I think we are all going to remember June of 2022 when we hit temperatures in the upper 90’s. What a miserable time for the power to go out! No air conditioning, no fans, and opening the windows made it even more humid and sticky.
But we sometimes forget that our “fur babies” are suffering as well. And just like they suffer with extreme heat or cold, they suffer from being hungry. Many of our clients have pets and struggle to feed them. In some cases, their pet is the one constant in their life, and they will feed them before they eat their own meals.
Can you help? We know this is an unusual request, but we don’t spend monetary donations on pet items. Our clients are in desperate need of cat and dog food – all sizes, any variety, cans or dry. Additionally, cat litter and assorted sizes of collars and leashes would be appreciated as well. You may even want to ask your vet if they have any to donate, we recently received pet food donations from the East Hills Veterinary Clinic, for which we are very grateful.
Our clients want to care for all members of their family. Thank you for your continued support!
Since 2006 this amazing community effort has been the primary fundraiser to sustain LIFE Food Pantry and our vital services depended upon by hundreds of local families. Life Food Pantry is such an integral part of the well-being of our community—please join us in making this fundraiser a success in such a critical time!
Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland Youth Volleyball organization sponsored a food drive to benefit the Life Food Pantry this past Saturday, May 7th, at the Loveland Elementary School gym.
The community was invited to come to the convenient location to add to the collection of the players.
Dad, Steve Rumberg says to the community, “Thank you for your support of our food drive. We collected a lot of cans and boxes of food. In addition, we were able to get $309 in donations!”
Individuals, businesses, or community organizations can consider organization a food drive to benefit the pantry by getting more information HERE.
Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland Youth Volleyball Organization will be sponsoring a food drive to benefit the Life Food Pantry this Saturday, May 7th, at the Loveland Elementary School gym. They will have games there from 9 AM until 3 PM and will have a table set up to collect donations.
“Please consider dropping off any nonperishable food items that you may have. We do this to not only help LIFE but to help teach our players about volunteering and helping others.”
The community is invited to come to this convenient location to add to the collection of the players.
The following items are ones that LIFE has a more urgent need for.
Beef stew, canned carrots, ketchup, canned chili, coffee, cooking oil, Manwich, mashed potatoes, pasta, peanut butter, canned pineapple, salad dressing, spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, Stove Top Stuffing, paper towels, Kleenex, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.
Loveland, Ohio – Last Friday, April 22, Cassie Mattia and myself, along with CeeCee Collins and Meridith Taylor with the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance went to the LIFE Food Pantry to present checks. We were greeted by Pantry Executive Director, Linda Bergholz.
CeeCee presented a check that represented all the VENMO donations that were collected during our Easter Weekend Food Drive. Cassie, who had the vision of holding the food drive on Easter Eve presented a matching check from Loveland Magazine.
The Food Drive was held under the Town Clock in Historic Downtown Loveland.
David Miller, Meridith Taylor (with son), CeeCee Collins, and Cassie Mattia under the Town Clock in Historic Downtown at the start of the Easter Weekend Food Drive.
The Pantry said that as a result of seeing about the Loveland Magazine and Chamber food drive a neighborhood was inspired to do their own. Linda said the current need for food by folks in the community is “enormous”.
This LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV video is of the reception we received at the Pantry. It tells the story of how Cassie was led to organize the food drive, how the Chamber so enthusiastically agreed to partner with her, and Linda talks about how the Pantry serves the community and how you can help them. Cassie talks about how easy it is to organize a food drive.
If you feel inspired to make a dollar donation to the Pantry right this moment, please do so with this PayPal link where you can also use your credit card. Or write a check today and mail it to LIFE Food Pantry, 541 Loveland-Madeira Road, Loveland, Ohio 45140.
There are so many ways to get involved! Click Here
RECEIVE FOOD OR ASSISTANCE
To receive food from LIFE, come to our pantry during regular hours and you will be provided groceries on that first visit.
Partnership Benefits
By choosing to partner with LIFE your business will not only provide assistance to the community but LIFE will proudly spread the word about your generosity. See the chart to review all of the benefits our partners will receive.
Loveland, Ohio – The Easter Weekend Food Drive proved nothing is sweeter than Loveland, Ohio!
On Saturday, April 16th in the heart of Downtown Loveland under the historic clock tower we kicked off our first ever Easter Weekend Food Drive benefiting LIFE Food Pantry! I had wanted to lend my time and energy to the LIFE Food Pantry for months, so when LIFE communicated that they were in desperate need of food and that food drives were the best way to gather that much-needed food I knew that this was my chance to give back to a community that had supported me throughout my time with Loveland Magazine.
