio’s prisons through regular correspondence. The project is based on the power of faith-based relationships and seeks to ease the transition from prison to community by fostering healthy, positive mentorship relationships.

Upon release, individuals may enter a society they may no longer recognize, inhabit communities they have lost connection with, and make use of resources they may never have needed to access before. Volunteers provide assistance to returning citizens in the form of food deliveries, transportation, clothes, welcome to a local faith community, or helping with other immediate needs to help them establish their lives once again. If you are unable to volunteer in-person, monetary donations to buy resources for those in need are also always needed. 

ARCH is currently looking to expand the Hope Letters project and we are working on plans to open a re-entry house for women. We are grateful to be able to partner with First Community Church and those in prison ministries. We look forward to the way we can continue to work together to help those on their reentry journey. For more information, please contact Wendy at wtarr@archreentry.com, or 614-512-7106. 

¹United States Department of Justice

²Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction

³The Color of Justice: Racial and Ethnic Disparity in State Prisons | The Sentencing Project

by Beth Hanson

What a year we have had at the Trading Post! We’ve weathered many changes in the last year-plus since the pandemic darkened everyone’s doors, and have nonetheless managed to have a very successful 2021. Along with the rest of the world, we closed down the shop in March 2020. With some modifications, like high-grade air filters, masks, limited occupancy, doors left open for fresh air, and only being open three days a week instead of six, we were able to open back up in June 2020. While many other establishments were shuttered, we have managed to remain open with a few brief exceptions ever since. Some of you may not be familiar with the church’s little resale shop in the Annex Building at the back of the South Campus parking lot, so let me give you some background.

Our Beginnings 1953-2012 

The Trading Post first opened its doors in 1953 as a consignment shop created by the Women’s Guilds. Rev. Roy Burkhart had set forth a challenge to them to find a way to fund the salary for a psychologist for church staff. Over the years, the Trading Post profits continued to be a source of income for the Guilds, the church, Camp Akita, and Missions. Along with some mission projects, they contributed to a new organ in the 1950s, an ice machine for the kitchen, church seminars, seminary scholarships, new hymnals, church van and parking lot maintenance, a new mimeograph machine, many improvements at Camp Akita including new mattresses and new roofs for some of the cabins, and the oak front door of the South Campus Sanctuary. From 1975 to 1998, it funded the live radio broadcasts of Sunday services. The Trading Post even gave $25,000 toward the building of the Annex Building at South Campus when the house they had been working out of on West First was torn down to make a bigger church parking lot. Mary Jean Bradley loyally served as the director for 44 years, retiring in 2012.

Under New Leadership 2013-2020 

In 2013, Rebecca Wolfe was hired as the new director. During her tenure she revamped and updated our processes, and reorganized and beautified the store, completely renewing and refreshing its look. In 2015, she bravely switched from being a consignment shop to being a donations-only shop. Upon her retirement in July 2020, Chris Casavant, Beth Hanson, and Cathy Hanson joined forces to continue to steer the ship using a team approach. With the unfortunate demise of Mission Council’s Gigantic Garage Sale (held every May since 1996), it was decided that starting in November 2020 all money raised by the Trading Post would start being directed to Mission Council, replacing the good old annual Garage Sale as its new fundraising arm. With the exception of our expenses, the rest of our earnings now go entirely to the local, national, and international missions supported by our church on behalf of all of us.

New Milestone Reached in 2021

Much to our utter astonishment, it has turned out that the 2021 Trading Post profits have exceeded those of the annual Garage Sale (which tended to be around $50-55,000 per year in its latter years). In 2021, we are happy to report that the Trading Post raised a whopping $86,438! This contributed to another milestone that will be of special interest to all of those who worked at the Garage Sale for so many years. Mission Council was charged with raising its own money back in 1996, and over the 24 years it held the annual garage sale, it managed to raise a total of $914,089. When adding the money raised for missions from the Trading Post starting in November 2020, Mission Council can now brag that it finally hit the magic million-dollar mark in earnings! More specifically, Mission Council has now raised $1,010,904 over the years. Can you believe it?

So there you have the Trading Post’s remarkable (and greatly condensed) history since the time Dwight Eisenhower was inaugurated, Elizabeth was crowned the Queen of England, the US signed an armistice with North Korea, and a gallon of gas was 20 cents. It’s remarkable that our mighty little store is still going strong, chugging along, and continuing to help our brothers and sisters near and far.  

