jewish family service heldman family food pantry
By appointment only. Please call the Help Line for assistance: (513) 469-1188
a vital oasis of hope & support
For families and individuals dealing with food insecurity, the Heldman Family Food Pantry is a welcoming place of comfort and support. We are here to reach, serve, and help our most vulnerable community members. All assistance is free, and we are careful to serve our clients in a dignified and confidential manner. The food pantry offers kosher and non-kosher foods, personal and household care products, and fresh produce to those in need of such items. We serve the Greater Cincinnati Jewish community, but also individuals from our surrounding Clifton neighborhood who might be experiencing similar struggles. The food pantry is located on the campus of Hebrew Union College in our Jewish Family Service Barbash Family Vital Support Center, and is made possible by the generous support of our donors, most notably the George and Anne Heldman Family.
Jewish Family Service staff and community volunteers work diligently to maintain an environment that is clean, safe, and healthy. Clients visit at scheduled times and choose their items in much the same manner they would if shopping in a grocery store. When a client is unable to shop at the food pantry in person, our generous volunteers are available to make home deliveries.
We daily maintain an inventory of fresh produce, eggs, meat, chicken and fish, bread, snack foods, milk powder, non-perishables, and household and personal care items..
The food we distribute is donated to the pantry through congregations, various Jewish-affiliated groups, and food retailers — including Remke Market, Meijer, and Marx Bagels. We receive funding from Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger, and from individual contributors, congregations, B’nai Mitzvah families — through our Centerpiece for Tzedakah program.
The food pantry also purchases food in bulk from the Freestore Foodbank, and is thus indirectly supported by the generosity and support of individuals and businesses that give to that wonderful organization. We actively seek additional long term funding for this project.