My Nonprofit Reviews

Thu, Feb 4, 2020 4:33 PM
to Support, Sarah

God afternoon – Karen Bell from Faith Fellowship Ministries International here wanting to touch base with you and update you on our efforts.

When we started this process back in November, little did we know the world would change so drastically in just a matter of weeks. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic has crippled the families and households who were already experiencing hardships and living at or below the poverty level is immeasurable. Many of the low-income parents we’ve encountered whose job situations were already unstable have either lost their jobs or had a reduction in their hours and pay. Food insecurities, lack of access to care [which is what I see on a daily basis working for a non-profit oral health care organization] and an unstable home environment are just a few examples of the struggles, barriers, and challenges they continue to face on a daily basis. As a church family, we continue to extend ourselves, offer assistance, and pool our resources to help as many individuals and families as we can. Any glimmer of hope we can offer, service we can provide, or need we can meet in these days and times is satisfying beyond measure.

I have to say that in all my years of service, being able to provide a coat for a child was never so crucial and impactful as it has been these past months. Operation Warm has been a beacon to our community during one of the most devastating public health crisis that I, many of our church members, and community leaders have ever experienced. My apologies for the soapbox speech, but I had to let you all know how important partnering with the Governor's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services has proven to be. With your support we are truly making a difference in the lives of low-income, at-risk families in Middletown and surrounding communities in Butler County.

In closing, I want to report that coat distribution continues and we should be able to distribute any remaining coats by the end of this month. If we do need a bit more time I will respectfully use this email as an opportunity to ask for an additional week or two. I look forward to sending in our report, all of the required paperwork, the pictures, and the thank you notes we’ve been collecting to pass along to you to share with your staff, colleagues, and most importantly, the donors and supporters of this program. Thank you again for all you do.

In appreciation,

Karen Marie Bell
Board Member/Volunteer
Faith Fellowship Ministries International
Middletown, OH
Bishop David Green, Jr., Pastor