Bike Donation
We are so blessed to have so many donors bringing in gifts and food for families this Christmas. We had a local couple purchase new bikes for the little ones. Can you imagine the look on their faces when they get up Christmas morning?
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Thanksgiving Food Drive
Thanksgiving is just around the corner and we are getting our shelves stocked with food needed to help Ashland County families with their Thanksgiving meal. Last year we helped over 300 families and expect at least that many again this year. We could use any of the following items: potatoes (boxed or fresh), yams, stuffing mix, broth, gravy, canned fruit, green beans, corn, cream of mushroom soup and a dessert item (brownie mix, cake mix, pie filling and crust).
We received a generous donation for 300 turkeys, but we welcome your donation to help with extra families that might need help. Any donation can be dropped off at our delivery door (rear side of building) during regular office hours. Thanks to our many friends who have made this possible over the many years – and to those that will make this all possible again this year!
Application For Christmas
We are now accepting applications for Christmas assistance. Families needing help with toys for the little ones or food for the family can apply at our office from 9 to 11 and 1 to 3.
You will need to bring the following information:
Photo ID – Must be an Ashland County resident
Proof of income for the entire household (employment, unemployment, Social Security, cash assistance, child support, etc.)
Proof of food stamps
Proof of custody: must have the child’s name and your address
You may receive Christmas assistance from only one agency in Ashland county.
Christmas Giving for Children
This magical time of year is the perfect time to show our children the gift of giving. At Associated Charities/Ashland County Food Bank we have several ways you can involve your child in the “Giving Spirit”.
Adopt a Family: With this program you can request a child to “adopt”. Maybe you select one your child’s age. You would get a list of toys this child would like and then your child can shop! How exciting and rewarding for your child to help brighten another’s Christmas.
Food Drive: Create a Christmas meal menu and have you little one or teen shop for that meal. Or have them select a couple items from the list to donate. What a beautiful way to involve your child and help another family at the same time.
Toy Donation: Maybe when you are out shopping your child could purchase a gift or toy for another child their age. We sometimes need help knowing what the different age groups are wanting each year, especially the teens and this would be a big help for us to stock our “Santa” room.
No donation is too small. A child that has a dollar to spend and purchases a box of stuffing is just as precious as the one that spends ten dollars. We appreciate all our donors…large and small.
“If you can’t feed a hundred people – then feed just one”
Mother Teresa
Trick or Treat Food Drive
The Ashland High School National Honor Society will once again be out with the “trick or treaters” on Thursday, October 26th, from 6 to 7 collecting non-perishable food and taxable items for the Ashland County Food Bank. Thanks again to these fabulous teens for helping us to stock our shelves.
Ashland County Fair Donations
We have been overwhelmed at the support of the Ashland County Fair participants and the people that purchased their animals. We have received chicken, turkeys, beef, lamb and pork from these generous donors. We can’t thank them enough for helping us fill our freezers with such fabulous meat.
Ashland County Fair Donation
Thank you Ashland County Fair participants!! We just received our first donation of 580 pounds of sausage and pork chops! We have more donations being processed and they are expected to be delivered within the week. Thanks so much to all the donors. This will certainly help us fill our freezers and help families needing food in Ashland County.
Coats For Kids
We need coats!! There is a nip in the air and our little ones will be needing a winter coat soon. We start giving out coats next month and need to stock our racks. We are asking for new coats or gently used for our little ones up to teenagers. At our new “Kids Clothes Closet” we are trying to provide our local kids with new clothes, shoes and coats. If you could purchase a new one that would be great, but we welcome gently used ones as well. Last year we gave out over 400 coats. We all know that children perform better in school and the community when they feel better about themselves and we want to be part of that if only in this small way!
Coats For Kids
We need coats! There is a nip in the air and our little ones will be needing a winter coat soon. We start giving out coats next month and need to stock our racks. We are asking for new coats for little ones up to teenagers. At our new “Kids Clothes Closet” we are trying to provide our local kids with new clothes, shoes and coats. If you could purchase a new one that would be great, but we welcome gently used coats as well. Last year we gave out over 400 coats. We all know that children perform better in school and the community when they feel good about themselves and we want to be a part of that if only in this small way.
Five Creative Ways to Get Your Kids Involved in Giving
This next month, provide your child with easy ways to positively affect other children in their community through volunteering and donating. At Associated Charities, we encourage individuals and families to participate with us by bringing in clothing items, food, and monetary donations or volunteering their time.
But if your kids are like my kids, they need a little motivation to do this. Help them understand the important role they could play in their communities via these five easy ways to give!
#1 Gather a Posse
Have teenagers?
Take them to a local second-hand store and ask them to try on several outfits that are too small or worn out.
Using their smart phone, have them take pictures of these outfits and post them to social media with the question: How would you feel showing up to school dressed like this? As their friends respond, encourage your teen to gather a posse of friends to go Back-to-School shopping for a few outfits to bring in to Associated Charities.
Your teen will feel good about the role he or she played in both gathering and supporting their community.
#2 Calculate
Got hungry pre-teens? Wait! Don’t feed them!
First, write prices ($1, $1.50, $3.25) on the cans and boxes in your cupboard then have them calculate what it will cost to make their next meal. This is a great way to introduce your kids to food costs.
Next time you visit the grocery store, give them a specific dollar amount and ask them to purchase a single meal’s worth of food to bring in to Associated Charities.
#3 Earn Interest
Teach your elementary age children to save and give money!
Open a house “savings account” that gains interest. Create a chart that shows how much they earn each time they do a household chore.
At the bottom of the chart, total their earnings plus interest (5%, 10%). After a couple of weeks, have them donate their interest to Associated Charities and spend the rest!
Bed Made … $2
Toys Picked Up … $5
Help Clear Dinner Table … $3
#4 Decorate and Donate!
Get your toddler in on this too!
Ask them to decorate a large box and fill it with food and clothing items to donate. They will enjoy watching it fill up. When full, grab your toddler and bring your box down to Associated Charities.
#5 Create an Exchange
Finally, motivate your kids of any age to volunteer their time by creating a time exchange: for every hour you spend with them on a specific Saturday or Sunday doing an activity they enjoy, ask them to give a half hour of their time to Associated Charities the following week.
Not only will they benefit the needs of their community, but they will also get some quality time with you!
“AU GIVES” Food Drive
“AU GIVES” Food Drive was a huge success again this year. The student volunteers went out on Saturday and collected food to stock our shelves. What a fabulous group of young adults volunteering to make a difference in our community. Thanks go out to the students, the many people that donated and to our own Associated Charities volunteers that came in to sort and stock the shelves. What a wonderful group of people that have given of their time to help others!! Blessed!!
Summertime Food
The need for food is always up in the summer months. Kids are home and as more than one mother has said, “they are eating me out of house and home”! I think any parent can relate to that! We are thankful to have fresh fruit and vegetables available right now (we welcome these donations anytime). So if your garden has more than you can use, please drop it off, it is a treat to many families. We had a few watermelons the other day and the families that got one were so excited to have something that many of us take for granted. We have to thank the many people and organizations that have dropped off food and taxable items this summer. You are the reason why we can do what we do!