Project Make [it] count: OKI

Partnering with Shoulder to Shoulder to provide meals to the needy

I am Angela Konkle, a senior associate in Cincinnati, Ohio. I work on the audit side of the Private Company Services group. I started my career with the firm in July 2004. I live in Taylor Mill, Kentucky, in a home I bought just over a year ago, with my two cats, Liza and Marvin, and my retired racing greyhound, Wednesday.

This is what making it count means to me: forming authentic and genuine relationships with people who may or may not be in the same life station or have similar beliefs and backgrounds. I believe very strongly that it is our responsibility as human beings to assist those who are less fortunate than ourselves, where we can.

For this reason, I spend a good bit of time working with an organization in the Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati region called Shoulder to Shoulder Inc. (STS). The 501(c) 3 organization strives to relieve the destructive pressures of living in poverty for as many victims as possible. It is the brainchild of Doug Jones, founder and managing partner of Jones Dietz & Swisher PLLC.

In 2002, Doug, along with his wife, Cindy, and a few of their friends decided that they would make sandwiches at their homes, package them, and drive around downtown Cincinnati, giving them away. Doug said at the time he really noticed the homeless population in the greater Cincinnati area. Before then, he had seen them on the corners on his way to various sporting events, but he hadn't realized how prevalent homelessness was in Cincinnati.

From this experience, Doug organized another group of friends to get together once a month to grill hamburgers in a parking lot across the street from the Newport, Kentucky, housing projects and give away hot lunches. This service came to be known as the Isaiah Project and has grown into more than hot lunches. Today, the Isaiah Project sets up at a community center in Newport on the second Saturday of each month, and with it comes a hot lunch, groceries, clothing, children's toys, diapers and other infant needs, as well as significant amounts of furniture. I have included a few photographs of the Isaiah Project's event held November 8, 2008. Each month, STS estimates it provides provisions to 150 to 200 clients through this service.

From the time of its initial formation in late 2002 to July 2006, STS and the Isaiah Project were run strictly by about 50 volunteers. In 2006, Doug realized that the need was much greater and required paid staff. Therefore, in July 2006, STS hired Melissa Eames as its executive director. Since Melissa was hired a little more than two years ago, the volunteer base of STS has grown to approximately 220.

Forming authentic and genuine relationships

One of STS's activities is holiday help. At Thanksgiving, this involves providing traditional Thanksgiving groceries to Shoulder to Shoulder (STS) clients so they, too, can celebrate the holiday. The food for this giveaway generally comes from the Freestore Foodbank in Cincinnati, where STS can buy approximately $12 worth of groceries for $1. In past years, the Thanksgiving giveaway has included whatever the Freestore had at the time of the shopping trip but no turkeys. However, this year Make It Count spent $450 to purchase 12-pound turkeys at a discounted price from a local independent grocer for roughly 37 families.

This week, I spent some time with Melissa Eames, STS executive director, visiting with a few of the families who will be receiving groceries on November 25.

Terry Schrode reminds us how quickly things could change for us all. Terry spent 25 years as a nurse, making about $3,000 a month. One day, she was injured on the job and now lives on a fixed disability income of $525 per month. She does not have a car, as she can't afford one or the insurance associated with it. Terry does not qualify for food stamps. Terry's son, Keith, also lives with her in her Section 8 apartment, which is a far cry from what any of us would call desirable.

After talking with Terry, I got the impression that she is a caretaker by nature, which would make sense, given her nursing background. She said that while only she and Keith live at her home, she often has her grandchildren over. Two of her grandchildren, Kaylee and Maddie, were at the house the night I visited. Terry said that she really doesn't need much, as long as she has a loaf of bread, a pack of bologna, and milk for the grandchildren.

When asked about the Thanksgiving grocery giveaway, Terry said it helps a lot. She said that without the help of STS, there would have been a lot of times when she and her family would not have had what they needed to get by.

Terry explained that because she does not have a car, she is forced to get groceries at the "corner store," a generic term many of the area residents use for the numerous stores on corners that sell a variety of items from cigarettes to diapers to alcoholic beverages to groceries. Terry said the provisions for a single meal at a corner store can cost $20-$30. The residents in the depressed areas of Newport use these like a grocery store because the closest large grocer is about 1.5 miles away.

While at Terry's house, a friend of hers, Justin "Skeeter" Harvill, was there with his niece, Jayce. Skeeter is no stranger to Melissa. In fact, when we walked into the house, it seemed to be a bit of a reunion between the two of them. As it turns out, Skeeter spent a lot of time over the last couple of years helping Melissa as she helped the people in the projects. Skeeter would accompany Melissa as she went through Newport delivering groceries or as she went around and picked up donated furniture. Skeeter said helping Melissa was the least he could because Melissa and STS have helped him, his family, and his friends who live around him.

The idea of STS clients becoming actively involved in the mission of STS is something that Doug Jones, president and chief executive officer, credits as a strong indicator of the organization's success. He considers it to be a differentiator of STS. He also said that when he sees the people who were once on the receiving side of the table at Isaiah Project on the giving side of the table, that is a strong indication that STS is making a real difference in people.

