The Christmas Kindness Project
by Amy Caskie
DIRECTOR OF MISSIONS
The Christmas Kindness Project was created to ensure gifts under the tree for children of Heart to Heart food pantry’s clients. 20 regular client families were chosen to receive this support, which included 83 total children. As each child was given the option to list 4 wish list items, our aim was to collect a total of 332 gifts.
We created this program from scratch this year. Considering we had no process in place or precedents for participation, I am impressed by the overall success. While setting up the program certainly had its challenges, it was the smoothest Christmas program we have tried to run in the many years I've worked for the church. I am excited to do it again in 2025, after making a few tweaks!
From the outside, programs like this can seem so straightforward that it's difficult to understand the amount of time and effort that goes into making it happen! While we typically start the Christmas conversation in September, work on the project this year started in the summer. To both express my gratitude and recognize the effort for the work of each of the people involved, I’ve written a summary of the steps:
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Choose the families. Yohan used his established relationship with regular clients to identify those likely to need help providing gifts. While 20 families were chosen for this First Community program, a few other groups seek client referrals from Heart to Heart, including the Youth team's Adopt-a-Family program. In total, Yohan identified well over 60 families.
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Obtain Consent. Our agreement with MOFC requires us to keep client information confidential, so this step was necessary to maintain compliance. Yohan then called each of the families to obtain their consent to be contacted by volunteers.
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Client Interviews. Three dedicated and patient women volunteered for this: Chris Casavant, Kitty Rohrer, and Rebecca Wolfe. They interviewed the 20 clients to learn more about their families and the children's wants and needs. Most of these interviews required multiple calls between the client contact and the volunteer. And I imagine well over 100 hours of time was clocked on the phone alone!
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Questionnaire submission. After the interviews were complete, the same volunteers then input the information into electronic forms to be compiled into a single database.
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Tag Creation. I will admit, this was my least favorite step! Each of the tags had two sides: one listing the child's demographic information, and the other side with specifics about their gift choice, both coded for confidentiality. Using the database, two labels were created for each of the gifts. Then they were affixed to either side of 332 paper ornaments. Much to their surprise, I “voluntold” both my husband and best friend to assist in this process (thank you Jared and Amy)!
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Display Setup. I will admit this was my favorite part! Obtaining the materials and creating the displays allowed me to use my creative skills, which are often unused in my role. However, it was hours of work at each of the two sites. Again, I voluntold my husband and two children to help on this portion of the project, so thank you also to Lucy and Bennett.
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Gift Wrap Kits. Pat Porterfield volunteered to collect donations of gift wrapping supplies. She then created 20 kits, one for each family, that included everything from wrapping paper to scotch tape. Thank you to Chris Casavant and the Trading Post for your assistance with the last touches.
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Tracking progress. It took me a while to figure out how to keep track of which tags were being chosen, which gifts were returned, and what was remaining. It required excellent communication with Deb Humphrey and Andrea Keil, who volunteered for …
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Donation pickups. Deb and Andrea collected items from the donation bins every week, one at each site. They counted tags remaining, collected the gifts from the bins, returned them to the storage site, checked them off a list and kept them organized by family. Did you see either of the overflowing bins on the last pickup day?! That was a lot of work! (On December 15, the donations at FC North required three carloads to transport!)
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Gift sorting. Four volunteers came over two days to sort the gifts that had been returned: Chris Casavant, Molly Penrod, Kitty Rohrer and Amy Wood. While I used my sleuthing skills to pinpoint the destination of gifts that were missing tags, they made a pile for each child for each family and identified the children that were missing gifts so we could make plans to fulfill them. The volunteers then bagged the gifts and labeled the bags by child. Since the bags were opaque, they protected their contents from the prying eyes of sneaky kiddos.
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Gift Fulfillment. At the end of the program, 7 tags had not yet been chosen and 6 gifts were missing. Thanks to a last minute plea from Deb Humphrey, the First Community choirs made a generous financial contribution that allowed me to purchase the remaining gifts and have them shipped or picked up in time for the clients to receive them. I cannot thank the choirs enough for this last minute generosity!