Once I decided that I was going to organize a food drive I immediately reached out to the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance all-star duo CeeCee Collins and Meredith Taylor. They almost instantly agreed to help with the food drive as they both said that there was nothing more fulfilling than giving back to the community. I was overjoyed by their response and shortly after began working on the logistics.
I knew that I wanted the food drive to be on a day where there would be a lot of foot traffic on the Loveland Bike Trail but also envisioned doing it on a day that meant something. After brainstorming with CeeCee and Meredith, we landed on having the food drive on Easter Weekend! Having the food drive during Easter Weekend to me meant that I could help families less fortunate have the opportunity to celebrate Easter like my family and I had been lucky enough to do for the past several decades.
One of the biggest deciding factors in having a food drive during this particular time of year was because LIFE Food Pantry is almost always in desperate need of food donations due to a slower rate of donations coming in. To put it in perspective, just by holding this one food drive on Easter Weekend, we not only helped provide “staples” and everyday necessities to local families that then freed up money in their budgets so that they could celebrate a holiday like Easter, we also gave these same local families the opportunity to buy Easter candy for their baskets, decorate eggs, enjoy a beautiful Easter brunch, and hunt for chocolate bunnies on Easter morning! That thought alone made the Easter Weekend Food Drive that much more special to me.
After weeks of planning, passing out flyers around town, gathering Easter decorations, stuffing Easter eggs with candy, finalizing details with local restaurants and LIFE Food Pantry, writing food drive stories in Loveland Magazine, and spreading the word on social media, the day of the Easter Weekend Food Drive finally came! We set up our beautifully decorated Easter tent under the historic clock tower in Downtown Loveland and prepared for a fun-filled day of giving back.
The food drive kicked off at 10 am and almost immediately we began getting food, cash, and Venmo donations. For each donation, we received we made sure to express our gratitude followed by an Easter egg filled with candy! Parents and their children loved that we were celebrating giving back by wearing bunny ears and giving out Easter eggs! The day itself couldn’t have gone any better.
The Easter Weekend Food Drive wrapped up at 5 pm and as we were cleaning up the overwhelming feeling of love and gratitude touched us all. Those feelings alone were enough for me to agree to make the Easter Weekend Food Drive an annual event!
The Easter Weekend Food Drive collected $290 dollars in Venmo and cash donations and over 75 pounds of food for the LIFE Food Pantry. Needless to say, the food drive was an absolute success!
There were so many individuals and local businesses that helped make the Easter Weekend Food Drive possible and I want to take the time now to express how thankful I am:
Thanks to CeeCee Collins and Meredith Taylor from the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance for all of your help and guidance in organizing my first food drive!
Thanks to David Miller for helping spread the word and volunteering your time at the food drive!
Thanks to Loveland Magazine Interns Mahi Sheth and Sean Behling for taking time out of your day to volunteer at the food drive!
Thanks to all the downtown Loveland businesses for being so supportive of this food drive by hanging up our flyers and spreading the word!
Thanks to the Works Pizza for being a donation drop-off spot!
Thanks to the City of Loveland’s Krista Rose and Publisher of Loveland Lifestyle Magazine Emily Barlow for helping spread the word about the food drive on your platforms!
Thanks to Nancy and Jay Grant for volunteering your time at the food drive!
Thanks to LIFE Food Pantry and Linda Bergholtz for directing us on how to run a great food drive!
Last but not certainly least, thanks to the wonderful people that came out and donated food or money to the Easter Weekend Food Drive! You are directly responsible for making a difference in many local families’ lives!
Enjoy the slideshow of the photos I, Sean Behling, Adam Ploof, and David Miller took at the Easter Weekend Food Drive!
If you would like to help the pantry by volunteering, holding your own food drive or would like to donate dollars, please visit their WEB SITE. If you are in need of food or financial assistance you will learn about that also.
For Loveland event updates and coverage, stay tuned to the Loveland Salad With ME, Cassie Mattia!
LIFE is a faith and community supported organization that provides food, financial assistance, and programs to those experiencing hardship.
by Linda Bergholz
Linda Bergholz
As we approach the end of winter (fingers crossed, no more snow dances!) we want to thank our supporters who got us through the post-holiday season.