Thursday, January 13, 2022

Dear Amy and Kate,

I want to send a huge thanks to Mission Council for supporting the grain bank in Nounou, Mali! The building is complete, the management committee has received their training, and the first stock of millet has arrived! The grain bank will be extremely important this year, as the market price of millet is already climbing high. Luckily, the committee was able to put in their order quickly and get enough millet before it became too exorbitant. I am confident that this grain bank will help the community towards food security this year and for many years to come. Here are some photos.

Thank you so much for your wonderful partnership and support!

Anna Taft

Founding Director



Monday, January 17, 2022

Dear Tandana Friends and Supporters,

In 2021, 319 women attended the literacy classes regularly. Of those 319, 303 took the final skills test (the others were either sick, had just given birth, or had other reasons for being absent). Out of the 303 who took the test, 261 earned passing scores or 86%. That is a great success, considering that most of them had no prior exposure to reading and writing. 

Our team in Mali is currently getting 10 new classes for 30 women each started in different villages. We look forward to updating you on the progress of these new students. 

I'm also happy to share with you one of our recent blog posts. During Tandana's global 15th-anniversary celebration, several inspiring community members shared their stories with the virtual attendees. This blog entry is the transcript of the speech given by Hawa Yalcouyé, coordinator of the new Dr. Ash B. Varma M.D. scholarship program in Mali. You can read the post on our blog.

Thank you so much for contributing to our literacy program which is having such a positive impact on community members in Mali!

All the best,

Emily Della Fera

Project Update Volunteer

Monday, January 24, 2022

Dear Tandana Friends and Supporters,

Ten new literacy classes for 300 women in Mali have started for 2022! The classes begin with a pre-test so we can see how much the students progress. 

Below are photos of a few students' pre-tests, which give you an idea of the level they are starting from. We are excited to see how great their final tests will look after they finish the course!

Thank you so much for your continued support of our Literacy Program!

All the best,

Emily Della Fera

Project Update Volunteer

The effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic continue to impact all of us around the world in many different ways, yet all are affected, including Deep Griha Society (DGS), the 45-year outreach and social justice mission in Pune, India. DGS is grateful for First Community Church’s continued support, prayers, and contributions to DGS’s vision and mission. The Deep Griha USA Board has been in regular contact with Ashlesha Onawale, the founders’ daughter and DGS’ Director, and she relates the severe magnitude of the impact on DGS’ programs. What follows is Ashlesha's report about some of the recent happenings in Pune.

Aadhar Kendra Sponsorship Programme

Grocery parcels for families continue to be provided as needed. Local schools have reopened for eighth grade onwards and online classes continue for the rest.  Some of the counseling sessions are also now in person. Local volunteers, through partner organizations, conduct educational sessions for the students – learning games, fun activities, academics, and awareness sessions, too.

The team has increased its ability to use Google Forms for data collection. They had been working on using technology to collect and store data, but the pandemic has pushed them to the next level, where almost everything is now possible using technology.

DGS is also working to admit 10 new children a month over the next six months with a focus on covid-affected families under special criteria.

• Sponsored students - 260  
• Students without sponsorship - 11  
• Students on the waiting list- 16

My name is Pooja Misal. I am in twelfth-grade standard. I was helped from time to time by the Deep Griha Society in every situation, including in the lockdown. I was very helpless because all stores were closed in the pandemic. During this time, I got help from the Deep Griha Society. I got all the groceries and other essentials we need every day. I felt supported because of the awareness sessions which they have taken. Madam (fieldworker/counselor) always calls me and asks about my health, and they guide me for my career. In pandemic situations, they help me to study. I learned how to manage stress and keep my mind healthy from them. I got each and every help from the Deep Griha Society.

City of Child (CoC)

City of Child, the DGS orphanage located in the rural area outside of Pune, has functioned as close to usual as possible over the last two years. Over twenty boys have lived there, including those who had graduated but came to stay when their hostels were shut down during lockdown. Schools in the area have now reopened for grades five and above.

Rainbow Homes, an NGO with residential facilities for street children, has lost its funding so DGS may collaborate to house 25 or more of these children at CoC.

The computer center at CoC helps the children attend online classes and has made it easier for the team to upgrade their skills and to improve how DGS collects and records data. We have also been able to coordinate with other organizations to provide online classes for the boys at COC.

Vaishali Sonavane lived in Kasurdi village with her husband and two sons until her husband died in November 2019, leaving her with no home and the need to get a job. Coincidentally, CoC was looking for a house mother at that time and Vaishali was hired. She and her sons moved into CoC in March of 2020 just as the lockdown was announced in Pune. She has been doing a fabulous job at CoC and her sons are enrolled in the Aadhar Kendra Sponsorship Programme.  

Contributions to the area of greatest need can be made through the organization's website at: deepgrihausa.org

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