Hamilton mission changing work, but still serving meals to those in need

The organization at 415 Henry St., which has been helping the poor since 1969, has been serving more than 100 lunches a day, with the to-go change allowing physical distancing among those receiving meals.

Needs already are rising, and donations have slipped as people have tightened their budgets, Russo said.

“We definitely need their help, and I know it’s really hard right now, because everything is really in question,” he said. “I understand that, but for those who are capable, and able, we need people’s support now more than ever.”

The mission has set up a GoFundMe account to try to raise funds.

“With our food pantry, we’re doing all pre-packed bags, the same size, so we can just cycle people through with minimal contact,” he said.

The bags contain food for families of three to four.

“We’re only letting five people at a time in, and keeping them separated,” he said.

Other changes have been made to limit the need for any physical contact between staff and those who are served.

“We’re still considered an essential service, so we are still open,” he said.

Last Monday, the pantry provided meals to 45 families, which is high for the middle of the month.

“Normally, those are end-of-month numbers,” Russo said. “And I’m seeing a lot of people that don’t normally come here.”

With large numbers of people suddenly unemployed locally and nationally, “quite honestly, I feel like this is just going to be the tip of the iceberg for our type of organization because of the fallout from businesses that are not going to withstand this storm, financially,” Russo said. “There are going to be a lot of people out of work, a lot of people going on assistance.”

Russo expects the need to grow, “even after we get past the stay-at-home order,” he said.

Donations recently have dropped, and, “that’s a big hit for us, so we’re really going to have to find new donors,” he said. He had to cancel the April banquet that is one of the mission’s two big fundraisers of the year.

A hub of help

The mission, whose new overriding goal is to be “Lighting a Path from Poverty to Self-Sufficiency,” recently expanded its work to be a hub of resources for low-income people needing various kinds of help.

Those resources include regular visits from such agencies as Butler County Job and Family Services, which connects people with assistance in finding jobs and receiving benefits; Transitional Living’s Path program for mental-health help; addiction recovery services; health checks from Miami University nursing students; the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and Hamilton’s workforce-development person for help finding jobs.

“Everybody knows us by our feeding and our food pantry, but people are not realizing what else, in normal circumstances, we’re offering,” he said.

Those visits have been temporarily curtailed to slow the spread of disease.

“Those things will resume, whenever we get the all’s-clear,” he said.

“We’re committed to being open and being here, as long as our supplies hold up. Shared Harvest has been really good, working with all the pantries, trying to keep us supplied with the foods.”

With the changed food-providing procedures, fewer volunteers are needed.

New Life Mission needing help

The New Life Mission, which already has seen users of its food pantry increasing and which had to cancel its April banquet, which is one of its two large annual fundraisers, also has seen donations drop recently as people tighten their belts.

Here’s how to help the organization that provides lunches and a food pantry for the needy: