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Dear Friends,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for the love, effort and time you put into volunteering at Heart to Heart this year. No matter the role you played, please know that without you, this ministry would not be possible. So far this year (January through November) we have served over 24,000 individuals. Please take a moment of pause and think about that number. Think about all those faces, from the youngest infant to the most elderly grandmother. You made an impact on all those lives. YOU did that.
There is no way we could possibly show our appreciation enough. However, in an attempt to provide a token of appreciation, we have a Christmas gift for each of our volunteers. I encourage you to stop by First Community South and take a gift from under the tree in the Crane Welcome Center. There is plenty for everyone, so do not hesitate.
While we are on the subject of gifts, I hope you will consider sponsoring a family through our Holiday Help program, if you are able. We are still in need of about 35 sponsors to provide Christmas gifts for the children of these Heart to Heart clients. We encourage small groups to consider a sponsorship together. For instance, your extended family, book club, knitting circle, or guild. More information about the program can be found online. Please contact Kitty Rohrer if you are interested.
As the year comes to a close, I also want to remind all of you of our holiday closing. In an effort to minimize the impact of our break, we are only closed for two client service days, from December 24 through January 2. We hope you will take this time to enjoy your holiday with your loved ones. Yohan will be taking a well-deserved vacation to over the holiday (and celebrate his birthday, which is January 2). I will be working remotely for the majority of the week. Please contact me if anything comes up. The complete 2023 calendar is available on our website.
In 2023, you will notice some changes at Heart to Heart!
- First and foremost, we are reinstituting our 30-day visit policy. Clients will only be allowed to visit Heart to Heart once every 30 days. We are so grateful for the financial and volunteer help that allowed us to lift this restriction during the pandemic. However, with the rising cost of food and supply chain issues, this change will allow Heart to Heart to continue providing service at the level to which our clients expect and deserve. This is a common policy among area pantries in an effort to control costs. Many clients have already been informed of the change and are adjusting accordingly. Paper notices will continue to be provided in their shopping bags through the end of January 2023, at least. Yohan will advise about how to handle clients who arrive before their 30 days are up.
- The next change you'll notice is that we will no longer be using the Spiritual Guidance room in the Annex. Before the pandemic, this room was used by several private spiritual coaches and other individuals providing counsel. During the pandemic, when more space was necessary to allow for safety, the ministry allowed us to use the space. Now that COVID restrictions are being lifted, and it is safe for these meetings to continue, we need to return the space to those for whom it was intended. We are very grateful for their generosity. Items stored in that room continue to moved accordingly and we intend the space to be completely cleared out mid-January.
- Finally, over the break, I will be working to revise the Volunteer Sign-In Procedure. I realize that the current electronic sign-in form has become cumbersome. This has led to some volunteers just not checking in. It is very important that all volunteers check in for every shift, so I will be abbreviating the form to make this process less time-consuming. We use this check-in not only to verify required service hours, but to provide requested statistics to church leadership. In the event of another (hopefully never) pandemic, we would be able to do contact tracing through this method. That being said, I am always open to suggestions and will find a way to work through problems to achieve the end goal.
In the new year, we are excited to bring back our Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. Please mark your calendar for February 16. This is an opportunity for us to show our appreciation and for fellowship among volunteers. More details will be forthcoming, including a link to RSVP.
In January, I have planned for another Mission Workday which will require a good amount of physical labor and focus primarily on cleaning up the spaces we use among all ministries throughout the three buildings at First Community South. This will take place on MLK Day, January 16, as we planned to be closed. Please sign up here if you are able to participate.
There are a few points of business I want to make sure I cover before I sign off this admittedly lengthy email:
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Are you getting our weekly "Full Pantry, Full Hearts" email? If not, please click here to change your email settings. This reflection email is written by Yohan each week and includes news and highlights from the previous week.
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That email also includes a link to our weekly blog "Heart to Heart Happenings". This blog is written by Amy weekly and covers the administrative and business aspects of the food pantry. New policies, statistics, volunteer needs, etc. are all contained in this weekly post.
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Are you following us on social media? This is a good way to get immediate news. As cold weather approaches, this is the fastest way to check if Heart to Heart is closed for inclement weather. View the weather policy here. Links to our Facebook page and Instagram profile are at the bottom of this email.
I would like to close this email with good news. As of this past weekend, we have officially surpassed our goal of a $20,000 match campaign! For the eighth year running, Jill and Duke Thomas have graciously made this matching pledge to support our mission to respond to God’s commandment to love one another. Heart to Heart began serving the community in 1986, and still exists today thanks to the foundation laid by its task force and early leaders, including Jill. We are eternally grateful for the Thomas family’s ongoing support of our mission.
I wish you a Merry Christmas and very Happy New Year!
With Love and Gratitude,
Amy Caskie (she/her/hers)| Director of Missions
First Community | Where Everyone is Accepted
1320 Cambridge Boulevard, Columbus, Ohio 43212
(614) 488-0681, Ext. 106 | (614) 488-2763 Fax
acaskie@FCchurch.com | FCchurch.com | H2H.FCchurch.com
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