AmeriCorps Senior RSVP, a program of Family & Community Services, Inc, would like to wish everyone a safe and happy New Year!

Feed the Hope is an annual event in Ashtabula County. This year, RSVP Ashtabula County volunteers and staff were among over 225 volunteers who came together to pack 300,000 meals in 2 hours! The food boxes were then distributed to the 19 food pantries across the county. 

Teams from all over Ashtabula county participated in the packing event including schools, clubs, businesses and nonprofits. To all come together to fight hunger was an amazing experience.    

Columbiana and Jefferson County volunteers partnered together at the Steubenville Walmart in a friendly red kettle challenge. Not only did they raise nearly $500 for Salvation Army, friendships were made.

It is the mission of RSVP to provide opportunities for seniors 55 or better to feel less isolated and included while giving back to their communities. RSVP volunteers John, Sally, and Billi Jo hit it out if the park. 

In the summer of 2021, RSVP of Crawford County took on a new project by starting a Community Garden located in Galion. We could not be more pleased with our first summer of fresh veggies that were harvested, as well as learning what to plant in order to get the best results! While we are looking ahead to the growing season or 2022 and planning how to expand and do more for those in need locally, we would like to take a moment to say a special thank you to the donors here in Crawford County without whom, RSVP of Crawford County would not have been able to get this project off the ground!

Liberty Mill of Galion – 8 tomato cages

Galion Family Health – garden tools, tomato plants, pepper plants, herbs, and garden gloves

RusMen Farms – tomato plants

TSC of Bucyrus – fencing and posts

Family Farm and Home – fencing and posts.

Cindy Wallis – use of land for garden

Additionally, RSVP would like to thank the United Way of North Central Ohio for their financial support in both Crawford, Marion, and Wyandot counties to see this program grow bigger in 2022 and have a positive effect in more areas. We are so thankful for all of our local support, and we look forward to the possibilities and benefits that lie ahead for our local families and RSVP volunteers.

Mahoning County Police Department put on every year to hand out meals to families who are in need of a holiday meals. During this event we were able to hand out over 500 meals to families for the holidays. Our goal for next holiday is to give out more than 500 meals! We were excited to share this memory because it was the first event for our new staff to help out on. We got to meet some incredible volunteers and serve our community. It is fascinating to see how our communities can come together and help out one another.

RSVP of Portage County had an impressive number of new volunteers join our team to support several local food pantry partners. Kent Social Services reached out to us to fill a crucial need for volunteer drivers to pick up food pantry donations from area restaurants and gas stations, as well as lending a hand to deliver senior boxes once a month. Our new volunteer, Albert, was eager to jump in and start serving right away. Being recently retired he wanted to give back to his community and make a difference! Thank you, Albert, and all our volunteers who support our food pantries.

RSVP would like to formally congratulate the Fairborn Fish Pantry on their new location! The pantry is now at 408 Funderburg Rd in the old Wright Elementary building. Just before the holidays, we visited for a tour of the new facility and everything is organized and running great!

The line of cars shows that neighbors have found the new location successfully and all the volunteers had smiling faces. The pantry even handed out some children's gifts for the holidays. Great job serving your neighbors in the Fairborn Community!!!

FISH of Tiffin is a non-profit food pantry in Seneca County. Since joining forces with RSVP four years ago, we have had several volunteers help out at the pantry itself, helping with their monthly food distribution, and answering the phones for the pantry. FISH operates a little differently than some food donation sites; volunteers can pick 1 of 3 key roles within the organization to help out. They can help answer a provided phone and schedule the pick-up date and time for clients who need food. The phone volunteer is allowed to operate the phone from their own home, providing an effective way to serve their community without even leaving their home.

Once the time is scheduled, volunteers are at the pantry at the previously schedule time to hand out a custom order to the clients based on their family size and need. Since 2018, 787 unduplicated families have been served, with 461 of those being served in 2021. The increase is due to a new opportunity within FISH, to serve food at a monthly distribution. Volunteers, both from RSVP and the community, team up to fill the trunks of clients’ cars with food donated from the West Ohio Food Bank. Thank you FISH and to all of our volunteers who meet a huge need in Seneca County, and for doing your part to help eliminate food insecurity. 

William D.

Carl S.

Tressie G.

Shirley F.

Diana M.

Vivian S.

Leslie F.

Terrie Q.

