food for thought
Because people are hungry for more than food.
Friday Nights Every Friday night volunteers gather at 6pm at New Harvest Christian Church, (3540 Seaman Road, Oregon, OH 43616), to make 300+ brown bag lunches, spread cream cheese on bagels and pack other breakfast foods, make 200 snack bags, fill up plastic tubs with various hygiene products (shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.), pack coolers full of juice and water, and sort through donated clothes and household items to fill both specific requests and general needs.
Before all this activity, we have a brief meeting to update everyone on the latest news, give "shout-outs" to
those who've done something great, share stories, and come up with new ideas now and then. This lasts maybe 10 minutes,
then we get busy! Most items get packed into our van for the ride downtown the next morning. We're usually wrapping
everything up between 7 and 7:30pm. Have questions?
Saturday Mornings
Saturday mornings, rain or shine, we meet up at the little park next to the Main Library in downtown Toledo
(corner of Adams and Michigan) around 10:15am. We set up little card tables, unpack the van and any
other vehicles, and people start lining up to receive, starting at 10:30am, a brown bag lunch, fruit, snacks, drinks,
and any other treats we might have on hand. In fact, volunteers often bring something special - flowers, soup, cupcakes,
candy... lately, we've even had the fixings for fresh turkey sandwiches to make right there in the park! We also
distribute clothes and hygiene products in other areas of the park. Have questions?
But the main thing we offer on Saturday mornings is friendship! People may be hungry for food, but most people are even more hungry for relationships! Offering a smile, a handshake or a hug to those who are in need is our main goal! Some people bring their talents downtown with them - we often have music, and recently have had a couple street magicians who've walked around entertaining people.
We take every opportunity we can to celebrate things and have fun. On our first birthday we threw a party, with JuiceBox and Cookie - two of our Brown Bag Friends - meandering through the crowd getting smiles and hugs. A couple of volunteers had fun making balloon animals, and we had tons of food beyond our regular items... "pb&j" cakes, ice cream, and the Weinie Wagon showed up!
Another important thing that goes on is our street team that takes several boxes of lunches, some coolers of drinks, and occasionally some mac & cheese to the bus stops a couple of blocks away. This, too, happens every week no matter the weather!
You are welcome to join us anytime, but we do ask that you contact us if you have a group that wants to participate.