So many exciting things are happening at the LIFE Pantry. We have a new delivery ramp in the back, a scholarship program ready to launch, and we are looking to expand our Financial Assistance program. To that end, did you know that we have a Financial Assistance program? Most likely not, as the vision most have is “Oh, they do food” – which we do well, but food insecurity is just one part of the bigger picture for our families. The domino effect of “my car broke down so I lost my job so I can’t pay my rent and I have an eviction notice” is devastating for these families. We offer financial assistance for rent, utilities, medical bills, and various other needs that are considered on an individual basis. The piece we are planning to add is for auto related needs such as car repair, new tires, license plates, gas cards. It’s vital to help: if our clients can’t get to work, they don’t earn a paycheck, they can’t pay the bills. It’s a crucial part of independence for our families and a piece toward breaking that cycle of poverty.
Looking toward spring, we will be launching our annual Feed the Hungry campaign, LIFEsavers. We are thankful for our current monthly subscribers who allow us to better plan for expenses. The event will run April 18th through May 21st. Look for our signs around town, and updates on our website and Facebook page. Please consider donating, either one time or continuing support. No amount is too small – even $5 a month provides a Tiger Weekend Food Bag for one of our little folks!
Blessings abound and you, our supporters, are a huge part of those blessings. Stop in and see what we do – then sign up to donate, volunteer, and spread the word!
Loveland, Ohio – Spring has sprung which means the Easter Bunny will be paying Loveland a visit very soon! What better way to celebrate Easter than by giving back to those in need within the community. Join Loveland Magazine and the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance (LMRCA) for the Easter Weekend Food drive benefiting LIFE Food Pantry!
Easter weekend, for me, is one of the most coveted times to make memories with my family as we come together to enjoy a nice home-cooked meal and exchange Easter baskets filled with goodies. This year, I wanted to make sure that families less fortunate had the opportunity to celebrate Easter like my family and myself have been lucky enough to do for the past several decades. I knew that Loveland’s local food pantry, LIFE, was in desperate need of food donations as this time of year is often a slower time for incoming donations. I had chatted back and forth with some of the wonderful women from LIFE a couple of months ago and promised them that I would find a way to organize a food drive. I searched my brain for those that would be interested in joining me to help make this food drive happen. That’s when I thought, “I should ask CeeCee Collins and Meredith Taylor from the LMRCA to help me make this food drive a reality!” I emailed CeeCee and Meredith and explained my vision and seconds later they were on board! I was overcome with joy!
Meredith Taylor
CeeCee Collins
Over the past several weeks, Meredith, CeeCee, and I have worked hard to make this unbelievable Easter Weekend Food Drive the best it could possibly be, and needless to say, I couldn’t be happier with what we have in store for the Food Drive! Loveland Magazine, the LMRCA, and LIFE would love nothing more than all of those within our amazing community to come out on April 16th between 10 a.m-5 p.m and donate to the Easter Weekend Food Drive!
Here are some important Easter Weekend Food Drive details:
We will be stationed next to the historic clock tower in Downtown Loveland right along the Loveland Bike Trail. You will see our decked Easter-themed tent!
You may pull your vehicle into the “Carry-Out” Parking spots next to where we will have our tent and we can easily grab your donations straight from your vehicle! You won’t even have to leave your vehicle if you so choose!
Each week LIFE lists on their website homepage their current donation needs so before you stop by our Food Drive to donate check out their list here!
If you can’t make our Easter Weekend Food Drive or would just simply rather donate money to LIFE you can do so by scanning the QR code below, although we would love to see all of your smiling faces in person at the Food Drive!
There will also be another Easter Weekend Food Drive donation box at The Works Pizza so feel free to drop off donations there as well if you’re looking to grab a pizza on your way out!
Be sure to bring the kids as we will be handing out candy-filled Easter eggs!
To Donate to the Easter Weekend Food Drive Scan the QR Code Above!
We hope to see all of you at the Easter Weekend Food Drive! If you have any questions about the Easter Weekend Food Drive please contact me, Cassie Mattia, or Meredith Taylor! Help us help those in need have a beautiful Easter too!
Look for us under the Town Clock at the Loveland Bike Trail.
For the latest Loveland community events stay tuned to the Loveland Salad With ME, Cassie Mattia!
For millions of Ohioans, world events are making it harder to fill their pantries and refrigerators, an official who helps oversee the state’s food banks said on Wednesday. Those pressures will only increase pantries’ need for state assistance, she said.
The coronavirus pandemic had already put pressure on the state’s food banks as demand increased and supply-chain disruptions made it harder and more expensive to get food. Now the Russian invasion of Ukraine is poised to further squeeze global flows of wheat and fuel, exacerbating those trends, said Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks.