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Client Delivery & Pickup. Three timeslots were established for clients to come pick up their family’s gifts. Two or three volunteers were needed for each of these sessions. A few clients requested their gifts to be delivered, as they did not have the means to pick them up. Four volunteers worked directly with clients to make those arrangements. Thank you to Chris Casavant, Colleen and Colin Evans, Becky Hinga, Katie Isaacson, Mary Jolly, Molly Penrod, and Doug Roberts. (I am particularly grateful for Dick and Kitty Rohrer's efforts in this phase of the project, as they managed getting gifts to the last few families when a family emergency had me out of town at the last minute.)
Weren’t counting? That was 19 volunteers, and I’d estimate over 250 hours of work combined. Plus, 4 staff members contributing a combined estimate of 250 hours for a grand total of approximately… Five. Hundred. Hours. That doesn’t include the time each of you spent choosing and delivering the donated items. Now that the time and effort contributed to the project is clear, I hope you will consider volunteering next year to make the process run even more smoothly.
Despite the time and effort that went into the project, and partially because of it, the project was very rewarding. Seeing the relief and gratitude on the faces of the parents receiving the gifts was the best part of the project. With two kids of my own, I tried to imagine the relief and gratitude they felt because of the kindness of strangers. I hope the volunteers that participated witnessed what I did, and that all the donors realize the positive impact made for these families, especially the 83 kids. I also want to convey my gratitude for the volunteer assistance and donor generosity. My only regret is that I neglected to take any photos beyond the displays! ... next year!
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Mission & Community Justice Teams Celebrate Christmas | | |
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by Rev. John Girard
MINISTER OF MISSION AND JUSTICE
| Pictured: Amy Caskie, Rev. John Girard | |
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On December 16, First Community Missions and Community Justice Teams met together for a fun-filled, spirited Christmas open house celebration, catered by Steven’s Catering. All who attended enjoyed an evening of hors d’oeuvres, fellowship, Christmas caroling, Bingo, prizes, and a dessert potluck. All of this was to celebrate and thank the many volunteers who give of themselves continually, to provide outreach to our neighbors and communities near and far. A special thanks to Amy Caskie, Yohan Kim, and Amanda Brofford for their dedication to the numerous ministries and outreach projects they help to support, organize, coordinate, and cheer on!
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In 2025 the Mission Teams and Community Justice Teams will begin meeting together, for combined monthly meetings, sharing ministry updates, successes, challenges, and opportunities for new ministry ideas and opportunities. Prayer and fellowship will continue to be central to all the good works of both ministry groups.
Interested in joining one of the Missions Teams, or Community Justice Teams? The 2025 monthly meetings will take place on the third Tuesday of each month, 6:30-8:00pm, in Wing-Grace Hall at First Community North.
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Monthly All Teams Meetings | |
2024 Annual Report
from Mission Ministry Teams
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Heart to Heart
Food Pantry
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Monthly Update
by Yohan Kim
FOOD PANTRY MANAGER
2024 has been a time of abundance at Heart to Heart. It has been a stellar year of giving and growth, all for the benefit of our neighbors. When we talk “missions”, that is it right there. It’s our neighbors and being present for their presence. I can speak with certainty about the gratitude that reverberates, as seen from those in line at First Community South on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the sites supported by our Pop-Up Pantry, and the organizations that are supported by us year after year.
By the end of 2024, we will have recorded over 9,000 service visits. That includes 1,886 new households. They were supported by 41,700 lbs. of donations from First Community, 358,000 lbs. from the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, 3,260 lbs. from Marc’s, 464 lbs. of spices from Penzeys, and 23,000 lbs. of meat from Giant Eagle. That was made possible by 246 volunteers across nearly 6,000 hours of work.
One such example is that of our partnership with Nothing Bundt Cakes, located at Lennox Town Center. A volunteer, Samantha, put the word out on Facebook for assistance. That led to an employee, Hannah, making cakes from scratch with leftover ingredients for Heart to Heart. This has occurred on a weekly basis since 2023, averaging 25 pounds of cakes, big and small. One delivery this month was a whopping 200 pounds!
A wise man once said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” Clearly, the same applies to the volunteers and donors who support us. All it takes is a bit of willpower put forth in the world. The returns can bring joy to multitudes, spanning 14 counties, 71 zip codes, and ripples through hearts across the region.
