Photos by Garth Bishop
In a well-to-do community such as those in the Tri-Village area, it can be tempting to think no one is struggling to feed himself or herself, or to feed his or her family.
But hunger still manages to find its way into Grandview Heights, Upper Arlington and Marble Cliff. The numbers may be lower than some other communities’, but numbers are no comfort for those who find themselves in need.
Fortunately, for many who face such difficulties, there is recourse in the Heart to Heart Food Pantry.
The pantry, located in Grandview, is part of First Community Church, which has locations in Grandview and in the Hilliard area. It has been in operation since 1984.
Heart to Heart is open from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Those in need can come by once every 30 days to pick up 30 days’ worth of food, with the amount of food based on the size of each recipient’s family.
There is no residency requirement. Lamar Graham, pantry director, has seen people come in from as far away as Newark, Pataskala and Lewis Center. The majority, though, come from ZIP codes 43212 (Grandview) and 43204 (west Columbus).
The pantry sees between 300 and 400 clients each month, Graham says.
“We are a choice food pantry,” says Graham. “What that means is folks have the opportunity to select what food they would like to have from our shelves.”
Lining those shelves are fresh fruit and vegetables, canned goods, meat, toiletries, even pet food. About 90 percent of the items made available to recipients come from the Mid-Ohio Foodbank – a common theme among central Ohio food pantries, as the food bank is usually the cheapest means of purchasing food.
“In a month’s time, we pick up 10,000 to 12,000 pounds of food from Mid-Ohio Foodbank,” says Graham.
The remaining 10 percent is made up of donations from church members and community businesses. Those businesses include DK Diner, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, Giant Eagle, Starbucks, Panera Bread, zpizza and Little Caesars Pizza.
Graham and pantry volunteers make an effort to be as welcoming as possible, with fresh coffee, pastries, books and magazines on hand and music always playing, says Graham. Ensuring clients and volunteers understand each other and treat each other with dignity is a priority as well.
“That’s the culture we want to create,” Graham says. “We call folks by first name; we listen to folks and hear their stories.”
Those interested in helping the food pantry’s efforts are encouraged to make monetary donations, as the volume of food Heart to Heart can buy from Mid-Ohio Foodbank with just a few dollars is impressive. Donations can be made via the pantry’s website, www.fcchurch.com/heart-to-heart, or arranged by calling 614-488-0681, ext. 203.
One good opportunity to donate is through the Upper Arlington Public Library’s Feed Down Fines program. Those with library fines can pay them using canned or dry goods as currency from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 6, and all donations go to Heart to Heart.
Volunteers are also a crucially important part of operations. There are volunteering opportunities Monday through Friday each week. Duties include stocking shelves, helping clients and picking up food from retailers. Sign-up information can be obtained by calling or via the website.
Donating food or recipes is another way to contribute.
“As the spring months and the summer months come in – harvest season – we’re definitely accepting all donations of produce,” Graham says.
Heart to Heart is branching out as organizers look for more ways to help their clients, including helping them sign up for health insurance, providing moral support, praying for them and holding an employment fair in February. When the pantry cannot proffer assistance, such as with rent or utility payment, it directs clients to organizations that can.
Though food assistance is often for the benefit of children, local children are looking to help out themselves. In May, students at Jones Middle School will, as they have for the past several years, visit Heart to Heart to learn about hunger and volunteering efforts – and to make their own contributions.
“They will march from their school dressed in orange and chanting ‘end hunger,’ carrying wagons of food, and ultimately donate that food to the pantry,” says Graham.
In the Grandview Heights City School District, 10 percent of students receive free or reduced-price lunch, demonstrating a notable need – especially on weekends or over the summer, when there’s no school lunch to be had.
“We were up to 18 or 19 percent free and reduced at one point over the last 11 years,” says Carol Hamilton, director of food services for the district.
The Upper Arlington City Schools is not part of the federal program for free and reduced-price lunch and thus does not have numbers readily available. Unlike most school districts, Upper Arlington has determined that it’s more expensive to provide free and reduced-price lunch as part of the federal program, says Karen Truett, director of communications.
“We do have systems in place to help students who are in need with lunch costs,” Truett says.
Here Comes the SON
Though neither Grandview nor Upper Arlington has a summer food program for students who lose their access to a free or reduced-price lunch when school is not in session, one such program is operated by an Upper Arlington organization: SON (Serving Our Neighbors) Ministries, which is part of Upper Arlington Lutheran Church.
The church, which has a presence in Hilliard, operates a summer lunch program for in the Hilliard City School District. It’s not just for Hilliard students, though; children from all communities are welcome there. And SON also offers supplemental programs, such as English language education.
More information can be found at www.son-ministries.org.
Allied Against Hunger
Children’s Hunger Alliance operates a wealth of summer feeding sites throughout central Ohio and the state at large.
Carol Hamilton of Grandview schools always recommends the alliance’s meal site at The Ohio State University Ice Rink.
The alliance does not have any sites in Grandview or Upper Arlington proper, but the organization is always seeking sponsors for new sites, says Shanikka Flinn, media and communications director.
“The need is there,” Flinn says. “In the suburbs, there is a faster rate of increase in terms of the number of sites and the number of children who need the meal program.”
More information can be found at www.childrenshungeralliance.org.
Garth Bishop is managing editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
