LOVELAND, OHIO – This LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV video features David Miller with Loveland Magazine and Linda Bergholz the Executive Director of the LIFE Food Pantry. It was recorded on April 4, 2024 in the new space the LIFE Food pantry has acquired in Shoppers Haven Shopping Center for a significant expansion. Linda spoke about the need for more space and how it will allow the Pantry to better serve our neighbors in a more dignified way.
The Pantry is currently located in Shoppers Haven at 541 Loveland-Madeira Road, and the new space is next door to Ace Hardware. Clients currently wait extended times outside to be served. The new space will have a waiting room where they can wait their turn with dignity and not wait outside in inclement weather.
If you are interested in volunteering or helping as the expansion moves forward, please reach out – 513.583.8222 or lifefoodpantry@yahoo.com.
WCPO Weatherman Steve Raleigh was the guest emcee for the awards dinner
Chamber Board Member, Brian Garry was the Emcee for the Awards Dinner
Loveland, Ohio – On Thursday evening, November 16 the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance held their annual Awards dinner at the Oasis Conference Center. Chamber Board Member, Brian Garry was the Emcee for the evening and WCPO Weatherman Steve Raleigh was the Guest Emcee.
Kaitlyn Brennan is the site manager of Gigi’s Playhouse Cincinnati, the Emerging Business of the Year. She told attendees about the organization’s free educational, therapeutic-based, and career development programs for individuals with Down syndrome.
A raffle was held and the proceeds were divided between the Chamber’s scholarship fund and Gigi’s Playhouse Cincinnati. Kaitlyn Brennan is the site manager of Gigi’s Playhouse and made a presentation about their delivery of free educational, therapeutic-based, and career development programs for individuals with Down syndrome, their families, and the community, through a “replicable playhouse model”.
Emerging Business of the Year: Gigi’s Playhouse Cincinnati
Beautification Award: Loveland PaddleSports (Loveland Canoe and Kayak)
Community Involvement Award: The Works
Business Community Advocate Award: LIFE Food Pantry
Non-Profit of the Year: The Grail
Woman Owned Business of the Year: The 1859
Young Professional of the Year: Katie Taylor
Randy K. Stanifer Health, Wellness & Fitness Business of the Year: Gray Nutrition
Customer Service Award: Hometown Café
Community Responder Award: Loveland Legacy Foundation
Hidden Hero Award: Angels by the Trail
Chamber Choice Award: City of Loveland Public Works
Lift Up Loveland Award: Ralph Dunnigan
WCPO Weatherman Steve Raleigh was the guest emcee for the awards dinnerJimmy Hooper accepted the Customer Service Award given to Hometown CaféTasha Danzilo accepted the Community Involvement Award for The WorksShawn Hartness accepted the Chamber Choice Award on behalf of the City of Loveland Public Works DepartmentRalph Dunnigan received the “Lift Up Loveland Award”Mark and Robyn Bersani were awarded the Beautification Award for Loveland PaddleSports (Loveland Canoe and Kayak)President Martha Hadley accepted the Community Responder Award given to the Loveland Legacy FoundationThe Hidden Hero Award was accepted by founder, Stacey Lund for Angels by the TrailAngelo Veotte-Board President of Gigi’s Playhouse Cincinnati accepted the Emerging Business of the Year awardLinda Bergholz the Executive Director, accepted the Business Community Advocate Award for the LIFE Food PantryKate Harden the owner of The 1859 was recognized as Woman Owned Business of the Year.Katie Taylor, Owner of The Outsourced COO was chosen as the Young Professional of the YearJohn Zielke accepted the Business of the Year honor on behalf of Paxton’s GrillTerri Pucket accepted the Non-Profit of the Year award for The Grail
The silent auction still has a few items remaining. If you would like to bid or buy now, please CLICK. The auction benefits Gigi’s Playhouse and the chamber scholarship fund and is live until Monday, Nov 27.
Spring in the Midwest – we’ve seen sunshine, flowers, heavy rain, crazy wind and even snow!