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$20,000 Matching Grant Fundraiser in February
by Amy Caskie
DIRECTOR OF MISSIONS
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Preliminary Service Statistics*
2024 Year-to-Date
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Households Visits 9,163
- Unduplicated Households 3,145
- Drive-Thru Pantry Visits 6,634
- Pop-Up Pantry Visits 2,529
- New Families Served 1,902
Individuals Served 30,548
- Seniors Served 3,671
- Adults Served 5,813
- Children Served 1,173
Meals Served 274,923
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Service Areas
- Zip Codes: 71
- Counties: 14
Top 5 Zip Codes
- 43204 (374 households)
- 43223 (308 households)
- 43228 (181 households)
- 43207 (180 households)
- 43211 (158 households)
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Month of November
Households Served 698
- Drive-Thru Pantry Visits 511
- Pop-Up Pantry Visits 187
- New Families Served 119
Individuals Served 2,291
- Seniors Served 268
- Adults Served 1,197
- Children Served 826
Meals Served 20,619
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Month of December
Households Served 642
- Drive-Thru Pantry Visits 467
- Pop-Up Pantry Visits 175
- New Families Served 104
Individuals Served 2,197
- Seniors Served 250
- Adults Served 1,121
- Children Served 826
Meals Served 19,773
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* There are donations and Pop-Up Pantry visits yet to be recorded. | |
Tri-Village Trading Post
2024 End of Year Report
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by Beth Hanson
TRADING POST VOLUNTEER TEAM LEAD
As we bid a fond farewell to 2024, the Trading Post is happy to report that last year was a spectacular year for us! Our preliminary accounting indicates that we raised $151,407! In-store sales account for the majority of the money we raise and these sales were 37% higher in 2024 than in 2023. In addition to the sales from the shop, we raise money from eBay sales, consignment store sales, cash donations and the recycling of metal. We even have a crafter in Kentucky who makes a donation to the Trading Post for moth-eaten cashmere sweaters that we mail to her!
Donations of goods from church members and the community-at-large have been over the top in their generosity. Click here for a list of the items we collect. It feels like a great vote of confidence to have so many people bringing their things to us instead of the many other possible outlets. We take great care with the things we receive. We test all electronics, wash clothing and items that need a bath, check games to make sure they have all of their pieces, check LP’s for scratches, put batteries and light bulbs in all things that need them, repair and polish jewelry, polish shoes, etc. etc. etc. If we can’t use the items, we find someone who can. One of our volunteers is a licensed appraiser and she helps us ascertain the value of items to help us price them appropriately and know when to sell them on eBay. We have two volunteers who sell on eBay for us and our merchandise ends up all over the U.S. and the world.
Our earnings provide financial assistance for the many missions supported by our church. These missions are decided upon by the Missions Grants Team (see Grants Awarded below).
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Impact
In addition to these recipients, we have also provided material donations to:
House of Hope
Seasonally appropriate clothing for men and women who struggle with drug addiction. We provide clothing for Heart-to-Heart’s pop-up pantry volunteers to deliver when they take food to this location.
Little Bottoms free store
Clothing (sizes 0 to 5T) and accessories for young, low-income mothers with small children
Community Kitchen & Star House
Hats, scarves, gloves and mittens.
- The Community Kitchen has provided meals to the hungry for 40 years out of the St. John Community Center on South Ohio Street.
- Star House is a drop-in center for youth ages 14-24. It provides a safe place for youth to get food, clothing, hygiene items, take showers, do laundry and get help with addiction, counseling, employment and health needs.
Faith Community Church (on Sullivant Ave.)
Eight garbage bags of Quilts and sheets for new Haitian refugee families who they were sponsoring
Capital City Gardens Nursing & Rehab and Commons at Buckingham
The residents of this facility are low-income or participating in drug rehab. Many have no family to attend to their needs. We have provided them with linens, clothing, décor, pillows, etc. We have also provided them with medical and rehabilitation supplies that we cannot sell in the shop.
Friends of the Homeless
Blankets, backpacks, small luggage
Goodwill and Volunteers of America
All items we cannot direct to another group. These consist of items not good enough to sell or items we have not been able to sell after five months.
