I never put a title to photographs, however, this will be an exception. In honor of our Loveland school children, “The Everyday Table Shakers“.

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

Above Photos © 2021 by David Miller/Loveland Magazine

by David Miller

Loveland, Ohio – “So, for all of you who are grocery shopping this weekend, please keep us in mind and up the items you could donate to the Pass It On Food Drive,” said Libby Westerman on Monday evening.

Loveland Magazine was invited to the LIFE Food Pantry on Monday so we could help spread the word about this year’s annual food collection that for the past 20-years has always been scheduled ahead of the holiday season.

Every year, along with the assistance of Loveland City Schools, a food drive takes place to collect items to disburse as Thanksgiving boxes – to clients of the LIFE Food Pantry and other residents in the community as well as holiday bags for later in December.

Westerman is in her third year of organizing the food drive throughout the Loveland schools and wanted to give parents and others in the community a heads-up about participating.

In this LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV video, LIFE Executive Director Linda Bergholz explains 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.”

Bergholz introduces Westerman and Nancy Grant who founded Pass It On in 2001 as a way children could give to the community and heal after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

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.

Westerman tells you how you can participate and Grant tells you about the origin, and because of the Pandemic, why it is still so important for the children and our community.

You don’t want to be that parent that opens up a backpack on the morning of the drive and discovers at the bottom an unread note and realizes there are no canned cranberry sauce or Mandarin oranges in the cupboard that your child is supposed to take to school that morning. Each classroom/grade K-8 will have specific items to collect, bring to school, and pass along to the food pantry.

Students at the Loveland Intermediate and Middle schools will walk the food the several blocks to Prince of Peace Lutheran Church down the road from their school where it will be sorted and eventually given away.

This year’s “Pass It On” will be on Friday, November 19th.

This is a heads-up to grandparents and guardians as well because your child can probably only participate if you do some early shopping for them.

Many students and volunteers deliver the donations from the food drive to Prince of Peace Lutheran Church where volunteers sort, date check, organize and assemble 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-8 will have specific items to collect. When your child brings home information about the Pass It On Food Drive, please be generous when you send your donations with them to take to school.

Here is the shopping list. You can also download and print this shopping list to take with you while grocery shopping.

(Right-Click to open in a new tab or window to view larger)