The next home I visited was of a woman named Phyllis, who lived in one of the project's apartments. Phyllis has a 20-year-old daughter who has three children. Phyllis keeps the oldest two grandchildren (Brylen and Briana) all the time because she says her daughter can't afford all three of the kids. Phyllis lives on $225 a month and has $150 a month in bills (rent, utilities, etc.). When asked what the grocery giveaway for Thanksgiving meant to her, Phyllis replied that without it, there would be no Thanksgiving.

The final home I visited was of a 24-year-old named Jennifer, who also lives in one of the apartments in the projects with her fiancé and is 5 months' pregnant. Jennifer has several mental health issues, including bi-polar and borderline personality disorders, as well as a seizure disorder. She said that because of her pregnancy, she has been taken off all her medications that help to control these various illnesses, and so some days are good, but some are bad. She has also been diagnosed as being at high risk in her pregnancy, and therefore is under doctor's orders not to work. Jennifer is one of the luckier ones; her fiancé has a car and a job so she is able to get to the grocery store. Jennifer told us that when her fiancé is not working, he drives people around to where they need to go because he is one of the few with transportation. Jennifer said that without the STS grocery giveaway on November 25, Thanksgiving would likely consist of a can of chicken, bread, and a jar of gravy.

Being in each of these ladies' homes and hearing them tell me about their life made me thankful for what I have. And it's not just the food that I have, but it's so much more than that. To two of the houses, Melissa brought with her a package of Charmin toilet paper to give to the women. She told me later that toilet paper is such a luxury for some of the people STS helps. She asked me if I could imagine having to choose between buying food or toilet paper. So often, we all just go to the store, buy what we need and leave, without a second thought. But there are people living among us who have to choose between a pack of bologna and a package of cheap, low-quality toilet paper.

All this is to say that the experience of gathering groceries and delivering them to the families on November 25 is humbling.

As a side note, Melissa provided me the following average statistics for the STS clients:

• 50% of households are single parent/grandparents
• 3 children average per household
• 50% of households receive government assistance due to disability (SSI/SSDI)
• $813 average income ($1500 - $216 range)
• $337 average rent (0-$900) 0.00 rent reflects living with friends or complete subsidy

Subsidized housing is based upon income—30 percent of gross income. There are allowances for a short time for no income but residents need to prove they are making efforts to gain employment.

Simple task, huge impact

On November 25, 2008, I spent the afternoon at a local church, bagging and boxing various grocery items with Melissa Eames, executive director of Shoulder to Shoulder (STS), and a couple of other STS volunteers. The spread included a huge variety of grocery items: fresh turnips, lettuce, canned vegetables, dinner rolls, cereal, turkeys, hams, milk, and even toilet paper. In all, we put together groceries for more than 70 families.

Later on in the evening, volunteers began showing up to deliver the groceries. In years past, each set of volunteers would have been assigned to deliver food to multiple families due to the ratio of volunteers to families. However, this year, each set of volunteers was asked to deliver food to a single family. While many of the volunteers were disappointed with this change, it certainly is a great problem to have.

Throughout the course of the evening, approximately 20 people from the Cincinnati and Dayton offices of PwC, some with their families, joined us to help deliver groceries including:

Linda Francis
Lisa Feltman
Brittney Chalk
John Mark Kennedy
Lori Hand
Jennifer Horwath
Lori Mihlbachler
Rebecca Burton
Jennifer Coffey
Ellen Bertram
Matt Kapszukiewicz
Kendra Bloom
Cheryl Tanko
Suzi Thompson
Karie Kuns
Amy Morrow
Jeff Wolf
Sarah Schrand

Following are some comments that I received from some of the participants:

"It was great to be able to help other families in need, just wish I could've done more for them!!"

"I knew going into this experience that we would be making an important impact around the local community. What I did not expect was the true hospitality and thanks we received at each location. People welcomed us into their homes, even giving us hugs for our help. In those moments it made me realize that this small effort on our part changed the holiday for these families."

"I was so surprised at how such a simple task for me (picking up groceries and delivering them) could have such a huge impact on another person's life. The woman we delivered the food to was so excited and happy that we brought her a Thanksgiving dinner, and was probably even happier to have some company for a few minutes. She was so cheerful and outgoing, and she welcomed us right into her apartment. She had just moved in, and her mother had recently died. She said she'd thought she would be unable to have a Thanksgiving dinner, but thanks to us, she was going to have one after all. After giving us all hugs, she thanked us over and over again, and I left with such a good feeling in my heart and a deep appreciation for the life I have.

I thought about that woman as I went to two family Thanksgiving meals last Thursday with the abundance of food, family, and good company I am so blessed to have. It made me appreciate them even more, and yet still feel the urge to continue to help people like the woman I met that night. I'm very glad to have volunteered to have this experience and only wish that I could have done more for her. I am so thankful for all I have, and definitely plan to continue giving as much as I can throughout the holiday season and beyond."

Overall, It was a great evening. It certainly makes me realize how blessed I am.