Janine L.

Elisabeth J.

Charles E.

Rosalie E.

Barbara L.

Linda S.

James D.

Judith B.

Dianne L.

Karla C.

Ronald Y.

Ruth Ann R.

William H

Joyce P.

Sharon G.

Patricia Ann G.

Alice O.

Aileen J.

Cathy R.

Gary P.

Mark B.

Ashtabula

Station Name: RSVP Ashtabula County

Days/Hours Volunteers Needed: Ongoing/Varies

Need: Licensed and insured driver to transport seniors to essential services. Flexible schedule, mileage reimbursement and supplemental insurance provided. 

Columbiana

Station Name: Brightside Project, Inc.

Days/Hours Volunteers Needed: Hours vary/2 Thursday’s monthly for distribution, other special events as needed.

Need: Assist children with their “shopping” experience of kid friendly food items, reading materials. 

Crawford

Station Name: American Red Cross

Days/Hours Volunteers Needed: Varied hours depending upon volunteer position and availability.

Need: Work from home as a scheduler of appointments for blood donation, or work during blood drive events to register donors as they arrive.

Greene

Station Name: Pantry workers for Greene County Area FISH agencies

Days/Hours Volunteers Needed: Wed & Thurs @ Xenia FISH and 12-3 p.m. or Tues and Fri 1-4 @ Fairborn FISH

Need: Volunteer help with food distribution during open pantry hours

Huron

Station Name: Imagination Station

Days/Hours Volunteers Needed: 1 hour between Monday-Friday

Need: We are looking for mentors to help 1-2 students or adults with their reading skills. No previous training or education is required for this opportunity.

Jefferson

Station Name: Salvation Army, Steubenville

Days/Hours Volunteers Needed: T-F 9-3

Need: Greet register and assist food pantry clients with “shopping” for pantry foods. 

Mahoning

Station Name: RSVP of Mahoning County

Days/Hours Volunteers Needed: every 1^st and 3^rd Thursday of every month and companionship phone calls are weekly phone calls (can do it from the comfort on your own home) 

Need: Drivers of meals to local homebound seniors.

Marion

Station Name: American Red Cross

Days/Hours Volunteers Needed: Varied hours depending upon volunteer position and availability.

Need: Work from home as a scheduler of appointments for blood donation, or work during blood drive events to register donors as they arrive.

Montgomery

Station Name: Life Enrichment Center

Days/Hours Volunteers Needed: Based on Volunteers’ availability.

Brief Description of the volunteer need or job: Volunteer with Barber or Cosmetology Experience for Salon at LEC to provide free haircuts 

Morrow

Station Name: American Red Cross

Days/Hours Volunteers Needed: Varied hours depending upon volunteer position and availability.

Need: Work from home as a scheduler of appointments for blood donation, or work during blood drive events to register donors as they arrive.

Portage

Station Name: PMHA Homework Buddies

Days/Hours Volunteers Needed: Wednesdays from 3:30pm to 5:00pm (Ravenna)

Need: volunteer would provide meaningful mentoring and homework assistance after school to kids that reside at a PMHA property in Ravenna. Students bring their own homework assignments; no experience needed besides the joy of helping our kids aged kindergarten through Middle School.

Seneca

Station Name: Tiffin City Schools

Days/Hours Volunteers Needed: 1 hour between Monday-Friday 9AM-3PM

Need: We are looking for school mentors to help 1-2 students with their reading skills for an hour during the school day. No previous training or education is required for this opportunity, just a heart for students, and a desire to see them succeed. 

Stark

Station Name: StarkFresh

Days/Hours Volunteers Needed: Monday through Friday, hours can vary

Need: Our Stark RSVP friends from StarkFresh are seeking volunteers to assist with their Mobile Food Market; which runs weekly to locations throughout Stark County to provide better access to fresh food items. Volunteers would be assisting on site with filling food orders, helping the patron at check out and where applicable; mileage reimbursement is available through RSVP. 

Trumbull

Station Name: Trumbull Mobile Meals

Days/Hours Volunteers Needed: Weekdays/Varies

Need: Drivers to deliver meals to homebound seniors.

Wyandot



Station Name: Open Door Resource Center

Days/Hours Volunteers Needed: between 10AM-2PM Thursdays

Need: Help the kitchen staff prepare or hand out food to clients who come in for a weekly hot meal.