Resources | Food: Hamilton County

RESOURCES, Uncategorized

When I first began this blog, I really wanted to teach others how I went from heroin addict & 5 time felon (whose record is now expunged πŸ™ŒπŸΌ!) back to functioning human & how they can do the same.

Over time, as life happened & more babies were added to our family, I focused on other interests that were important to me at the time (and still are). I volunteered at City Gospel Mission once a month on a Friday to “humble myself so I wouldn’t forget where I came from and remind myself that I could be back there at any moment” (and because I genuinely enjoyed it) until the world shut down, but I will admit- I thought less and less about food banks since the beginning of my sobriety… until I began needing them again a couple years ago for the first time since getting sober. Well, I’m back here… And still sober. Didn’t see that one coming!

Over those last couple years, the food banks, not only in Cincinnati, but throughout America, have served more people than ever before. They are struggling to keep up with the amount of people who are currently facing food insecurity in America. Similar articles can be found showing that this has been going on continuously since 2020, and only getting worse daily.

When UNWLA Branch 144 first formed, I was tasked with this job to create a list for group of all of these places – in Ukrainian language – for the major influx of Ukrainian refugees, but with homeschooling, and homemaking/mini homesteading, and also going back to work part time for the first time in 6 years, I continued to push it down further and further on my list of priorities.

However, lately, more & more people have been asking me where they can go to get help with food, so I wanted to put together a super master list that I can share anytime someone needs help. A list that will involve every single place, by area, with a list of documents required all in one place (that will be translated into Ukrainian still as well πŸ’™πŸ’›) because searching for these places can be extremely tedious and overwhelming.

I’ve been waiting to post this until it was perfectly finished, but with it being such a major need at this time, I decided the perfect time is now. I will continue to add to & work on this list as time allows.

Because of how large each county is, and how many places are available, especially in Hamilton Co., I am going to break it down by county to make it easier. So, in other words this is only the first list. I’ll link counties at the bottom of this page as I complete them. Other resources besides food will be listed in separate posts. Places with β™‘ by the name will accept any Hamilton County resident.

I truly hope this helps ❀️

CENTRAL

Avondale, Bond Hill, Deer Park, Hartwell, Kennedy Heights, Kenwood, Oakley, Norwood, Pleasant Ridge, Roselawn, Silverton

β™‘ β€’ Adventist Community Services  β€’ β™‘

Address: 725 Whittier Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229

Contact: 513-518-9213

Hours: Monday & Wednesday 11:30 am – 2 pm. Not open the first week of each month.

Website

β€’ Caring Place β€’

Address: 6312 Kennedy Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45213

Serves: Kennedy Heights, Pleasant Ridge, Golf Manor, Silverton.

Contact: 513-841-1499

Hours: Tuesday & Thursday (9 am – 1 pm)

Documentation: ID & Current Utility Bill

β€’ Church of the Ressurrection | Bond Hill Food Pantry β€’

Address: 1619 California Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45237

Contact: 513-242-0400

Hours: 1st 4 Wednesdays of the month 12 – 2 pm.

Website

β™‘ β€’ Greater New Hope Missionary Church Food Pantry β€’ β™‘

Address: 3655 Harvey Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229

Serves: Anyone facing food insecurity

Contact: 513-281-3251

Hours: Third Saturday of the month (10 am – 12 pm)

β€’ Love Star Food Pantry β€’

Address: 760 North Fred Shuttlesworth Circle, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229

Serves: 45229

Contact: 513-221-5049

Hours: Third Wednesday of the month (10 am – 12:30 pm)

β€’ Madisonville Education & Assistance Center β€’

Contact: 513-271-5501

Hours: Tuesdays, 9:30 am – 11:45 am and 12:30 – 3 pm. Hours vary, please check website or call ahead.

Documentation: Photo ID, proof of residency

Website

β€’ Nativity of Our Lord / Bond Hill Food Pantry β€’

Address: 5935 Pandora Ave. Cincinnati, Ohio 45213

Contact: 513-242-0400 to schedule appointment

Hours: Wednesdays from 12 – 2 pm (not open 5th Wednesday of the month).

β€’ N.E.E.Ds Food Panty @ Kenwood Baptist Church β€’

Address: 8341 Kenwood Road, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45236

Serves: 45236, 45241, 45242, 45243, 45249

Contact: 513-891-0850

Hours: Tuesday & Thursday (9 am – 1 pm)

Documentation: Proof of address, + proof of utility shut off or eviction notice (for financial assistance only). One visit per month.

β€’ New Life Temple Church β€’

Address: 4836 Ward Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45227

Contact: 513-527-5943, extension 3.

