Funded by Greater Cincinnati Foundation & United Way of Greater Cincinnati's COVID-19 Regional Response Fund.
Churches Active In Northside (CAIN) operates its Rainbow Choice Food Pantry to increase access to healthy, high-quality and safe food for food-insecure families in the Northside community.
As the coronavirus pandemic increased those vulnerabilities for food-insecure families facing job losses and other challenges, a grant from the COVID-19 Regional Response Fund enabled CAIN to ramp up its services. The funding support additional staffing hours and the purchase of bags to distribute food, hygiene items, cleaning supplies and other items.
Typically, CAIN normally provides assistance to residents only in the 45223 zip code once per month. Thanks to support from the grant, they were able to eliminate that barrier and assist anyone from any area as many times as necessary, including families who’ve never needed to be assisted by a food pantry before.
“Thanks to the COVID-19 Regional Response Fund, CAIN has not only stepped up to meet the increased need of our neighbors during this difficult time but expanded access to our pantry to serve 357 percent more new households in April alone,” said Melissa Meyer, CAIN Executive Director.
Additionally, due to sheltering-in-place concerns, they helped people who came in to pick up food for neighbors and others unable to visit the pantry in person, and made deliveries to senior citizens. CAIN also provided food to the Interfaith Hospitality Network, Bethany House and YWCA families housed in a hotel.
The rapid-response fund, activated by Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF) and United Way of Greater Cincinnati (UWGC), deployed $7.3 million to those in our communities who have been most disproportionately affected by – and most vulnerable to – the health, economic, education, housing and social impacts of the crisis.
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