THANK YOU! 8,400 Children Served, 650 Volunteer Hours, and Community Support Galore

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday since school buildings closed in mid-March, Activities Beyond the Classroom has been doing what it does best: supporting the children of Cincinnati Public Schools.

Through CPS’s Collaborate & Care initiative, ABC became the Site Champion for two meal distribution sites, Winton Hills Academy and Cheviot Elementary School. As Site Champion, ABC gathered and distributed donations to any family who came to a distribution event (children did not need to attend a CPS school to receive donations).

“Our families are extremely grateful for everybody’s support. There is a lot of need in our community, and the donations have been a blessing to so many,” said Shelby Zimmer, ABC’s Resource Coordinator at Winton Hills Academy. She added, “They especially loved the flowers donated by WOW Windowboxes. It provided a little something extra to brighten their lives during a difficult time.”

One mom at Cheviot Elementary School expressed her thanks by simply saying, “You don’t know how much these meals make a difference for my family.”

And even though school ends this week, we’re not done yet. ABC will continue as the Site Champion for these two sites at least through the end of June. (Want to help? Donate today!)

Here’s a summary of ABC’s COVID-19 relief efforts since March 16:

BY THE NUMBERS

• 280 children served per day
• 8,400 children served in 10 weeks
• 30 donation distribution days
• 650 volunteer hours gathering, organizing, bagging, and distributing donations

MOST REQUESTED AND DISTRIBUTED ITEMS

• Non-perishable foods
• Cleaning supplies
• Educational activities
• Feminine hygiene products
• Personal care products (deodorant, toothpaste, toilet paper, etc)
• Hand sanitizer
• Books
• Toys
• Face masks

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

This effort has been a true case of “it takes a village,” with dozens of partners and volunteers rolling up their sleeves to help. Special thanks go out to the following companies for their support:

• Assistance League of Greater Cincinnati (donated hygiene kits, books, and educational activities)
• FreeStore Food Bank (provided large food donations and Power Packs)
• Sycamore Schools (donation of educational activities and supplies)
• Skyline Chili (provided meals to families)
• WOW Windowboxes (donated hundreds of potted pansies to families)
• La Soupe (provided weekly frozen meals for families)
• Grace Fellowship Church (provided meals at their facility on Tuesdays)
• City of Cheviot (provided storage space for donations)
• REALITY, an initiative of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation (provided a large grant to purchase items)
• KreativeMindz LLC (donated masks for families)

And a huge thanks to these individuals who led volunteer efforts and provided donations to the families:

• Todd Kamm (St. Als)
• Austin Neal
• Winton Hills Academy staff
• Connie Benton
• Sharon Petko (Friends of Winton Hills Academy Foundation)
• Tricia Johnson
• Carol Stricker (CYC Girls Club)
• Bob Corso (Vineyard West)
• Meeka Owens (lead volunteer at Cheviot)
• Cheviot Mayor Sam Keller
• Cheviot Assistant Principal Ms. Sullivan
• The teachers at Cheviot School