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Preliminary Statistics
Number of volunteers in 2024: 42
Approximate number of total hours worked by volunteers in 2024: 8,000
Average daily number of shoppers: 45
Number of new shoppers in 2024: 363
2024 Total Income $151,407
- In-store sales $142,443 (Christmas items only, sold Nov 1- Dec 18: $6,172)
- eBay sales: $8,100
- Consignment sales: $595
- Metal recycling: $25
- Vases sold to florist: $62
- Cash donations: $182
Average cost per item sold $3.67
Average Earnings
- Daily: $916
- Weekly: $2,768
- Monthly: $11,847
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The Mission Grants Team was created in 2022, when the Mission Council was dissolved and of ministry teams created according the Strategic Plan. The Grants Team is tasked with the distribution of the portion of funds earned at the Trading Post that is set aside for this purpose. The team members are Joy Converse, Sara Haag, Deb Humphrey, Rick Greene and Kitty Rohrer. | |
Organization Grants
Organizations apply for grants online and typically have an established relationship with the church. The grant application can be found online here. Team members consider and vote on grant applications at their monthly meeting.
Before approval or denial of the application, the team:
- Reviews annual and project budget.
- Evaluates sustainability of organization
- Ensures the organizations values align with First Community's
Organizations must have or be seeking 501(c)3 non-profit status.
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The team aims to divide grant awards between organizations near and far. This year the split was as follows:
- Local $56,650
- International $46,000
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| Organization | Award | | Tandana Foundation | $18,500 | | FC Pride with Community Justice Teams | $2,600 | | Little Bottoms free store | $10,000 | | Rafiki Global AIDS Academy | $12,500 | | STEP Together | $7,000 | | Habitat for Humanity Mid-Ohio | $2,500 | | Deep Griha Society | $5,000 | | Riverview International Center | $20,000 | | FC Share & Learn Garden | $2,550 | | FC Youth Mexico Mission Trip | $12,000 | | Healing Art Missions | $10,000 | | Total | $102,650 | | |
Emergency Grants
During the COVID pandemic, a fund was established by the FC Foundation and the now-dissolved Mission Council to support emergency needs for individuals locally. Due to the success of this program, the Mission Grants Team decided to continue funding emergency these emergency grants. To manage the budget and work involved, the team has limited individual emergency assistance grants to utility bills including gas, electric, water, trash, phone, and internet.
Emergency grant applicants are usually referred to the team by the volunteers managing the Heart to Heart Resource Line, although individuals are occasionally referred by other church departments like Pastoral Care or FC Foundation. The names and personal information of the grant applicants is known only to the referring individual and staff members involved in making the payments.
Grants are available to:
- First Community Church employees including Camp staff, contractors, paid musicians, clergy, all part-time and full-time employees, salaried or hourly.
- First Community Church members
- Heart to Heart clients, defined as having visited the pantry in the last 12 months.
The team has chosen to limit the budget for these grants as follows
- $3,000 per household per year, totaled in any number of asks.
- $25,000 of Mission budget per year for all emergency grants
This year, we supported 21 households by paying 38 utility bills, divided as follows:
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| Category | Total | | Electricity | $7,170.51 | | Gas | $770.14 | | Water | $2,175.09 | | Phone | $1,256.05 | | Transportation | $1,144.05 | | Internet | $885.92 | | Housing | $3,000 | | Total | $16,401.76 | | |
Refugee Ministry Team
Information provided by Shirley Barney
VOLUNTEER LEAD
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The Refugee Ministry Team assists the refugee community in Columbus primarily by acting as a Welcome Team for families referred by Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS). This year, the team supported refugees through coordination of ESL lessons, transportation to and from school, appointments, dental surgery, and the organization, collection, and donation of Welcome Kits. | |
Approximately 10 individuals contributed 400 hours to support the 16 individuals that made up the Welcome Team families. The team worked not only with CRIS, but First Community's Tri-Village Trading Post and Heart to Heart food pantry. | | |
Share & Learn Gardens
from Kate Paulson
GARDEN VOLUNTEER
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The Share & Learn Garden is on the campus of Mary Evans Child Development Center's playground at FC North. It is tended by a group of volunteers led by Master Gardeners Loren and Cheryl VanDeusen and their daughter, Kate Paulson. The group works with the Mary Evans teachers and approximately 50 students in addition to tending and harvesting the gardens.
The harvest benefits our Heart to Heart food pantry at FC South. Produce is grown throughout the spring, summer and well into the fall and donated to the pantry for clients to choose.
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In 2024, 400 hours were contributed by the 22 volunteers involved.
