Are you and Ohio State employee? Do you participate in the Bucks for Charity program? So do we! NNEMAP Food Pantry would be honored if you designated us as the recipient of your charitable donation. Our Bucks for Charity code number is 19043. Thank you for your support!

If you are looking for other ways to help support our mission, please CLICK HERE!

Did you feel that? Nope–not those recent 90-degree days. Those couple of nights in the high 50s–did you feel that? 

We did. Sure, the frost ain’t quite on the pumpkin yet, but we felt that little bit of cool creeping in. And it can only mean one thing: fall is near! And you know what rhymes with “fall is near”?!? Yes: VOL-UN-TEER!!! You read my mind! Read on for some fun new ways (and old) to help out around the best pantry in Columbus!

STUDENT SERVICE HOURS  School is back in session in one way or another. If you or someone you know needs to complete service hours as a course or graduation requirement, let us know! Please note that anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult.

DRIVERS NEEDED  Do you like to stay on the move? We can help! We need volunteers to deliver groceries to customers and pick up donations from area stores and restaurants. Come join our fleet!

NEW SHIFTS  Looking for after school/work activity? We’ve got you covered. We are now open Thursday afternoon from 3pm-7pm. Need to fill those college football-free Saturdays? Come in for our 10am-1pm shift. Join our team and help us win the big game against food insecurity!

WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU! Hurry up and get in here–we’ve got work to do!

CONTACT US TODAY!!!

Hey friends! The Kiwanis Club of Columbus is hosting its 22nd annual Charity Regatta. Due to ongoing pandemic-related concerns, this year’s event has gone virtual. Hey–whatever floats your boat, right?!? Our winning watercraft was expertly adorned by our friends at Blue Marlin Graphics.

Nothing fishy about that design–it’s a real schooner swooner!

Kiwanis is a longtime supporter of NNEMAP Food Pantry. North Columbus Kiwanis members are frequent donors and volunteers at the pantry. They recently stepped up to help us kick off our new Thursday afternoon hours of operation. A generous grant from Kiwanis Club of Columbus helped us launch our “Full Bellies-Clean Bottoms“ initiative to keep baby and toddler supplies stocked for our pint-sized patrons.

Now Kiwanis is offering a $1,000 First Prize for the winner of the 2020 Charity Regatta! Here’s how it works:

GO to the Charity Regatta website.

FIND the NNEMAP Food Pantry entry photo above.

CLICK on the photo to donate! Every $1 gets us closer to the win! And winning is fun!

If you want to cut to the chase, CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR NNEMAP FOOD PANTRY!

Voting ends August 31. Our goal is 5,000 votes. Will it be enough?!? Stay tuned for updates!

NOTE: NNEMAP Food Pantry gets 60 percent of donations linked to its entry. Kiwanis Columbus receives the remaining 40 percent. You will receive a donation tax receipt from Kiwanis.

QUESTIONS? Contact Sean Becker, Director of Development & Marketing: sean@nnemappantry.org or 614-297-9935.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

I just delivered groceries to this customer. She lives pretty close to me, so with a slightly alternate route, I drove right by her street on my way home. Just a few minutes out of my way at most. But probably hours of time saved for our customer. “Oh, thank you so much,” she said as she helped me carry in the groceries. “You have no idea what this means to us!”

Actually, we kinda do–and that’s exactly why we are doing it.

NNEMAP Food Pantry isn’t revolutionary. When you get right down to it, we are just a grocery store. If we’re a grocery store, shouldn’t we offer delivery service? For-profit grocers deliver. It’s a great service for people who are short on time.

Our customers are often short on time, money, and other critical items as well. Limited or no transportation options. No childcare. Medical challenges. Personal mobility challenges. Throw in a pandemic and you have a whole new level of challenges. Transportation and childcare vanished, and the threat to personal health skyrocketed. 

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather just be short on time.

For customers who can’t get out, are afraid to get out or are quarantined and not supposed to go out, NNEMAP Food Pantry is bringing home the bacon. And the eggs, milk, bread, produce, pasta…well, you get the idea.

Delivery isn’t easy. Delivery isn’t cheap. But it is indispensable service for our customers right now. We all pitch in on deliveries when we can. Volunteers, staff, and our partner Gimme the Dirt, Ltd. 

Why do it? Because if I’m busy, I can pick up the phone or hop online and order up a grocery delivery to make my life easier. And I believe NNEMAP Food Pantry customers deserve the exact same convenient access to fresh, healthy foods that I enjoy. Don’t you?

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To find out how you can pitch in and help NNEMAP Food Pantry, please CONTACT US to learn more, CLICK HERE to volunteer, or MAKE A DONATION TODAY!

Necessity is the mother of invention, or so said Plato in his Republic. Who are we to argue with ancient Greek philosophers? In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been forced to reimagine the way we do a lot of things. For NNEMAP Food Pantry (and others), this has meant that customers no longer have the freedom to enter the building and choose their groceries. It’s not ideal, but we are continuing to get food to customers.

As the lockdown settled in, NNEMAP Food Pantry introduced a grocery delivery service, available on a limited basis. Also, we are now serving customers from any ZIP Code. We have eliminated a huge barrier to pantry access by expanding our service area.

As jobs and incomes have disappeared, so have the thin financial cushions that separated our customers from disaster. To help people preserve scarce financial resources, we have been permitting weekly visits to the pantry, up from 2 visits per month. Weekly visits will become permanent policy starting on Monday, August 3.

For our many working customers, we are expanding our hours to offer more convenient shopping times. Starting August 6, afternoon/evening hours will be available every Thursday from 3pm-7pm. The first hour of every Thursday will be reserved for customers who are over 60; immunocompromised; or differently abled.

Beginning August 8, Saturday shopping hours will be available. From 10am to 1pm, customers will be full-service pantry shopping–food distribution will not be restricted to produce and bread.

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We are looking forward to these permanent service enhancements that will better serve our customers. Our expansion efforts have been made possible through generous funding from the City of Columbus; United Way of Central Ohio; The Columbus Foundation; the Ohio CDC Association Community Recovery Fund; and our many dedicated individual and church sponsors.