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New Life Ministries Community Outreach Dinners and Community Food Pantry This is the seventh year for New Life Ministries to serve their Outreach Dinners on Thanksgiving and Christmas Days. They serve hundreds of individuals on each of those holidays with over 100 volunteers typically needed to do so. Last year they served or delivered 550 Thanksgiving meals and nearly 600 Christmas dinners. This year’s numbers are expected to be similar. The Thanksgiving Dinner will be served Thanksgiving Day from 12 noon until 2:30 p.m. “We will also be delivering meals beginning at 11:00 a.m.,” said Pastor Mark Granger with New Life Ministries. “If anyone would like a meal delivered, they can call even on Thanksgiving Day from 9:00 a.m. until noon.” Granger says that volunteers are also needed to assist with the serving and delivering, so if anyone would like to help, they can contact the church or stop in. They could still use donations of turkeys and hams for the upcoming Christmas dinner. Last year they went through 82 turkeys and 39 hams for both of those dinners. To provide yearlong assistance, the food pantry was started at New Life Ministries in 2003. They currently provide 650 to over 700 people each month with food. In 2008, the food pantry gave out 203,251 pounds of food at a cost of nearly $40,000 and an additional 111,565 pounds of produce. 2009 has seen a similar need. Just in October 2009 alone, Granger says over 660 people received food through the food pantry supplying a minimum of 11 meals per person. “It costs us about $3,000 per month to supply all the food pantry needs,” he said. “We are able to make our dollars go much farther by purchasing through the Mid-Ohio Food Bank, so although we appreciate donations of food, financial contributions can purchase a greater amount of food for our needs. However, we appreciate everything we get. I tell folks that nothing you give is too small or too big.” Granger says he, the church and the volunteers are grateful for all the support from the many local businesses and individuals. “We even have food recipients help out by volunteering their time with the food pantry,” stated Granger. “So many people have been coming in crying, who are losing their homes and they don’t have any food. We take care of them however we can.” The food pantry also takes financial contributions from organizations, churches, businesses, groups and individuals and Granger says they can always use more volunteers to help with the food pantry. Donations can be made to New Life Ministries Church at 727 S. 7th St. by contacting them at 740622-2181.
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Agents Realty and Auction Service Toys for Kids Project Helping local kids at Christmas is something Agents Realty and Auction Service has been doing for the past twelve years. “It’s our auction attendees that really make this happen,” said Mary Mason. “Paul Cochran is the dealer who brings the new toys each year to sell at the auctions.” A special Christmas auction is held each year the week before Thanksgiving and the proceeds from that auction help to purchase the new toys. “We have already had several donations toward our Toys for Kids project,” said Mason. “This is really a community project. Each Friday in December –the 4th, 11th and 18th, we will have special toy auctions where patrons can buy these new toys and contribute to the collection boxes.” Mason says people can also bring in new toys or make financial contributions by dropping them by the office. The deadline for the toys is December 19. Sheri Fortune says they coordinate with local agencies such as Hopewell School and Job and Family Services to find the children who need the toys. “We deliver the toys to Hopewell School and the gifts are sent home for the children there,” she said. “Then what we have remaining we contribute to Job and Family Services for the children there. We also drop off toys at the Fire Department for their toy drive.”
“We try to provide four or five gifts per child, typically for at least 100 children,” continued Fortune. “Students from the juvenile court diversion program help us wrap the gifts.” If you want to help in some way, you can attend one of the auctions to buy new toys for the project. The toy auctions are held on Fridays, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the auction house located at 23024 County Road 621. You can also drop off new toys or monetary donations at the office. “This is definitely a community activity and we are very thankful to everyone who comes to the auctions, makes contributions and supports the project,” said Mason. For more information on the Toys for Kids, project contact Agents Realty and Auction Service at (740) 622-0700.
november, 25, 2009
Toys for Tots Toys for Tots will once again be collecting new toys for distribution to children in Coshocton County this Christmas. Christi Olinger is the local coordinator and she says they are collecting new toys at various drop-off sites throughout the county including the real estate offices in the city of Coshocton, Big Lots and Pearl Valley Cheese. “If you or your organization has a large amount of toys, we can also arrange to pick them up for you,” said Olinger. Olinger says that last year Toys for Tots provided toys for approximately 200 Coshocton County children. This year they already have requests for more than 180 kids so she is certain the numbers will be much higher than last year. “The Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Foundation gave a corporate donation of $5,700 worth of toys and Toys R Us has contributed a corporate donation of $1,600,” said Olinger. “Our local Big Lots gives us a 15% discount on toys purchased there, so our dollars buy a lot of toys.” Olinger says that Toys for Tots has been collecting toys and funds all year long. Local businesses are
holding fundraisers and toy drives are underway. “The Fresno Farmers Market vendors raised $530 for Toys for Tots and collected about 20 toys, which was a great way to get us started,” she said. “One of the vendors at that market, Dave Warren, donated all of his October profits to this cause. There are also donation cans at Arby’s, Crowtown Pizza, Dominoes Pizza and other locations throughout the county.” Olinger would like to challenge groups, schools, businesses, realtors, banks and other organizations to do some type of fundraiser for Toys for Tots. She says she can take financial donations right up until Christmas and new unwrapped toys up until December 15. “The students from the Alternative School helped me move large amounts of toys to the storage area where we are keeping them at Jacobs Vanaman Insurance and Realty Office,” she said. “The students will also be assisting with packaging the toys for distribution.” “The food pantry in Nellie is my main source for collecting names of children in the county with the need for the toys,” explained Olinger. “But people can also contact me directly.” Anyone who wants to contribute new unwrapped toys can drop them off at the above mentioned locations or to Olinger at Peddicord Rice at 838 S. 2nd Street in Coshocton, or contact her at (740) 2020150 to arrange pick up of large quantities of toys. Olinger says she works closely with the local firefighter’s toy chest to make sure all the kids in the area are taken care of. The deadline for toy requests for children is December 9. “One thing I want to make sure everyone understands is that all the monetary and toy donations stay right here in Coshocton County,” she said. “One big need we have this year is for a Marine to assist us. Brian Hawkins was the Marine who assisted us last year and he has been deployed to Iraq. So if there is a Marine who would like to help us this year, please contact me.” Send financial contributions to Toys for Tots, C/O Christi Olinger, Peddicord Rice, 838 S. 2nd St., Coshocton. For more information about Toys for Tots, visit www.toysfortots.org.
Giving Thanks
need assistance. Many of these people are working two jobs yet still qualify for the free food.” They order their food supplies from Mid-Ohio Food Bank. The monthly needs require 12,000 to 15,000 pounds of food. “We try to give out enough for 15 meals per month per person,” said Sharon. “We are only required to provide nine meals.” Any help the pantry receives, Sharon says, is truly a blessing. “Roscoe United Methodist Church, Prairie Chapel, Gospel Hill, River View Ministerial Association, Nellie United Methodist, Dutch Run and New Life Ministries have all helped us greatly,” she added. “Contributions from the Coshocton County Board of Realtors, the Amvets, Tiverton Homemakers, Interim Health Care, Colgate-Palmolive, the local granges and many others, have made what we do possible.” “Many people don’t realize that we also need the taxable items that food stamps can’t buy such as personal items, toiletries, laundry soap, bar soap, toilet paper, feminine products and deodorant,” said Sharon. “We set up four long tables where recipients can choose these kinds of items after the have collected their food items.” Sharon feels that the work their food pantry and others are doing for the community is such a blessing. “I am guessing that just between New Life Ministries and our food pantry, we are feeding about 5 % of Coshocton County,” she said. The financial contributions are always welcome. Sharon says it is a common misconception that food pantries don’t have to pay for the food they give out, but that isn’t true. “We spend at least $1,200 to $1,500 each month for our food products,” she said. “But we are able to purchase the food at very reasonable costs through the Mid-Ohio Food Bank. Every cent contributed goes to the pantry to serve those in Coshocton County. All we do is from what people donate either financially or in supplies.” She said that sometimes people will even donate meats and that they will also take processed deer mea. Any hunters who wish to contribute deer meat can call for the required processing details. “Last year the Farm Bureau donated deer meat and it was greatly appreciated,” she said. Sharon says they are so fortunate to have plenty of volunteer help and that many of those volunteering are the food recipients themselves. For more information about Nellie Open Pantry or to contribute, contact God’s Eternal Love Fellowship at (740) 824-3958.