Website

β€’ Norwood Service League β€’

Address: 2071 Lawrence Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45212

Serves: Anyone who lives or works in the City of Norwood.

Contact: 513-924-1200

Hours: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9 – 10 am.

Documentation: Photo ID, proof of residency, proof of income.

β€’ Oakley Community Food Pantry β€’

Address: 4100 Taylor Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45209

Serves: Anyone in 45209

Contact: 513-871-3136

Hours: Tuesdays 10 am – 1 pm

Documentation: Photo ID, proof of residence or rent receipt

β™‘ β€’ Olivet Baptist Church Food Pantry β€’ β™‘

Address: 6939 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236

Serves: Anyone facing food insecurity

Contact: 513-549-7096

Hours: Third Wednesday of the month (2:30 – 4:30 pm)

β€’ Operation Give Back β€’

Address: 10891 Millington Court, Blue Ash, Ohio 45242

Serves: Blue Ash, Montgomery, Sharonville, Sycamore Township, and Symmes communities.

Contact: 513-489-2023

Hours: Wednesday 9 am – 12 pm, *by appointment only. Must call by Tuesday afternoon to reserve appointment.*

Website

β€’ Valley Interfaith Church β€’

Address: 420 Wyoming Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45215

Serves: 45215, 45216, 45217, 45224, 45231, 45232, 45235, 45241, 45242, 45262

Contact: 513-821-3233

Hours: Monday (10 am – 12 pm), Wednesday (4 – 6 pm), Friday (10 am – 12 pm)

Documentation: ID & Proof of address (dated within 60 days)

β€’ Woven Oak Initiative β€’

Address: 2301 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, Ohio

Serves: 45212

Contact: 513-580-4824

Hours: 1st Tuesday of month 10 – 11:30 am. 2nd Tuesday of month 5 – 6 pm. 3rd Tuesday of month 10 – 11:30 am.

Website

NORTH

Colerain, Mt. Healthy, Springdale

β€’ Bountiful Blessings Food Pantry β€’

6110 Highland Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45216

Contact: 513-276-0111

Hours: Friday (walk up), 11 am – 2:30 pm, Saturday (drive thru), 10 am – 12 pm.

β€’ Corpus Christi Church Food Pantry β€’

Address: 2014 Springdale Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45231

Serves: 45231

Contact: 513-825-0618

Hours: Monday – Thursday (10 – 11:30 am), Tuesday (6 – 7:30 pm)

β€’ Christ’s Community in College Hill β€’

Address: 5742 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45224

Contact: 513-541-0303

Hours: Monday – Thursday, 10 am – 12 pm

Website

β€’ Fairfield Food Pantry β€’

Address: 78 Donald Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45014

Serves: 45014, 45015, 45011, 45013

Contact: 513-829-9047

Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 12-3 pm

Documentation: Photo ID, proof of residency

Website

β€’ Gray Road Church of Christ β€’

Address: 4826 Gray Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45232

Contact: 513-541-4100

Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Friday 10 am – 1 om

Documentation: Photo ID

β™‘ β€’ Healing Center β€’ β™‘

Address: 11345 Century Circle Way, Cincinnati, Ohio 45246

Serves: Anyone facing food insecurity

Contact: 513-346-4080

Hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Saturday, 9 – 11 am. Thursday, 6:30 – 8 pm.

Documentation: piece of mail with address postmarked within 60 days.

Website

β€’ House of Praise β€’

Address: 8780 Colerain Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45251

Contact: 513-521-0946

Hours: Wednesday 5-7 pm, Saturday 10 am – 1 pm

β€’ Lincoln Heights Baptist Church β€’

Address: 9913 Wayne Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45215

Serves: 45215, 45216, 45240, 45246, 45249

Contact: 513-744-6261

Hours: Monday – Friday (1 – 3 pm)

Documentation: ID required

β€’ Little Flower Church β€’

Address: 5560 Kirby Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45239

Serves: Those in Little Flower Parish Boundaries

Contact: 513-541-5560

Hours: Tuesdays 1:30-2:30 pm & 6:30-7:30 pm

Documentation: Photo ID, proof of address, social security card for all minors

Website

β€’ Mother of Christ Church β€’

Address: 5301 Winneste Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45232

Contact: 513-242-0164

Hours: Every Saturday except the 3rd Saturday 10 am – 12 pm

Website

β€’ Mt. Healthy Alliance Choice Food Pantry β€’

Address: 7717 Harrison Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45231

Serves: 45231

Contact: 513-551-8036

Hours: Monday (11 am – 1 pm), Tuesday (5 – 7 pm), Thursday & Saturday (9 am – 12 pm)