This year the volunteers managed:
- 9 raised garden beds
- approximately 1,800 sq ft
- 10 produce varieties grown
- 2 pollinator flower varieties
936 pounds of produce was harvested this year.
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from Rick Greene
VOLUNTEER LEAD
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At the beginning of September 2024, First Community started a pill bottle recycling program. We placed bins at both FC South and North for those who want to recycle their prescription and over-the-counter pill bottles. We collect empty, clean bottles with caps intact and labels removed, from prescription and over-the-counter medications. We ask those who donate to rinse out and dry the plastic containers to ensure there’s no leftover medication residue and remove the sticker labels that contain personal information on the bottles.
Two volunteers manage the program: Rick Greene and Margaret Mahood. To date, we have collected 722 total containers. 450 have made their way to Cincinnati and 272 ate yet to be delivered.
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We then sent these to Matthew 25: Ministries in Cincinnati (https://m25m.org/); this organization accepts donations of empty plastic pill bottles for inclusion in shipment of medical supplies. Its pill bottle program fulfills the dual needs of improving medical care in developing countries and caring for our environment. Matthew 25 Ministries provides humanitarian aid to the poorest of the poor and disaster victims. Its volunteers evaluate, sort, and process donated items before shipping them to people in need meeting social, legal, and cultural requirements of the area. This organization works with more than 40 others in the U.S. and has partners in approximately 70 countries worldwide. | | |
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by Joan Tamadge
VOLUNTEER LEAD
We have about 20 women who volunteer as they are able for our project, which consists of flattening collected bags, cutting into strips, and “plarning” those strips into a ball of plastic yarn. From there volunteers either crochet or knit mats that are approximately 3ft. by 6ft. They also make a tie that holds the rolled up mat and makes it easier to carry.
In 2024 we created approximately 80 mats that were distributed to the Open Shelter and Hope House. Kitty Rohrer and sometimes the pop-up pantry have assisted in the distribution to Hope.
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Mat Makers meet on the first and third Tuesday of each month in the Guild Room at FCC South from 1:30-3:30. If anyone is interested in joining this supportive group please come at those times or call Joan Talmage at (614)657-7887. As well as creating the mats for those who need an extra layer of comfort and warmth, we have become an encouraging group of friends who enjoy each other’s company. Come join the fun! | |
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by Priscilla Mead
VOLUNTEER LEAD
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When the weather changed in early December, the Warm Welcome Knitters distributed dozens of hats, mittens and scarves we knitted to Central Ohio social services who serve families, including Heart to Heart.
We meet twice monthly on the second and fourth Tuesday afternoons at 1:15 in the South Guild Room. If you have a stash of yarn, consider donating it. If you have a yen for picking up your needles again, join us. Besides good fellowship, the warm welcome smiles we receive from those who will wear our winter wear is reward beyond words.
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Monday Night Meals
from Pat Porterfield
MONDAY NIGHT MEALS VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
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For over 30 years, First Community members and friends have been preparing and serving dinner to the men housed at Friends of the Homeless. The church has committed to provide these meals weekly, and the program is known as Monday Night Meals.
The program was started and coordinated by Carol Baker for most of that time and is now managed by Pat Porterfield. However, we currently have four small groups that handle the same Monday each month with a team leader:
- Lisa Reynolds, 14 volunteers
- Cat Oehl, 21 volunteers
- Pat Porterfield, 12 volunteers
- Ellen Crouthamel,12 volunteers
As some months have five Mondays, there are a few weeks each year when additional volunteer groups are needed.
Each group may handle their weekly meal differently, so volunteer time and cost vary accordingly. While some teams gather to cook the meal, some split up the prep then meet at the shelter, or they order the meal for pickup and delivery. Regardless of the method, the goal is to prepare hot meals for the men who cannot count on it daily. Serving the meal is optional, as the FOH staff can manage it if no volunteers are available.
Pat noted First Community has never missed a meal. During the first week of the month, the meal we bring may be the only meal FOH receives for the week. In addition to bringing dinner, some of the groups take cereal and milk to give them for breakfast the following day, and we donated socks as our Christmas gift for the men this year! She said, "The men at the shelter are grateful, polite, and helpful in carrying food into shelter when volunteers arrive. "
Team leaders are pictured below, alongside a few FOH staff members presenting them with a service award.
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News from our Mission Partners | | | | |