Further complicating the picture is that the new scarcity of food is slashing commercial contributions to organizations that supply the neediest Ohioans, making them desperate for help.
“I would say that is an understatement,” Lisa Hamler-Fugitt said. “Overall, donations are down substantially. Before we went into the pandemic, private-sector donations from food manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and local food and fund drives would range from 45% to 50 % of all we had to distribute. Since the pandemic that has declined dramatically.”
Lisa Hamler-Fugitt
Now the portion donated by commercial suppliers is closer to 33% at the same time that costs to purchase and transport food are growing. Consider:
Eggs that cost food banks 40 cents a pound in 2019 now cost 94 cents, a 135% increase.
Ground beef that cost $2.14 a pound in 2019 costs $2.84, a 33% increase.
Pasta has gone from 42 cents a pound in 2019 to 70 cents now, a 66% hike.
Also, a $2,000 per-child tax credit expired in December, plunging an estimated 10 million American children and 280,000 in Ohio back into poverty. Hamler-Fugitt said that of families receiving the credit, 59% said food was their No. 1 expense, so its expiration is increasing demand at Ohio food banks even as costs go up.
“Families that were standing in grocery store lines are back in our food pantries,” she said.
Federal data appear to support that claim. The Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey estimated that about a month after the credit expired, 339,000 Ohio families with children sometimes or often didn’t have enough to eat in the past seven days.
Compare that to the period from Sept. 15-27 when the credit was in full force. Then an estimated 264,000 Ohio families with children sometimes or often didn’t have enough to eat, the survey said.
If those estimates are accurate, that means food insecurity for families with children has leapt 28% since the expiration of the child tax credit.
In addition to all the other inflationary pressures on food, Hamler-Fugitt said she suspected another: price gouging.
“I hear from the farmers saying, ‘We’re not making any more money.’ How is that possible?” she said.
In his State of the Union Address Tuesday, President Joe Biden echoed that suspicion. He said concentration in the meatpacking industry is alarmingly high.
“Guess what, you got four basic meat packing facilities,” he said. “That’s it. You play with them or you don’t get to play at all. And you pay a hell of a lot more. A hell of a lot more because there’s only four.”
The White House estimates that those four companies — JBS, Cargill, National Beef Packing and Tyson Foods — control 85% of beef packing in the United States, 54% of poultry and 70% of pork. The administration says it’s making an effort to promote competition in those sectors and across the economy.
But even if those efforts are eventually successful, Hamler-Fugitt said Ohio food banks need help more quickly. She praised the support they’ve gotten from Gov. Mike DeWine throughout the pandemic, but said the food centers need $183 million for supplies, operating costs and to upgrade their infrastructure.
Ohio has more than $600 million in unexpended funds from the American Rescue Act and about $500 million more is on the way, Hamler-Fugitt said. A DeWine spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Loveland, Ohio – Are you a local business, organization, church, or school that is looking for an opportunity to give back to the community? Well now is your chance as LIFE Food Pantry needs your help!
During this time of the year donations to food pantries tend to slow down while the need for donations either stays the same or increases. This issue is a constant battle every year. In order for LIFE Food Pantry to continue serving the 45140 zip code by providing food, financial assistance, and additional programs for those in need, they are asking for the community to rally around one another and host food drives!
Food Drives not only help stock LIFE Food Pantry’s shelves but also raise awareness in the community and encourage groups of people to come together for a great cause. Anyone can host a food drive and anyone can participate, you just have to be willing to organize it and make it happen! In the past businesses and organizations such as Loveland High School’s Tiger Inc, the Loveland Symmes Police Department, Loveland’s Kroger, Paxton’s Grill, the Loveland Athletic Boosters, and many more have hosted successful food drives. Doing good can be fun as you can be as creative as you want to be when organizing and hosting a food drive!
Ready for the challenge?! If you would like to host a food drive visit LIFE Food Pantry’s website, call the pantry at 513-583-8222, or shoot them an email. You can always stop by to discuss food drive possibilities as LIFE Food Pantry is located at 541 Loveland-Madeira Rd, Loveland Ohio 45140 and their hours are Tuesday 10 a.m.-12 p.m and 4-6:30 p.m, Wednesday 10 a.m.-12 p.m, Thursday 10 a.m.-12 p.m and 4-6:30 p.m, Friday 10 a.m.-12 p.m, and Saturday 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
For the latest local news and updates stay tuned to the Loveland Salad With ME, Cassie Mattia!
