Local Spotlight Freestore Foodbank

This nonprofit provides food and services to children and families in Southwest Ohio and beyond.

The Freestore Foodbank’s mission is to create a hunger-free, healthy and thriving community by partnering with the community to improve lives by eliminating hunger. The Freestore Foodbank offers nutritious food, a connection to needed support services and a pathway from crisis to stability. Southwest Ohio Parent spoke to Trisha Rayner, chief development officer & VP of external affairs at Freestore Foodbank, to learn more about this Cincinnati-based nonprofit.

How did the Freestore Foodbank get started?

Freestore Foodbank began in 1971. Its early beginnings come with a story — a man with a heart to help others. Frank Gerson, a worker at Cincinnati’s incinerator, saw useable household items being tossed away. He began collecting those items and distributing them to disadvantaged families.

Who do you help in the community?

Last year, Freestore Foodbank distributed more than 42 million meals to the 280,000 neighbors in our community who don’t know where they will find their next meal. Through Childhood Feeding programs such as School Pantries and weekend power packs, we are able to feed the 90,000 children in our community who are hungry.

Do you have a time of year that is busiest?

Throughout the holiday season, we will distribute more than 9 million pounds of food throughout our 20 county service area in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.

What do you have planned for the future?

As we grow in the number of meals distributed in the community, we look forward to our new Community Resource and Distribution Center located just west of Downtown Cincinnati. This new location will allow Freestore Foodbank to expand our healthy food storage and distribution, double our workforce development graduates, and create a stronger infrastructure across our pantry network that currently consists of more than 500 community pantries, soup kitchens, school and hospital pantries, and shelters.

If families need help, how can they get it?

Through our Customer Connection Center’s Liberty Street Market located at 112 E. Liberty Street in Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati, Freestore Foodbank offers a choice pantry, much like a regular grocery store, to those in need. This means that families struggling to find vital nutrition can select the items that fit the needs of their family, giving them one less thing to worry about as they work to make ends meet. The Liberty Street Market, open Monday-Friday 8 a.m.- 4 p.m., serves up to 300 families daily and more than 88,000 individuals annually. Please call our Customer Connection Center at (513) 241-1064 or visit us for more information on emergency food assistance.

How can people help the Freestore Foodbank?

Every dollar donated to Freestore Foodbank is able to help provide three meals to the community. To donate, visit us at Freestore Foodbank.org or call us at (513) 482-3663.

The holiday season is a great time to create a virtual food drive and collect donations from your friends and family for a great cause. If you are interested in participating in a virtual food drive, we would love to have you join us in our effort! Please visit freestorefoodbank. org/vfd and fill out the request form. You will receive a custom donation page to share with family, friends and coworkers.

Never Too Old for Family:

Adopting an Older Child

Considering adoption? Don’t forget that there are older kids who need loving homes, too.

When thinking about adoption, babies most often come to mind. But there are older kids who desperately need the love and stability of a family, too. In the U.S., about 45% of children who are in need of an adoptive home are 8 years old or older.

For children and youth in need of an adoptive family, finding a permanent home is invaluable. Many of them have been waiting for years, and are longing to have a family to call their own. Belonging is a basic human need, and many of the waiting children have not consistently experienced what it feels like to fall asleep knowing they are loved, wanted, safe and secure.

Older Kids Need Homes, Too

Some families shy away from adopting older youth because they want a younger child to experience “firsts” with. But parents who have adopted teens will tell you that there are still many firsts to experience with older children. In fact, sharing new memories with a teen can be even more special, because they can appreciate moments in an entirely different way.

A large number of children in southwest Ohio looking for foster and adoptive homes are older than 8 years old. And in fact, nearly all of the children and youth in HCKids — the adoption and foster care section of Hamilton County Children’s Services — are over the age of 10. “Right now, there are more than 400 children and youth in Hamilton County who need permanent families,” according to the HCKids website. “These are wonderful, loving kids who have so much to offer a family. They just need a chance.”

What’s Required of Prospective Families

Applicants must be committed, tenacious, persistent and patient. Prospective parents must complete background checks, training and an interview/home study to help their social worker learn more about their ability to parent and provide a stable home. After the home study, applicants are provided with more specific information about the individual children available for adoption. Applicants will then be assigned an adoption caseworker who will help the child and family find a good match. Finding loving homes for Ohio’s waiting children is the priority for adoption agencies across the state. But agencies also want to be realistic and honest with families about the process — to make sure the right family is matched with the right child. Any adoption, of a child of any age, is going to bring with it challenges. But adoptive parents also get to experience the joy of helping a child with homework, practicing driving or advising a teenager on choosing a college.

There are a lot of misconceptions about who can adopt. Many people think that sexual orientation, relationship status, or having a high income are factors that are considered, but that is not true. The most important thing is being able to provide a loving, stable, permanent home for a child or sibling group.

Adopting a child also requires a willingness to accept a child with a complex family history, learn new or different approaches to parenting, and know when to ask for support. Families interested in adopting older children and teens need to understand that they are making a commitment to the child for a lifetime, just as they would with a biological child.

THE FOSTER OPTION

If you’re not ready to adopt, fostering is a great way to help children in need — especially older kids. In the state alone, there are nearly 16,000 Ohio children who live in foster homes. Of those children, 3,000 of them are waiting to be adopted. Of those 3,000 kids, around 1,200 are 13 years old or older. All kids need people in their lives who will support them, and that is especiall true for kids in the foster system. “All of our kids have experienced some level of abuse or neglect,” according to HCKids. “They need your help to fulfill their potential and live happy, successful lives.”

But, all of Ohio’s waiting children also have this in common: they are children, with hopes and dreams, favorite foods and sports teams, unique talents and personalities. They are also loving and resilient and courageous. Their laughter can be contagious, and they can bring incredible joy to those around them. As a foster or adoptive parent, you can help a child live up to this potential.

Parenting means being up for new adventures. Having a good sense of humor and a talent for keeping life in perspective can go a long way and help you celebrate the successes in an adoptive child’s life. You’ll have to advocate for your child’s needs and be flexible enough to roll with unexpected changes, stresses and challenges. But children don’t need perfect parents — just individuals willing to meet the unique challenges of parenting and willing to make a lifetime commitment to them.