As we move into a new season, we always have fresh hope. But many of our clients are facing the same issues that plagued them through the winter. Unpaid bills and rising food and shelter costs continue to weigh on their minds.
Spring is the time of our annual Feed The Hungry campaign, which brings hope that LIFE clients will have a brighter season.
This year we are changing the name to better reflect what we do – it’s more than food. While food donations are important, monthly pledges from the community and business partners help us buy needed perishables such as milk, eggs, and cheese but also does so much more. Financial donations allow us to pay emergency financial assistance for items such as rent, utilities, prescription medicines, and maintenance for vehicles, so clients can continue to live safely in their homes and have reliable transportation for work.
You will receive information next month about this important campaign, and how you can be a LIFEsaver* with just the click of a button from the comfort of your home, office, or anywhere. We make it easy for to make a monthly donation, would you please consider it? Of course, we welcome one-time donations as well, which is also easy to do online. You can also drop a check in the mail or bring it by in person – we love to show off our pantry!
Spring cleaning is just around the corner! We need cleaning products such as window and floor products, all-purpose cleaners, paper towels, bathroom cleaning products, anything you use to make your house fresh and clean. When you pick up supplies for your home, please consider adding a few additional items to donate to the pantry.
*LIFE is so thankful for our LIFEsavers, who provide an ongoing monthly contribution to help our neighbors in need. If you’d like to learn more about donating and being a LIFEsaver, visit our
To view highlights about what will happen at and the artists and craftspersons in the Pottery Affaire visit Whistle Stop on FaceBook!
Loveland, Ohio – Whistle Stop Clay Works (WSCW) is hosting the fifth annual Pottery Affaire on Saturday, September 3 from 11 AM until 4 PM. The show highlights local artists who will be offering handmade pottery, fiber art, paintings, turned wood items, note cards, photographs, and much more. This show is a wonderful opportunity to support local artists and buy unique, handcrafted work.
The show will also be supporting the L.I.F.E Food Pantry, which fights food insecurity in the Loveland area. The food pantry will have a booth at the show and 100% of sales will go directly to the non-profit to help those in need. “We are excited to be partnering with Whistle Stop again this year. We raised over $500 last year and we are pleased to have an opportunity to educate people about our mission,” said Linda Bergholz, director of the pantry.
The show will also feature Loveland High School art students who will be selling their work.
The family-friendly event will have food, soft drinks, as well as wine and beer to help shoppers refuel and hydrate. In addition, there will be hourly door prizes, demonstrations on the potter’s wheel, and pottery studio tours.
“It’s going to be another amazing show. There will be nearly fifty artists showing their work. The Pottery Affaire offers tremendous variety and selection, so you’re sure to find something that is just right for you or someone on your shopping list,” commented Bonnie McNett, new owner of WSCW. “The setting is just perfect with lots of expansive shade trees and the beautiful O’Bannon Creek ambling by,” she added.
The Pottery Affaire is being held at 119 Harrison Avenue just north of historic, downtown Loveland on Saturday, September 3rd from 11 AM until 4PM. For further information call (513) 683-2529 or visit www.whistlestopclayworks.com.
Loveland, Ohio – Whistle Stop Clay Works (WSCW) is hosting the fifth annual Pottery Affaire on Saturday, September 3 from 11 AM until 4 PM. The show highlights local artists who will be offering handmade pottery, fiber art, paintings, turned wood items, note cards, photographs, and much more.
This show is a wonderful opportunity to support local artists and buy unique, handcrafted work.
The show will also be supporting the L.I.F.E Food Pantry, which fights food insecurity in the Loveland area. The food pantry will have a booth at the show and 100% of sales will go directly to the non-profit to help those in need. “We are excited to be partnering with Whistle Stop again this year. We raised over $500 last year and we are pleased to have an opportunity to educate people about our mission,” said Linda Bergholz, director of the pantry.
The show will also feature Loveland High School art students who will be selling their work.
The family-friendly event will have food, soft drinks, as well as wine and beer to help shoppers refuel and hydrate. In addition, there will be hourly door prizes, demonstrations on the potter’s wheel, and pottery studio tours.
“It’s going to be another amazing show. There will be nearly fifty artists showing their work. The Pottery Affaire offers tremendous variety and selection, so you’re sure to find something that is just right for you or someone on your shopping list,” commented Bonnie McNett, new owner of WSCW. “The setting is just perfect with lots of expansive shade trees and the beautiful O’Bannon Creek ambling by,” she added.
The Pottery Affaire is being held at 119 Harrison Avenue just north of historic, downtown Loveland on Saturday, September 3rd from 11 AM until 4PM. For further information call (513) 683-2529 or visit www.whistlestopclayworks.com.
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!
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.
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!
As the year comes to a close, I am amazed at everything we’ve accomplished together in 2021. Clients are back in the pantry, we have a van to help with transportation, children attended our back-to-school event to select supply filled backpacks and spirit wear, another successful Pass it On filled Thanksgiving baskets and Holiday Food Bags, numerous food drives, fund raisers, runs, and reading events were held on our behalf, monetary donations to help clients with financial assistance continued to come in; it is truly remarkable.
On behalf of everyone at LIFE, a big thank you to everyone who donated food and household items, volunteered in the pantry, led a food drive, donated money, or supported us in other ways to have such a successful 2021. Your support allows us the privilege of helping our neighbors in need.
This issue highlights information about our services, events, corporate sponsors, how you can help, and more. Visit our website to learn more about how you can get involved.
I never put a title to photographs, however, this will be an exception. In honor of our Loveland school children, “The Everyday Table Shakers“.
David Miller is the Publisher of Loveland Magazine
by David Miller
Loveland, Ohio – Loveland Magazine was invited to the LIFE Food Pantry Pass it On Food Drive last Friday to witness hundreds of students walking food donations from their school to the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church on Lebanon Road. The two buildings are about 3/4 mile from each other.
This was the 20-year anniversary of the food drive started by Nancy Grant to heal wounds after the terrorist attack on 9/11. It has always been scheduled ahead of the holiday season. The purpose is so that clients of the LIFE Food Pantry and other residents in the community can eat well at Thanksgiving and later in December. This was Libby Westerman’s third year of organizing the food drive throughout the Loveland schools
Ahead of Friday, LIFE Executive Director Linda Bergholz explained how extremely important the event is for the pantry. She said, “As you all know, Thanksgiving is coming up and for us at the food pantry. It is an extraordinarily important time of year. Food insecurity has always been important. Food insecurity during a Pandemic is enormous.”
Grant said twenty years ago, “Well, we can’t change the world, but we can change our little corner of it.” She had this idea to line up the kids down the street and pass the food donations one bag and box, hand-to-hand at a time to one another until it reached the church. A pay it forward so children could feel good about themselves. She thinks it worked after 9/11 and will now – during the Pandemic. This year the students at the Loveland Intermediate and Middle schools didn’t exactly “pass-it-on” to one another, but each carried their own donations to the church.
After the donations arrived, volunteers sorted, date checked, organized, and assembled a Thanksgiving meal box to go out to area families. The huge effort is to ensure that all our Loveland families and singles will have the items they would need so they can sit down together and enjoy a traditional meal for the holiday.
Each classroom/grade K-4 also had specific items to collect that were delivered to the church in cars and vans.
Here is a very short timelapse video of the food being delivered and a few photos of the donations.
As we move into the season of gratitude, we are so thankful for our donors and our volunteers that work together to make the holidays brighter for families in our community that need a helping hand.
Without the dedication, long hours, giving spirits, and loving hearts, the LIFE Food Pantry wouldn’t be able to provide Thanksgiving Box Meals, the Holiday Giving Shop and Holiday Bag Meals.
From canned goods to gift cards, from turkeys to stuffing — all of your donations fill the boxes with meals for the season. New coats, toys, household items, clothing, stocking stuffers fill our Holiday Giving Shop tables with gifts for the holiday guaranteed to bring happy smiles to both the littles and the seniors and everyone in between.
Your generosity touches the lives of so many, and for this we give thanks.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Linda Bergholz, Executive DirectorLIFE Food Pantry
Business of the Year: Paxton’s Grill