Documentation:

β€’ SON Ministries-Groesbeck UM Church Food Pantry β€’

Address: 8871 Colerain Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45251

Serves: 45224, 45231, 45239, 45247, 45251

Contact: 513-385-1750

Hours: Monday (10 am – 12 pm), Wednesday (10 am – 12 pm & 4:30 – 6:30 pm)

β€’ Tri-County Soul Pantry

Address: 11177 Springfield Pike, Cincinnati, Ohio 45246

Serves: Greenhills, Springdale, Forest Park

Contact: 513-772-2277

Hours: Monday – Wednesday (9:30 – 11 am & 6 – 7:30 pm), Friday (9:30 – 11 am), Last Saturday of the month (9:30 – 11 am)

Documentation: ID & 2 current bills

Website

β€’ West College Hill Neighborhood Services β€’

Address: 2062 West Bend Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45224

Serves: West College Hill, College Hill, North College Hill.

Contact: 513-542-7379

Hours: 1st & 3rd week of each month, Monday & Friday 10 am – 12 pm. Thursdays 6 – 8 pm.

SOUTH

Clifton, Correyville, Evanston, Mt. Adams, Mt. Auburn, Over The Rhine, Pendleton, Walnut Hills, West End.

β€’ Bea Taylor Market β€’

Address: 3401 Rosenthal Way, Cincinnati, Ohio 45204

Contact: 513-241- 1064

Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: 11 am – 7 pm. Friday: 11 am – 5 pm. Saturday: 10 am – 3 pm.

Documentation: Photo ID, proof of residency

Website: https://freestorefoodbank.org/bea-taylor-market/

β€’ Bellarmine Chapel SVDP β€’

Address: 3801 St. Francis Xavier Way, Cincinnati, Ohio 45207

Serves: Avondale & Evanston

Contact: 513-745-1950, call for assistance

Hours: Saturday, 9 am – 12 pm.

β€’ Bethlehem Baptist: Love Star Pantry β€’

Address: 760 North Fred Shuttlesworth Circle, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229

Serves: 45229

Contact: 513-221-5049

Hours: 3rd Wednesday of the month, 10 am – 12:30 pm.

Documentation: Photo ID

β€’ Church of Advent Open Door Ministry β€’

Address: 2366 Kemper Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45206

Serves: 45206, 45207, 45219, 45212, 45229

Contact: 513-961-2100

Hours: Monday – Friday (9:30 – 11:30 am)

Documentation: ID & Proof of residence

β™‘ β€’ City Gospel Mission β€’ β™‘

Hot dinner served daily 7 pm. Anyone facing food insecurity is welcome. No documentation required.

Address: 1805 Dalton Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45214

Contact: 513-241-5525

Website

β€’ Community Market β€’

Address: 2104 Saint Michael Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45204. Main Building, 1st floor.

Serves: 45204

Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 10 am – 2 pm

Contact: 513-244-2214

Website

β€’ Corinthian Baptist Church β€’

Address: 1920 Tennessee Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45237

Contact: 513-221-7351

Hours: Every 4th Thursday, 3 – 5 pm.

β€’ Faith Food Pantry β€’

Address: 2000 Central Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45214

Serves: Over the Rhine

Contact: 513-651-4673

Hours: Saturday 9 am – 12 pm

Website

β€’ For His Glory Pantry β€’

Address: 931 McPherson Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45205

Serves: 45204, 45205, 45238

Hours: Thursday 11 am – 12:30 pm

Documentation: Photo ID, proof of residency

Website

β™‘ β€’ FreeStore FoodBank β€’ β™‘

Address: 112 E. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

Serves: Anyone facing food insecurity

Contact: 513-241-1064

Hours: Monday – Friday (8:30 am – 3:30 pm)

Documentation: ID

β€’ Greater New Hope Missionary Baptist Church β€’

Address: 3655 Harvey Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229

Contact: 513-281- 3251

Hours: Every third Saturday 10 am – 12 pm

Documentation: Photo ID

β€’ Holy Family Church SVDP Pantry β€’

Address: 3006 West Eighth Street, Cincinnati, Ohio

Serves: 45204, 45205, 45214, 45248

Contact: 513-921-7527 ext 109, Dale Hartlage

Hours: Monday & Friday 11 am – 1 pm

Documentation: Photo ID, proof of residency

Clients may shop every two weeks.

Website

β€’ Immanuel United Church of Christ β€’

Address: 1520 Queen City Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45214

Contact: 513-921-1167

Hours: Wednesday, 10 am – 12 pm

Documentation: Photo ID, proof of residency, proof of income

β€’ Jewish Family Services | Heldman Family Food Pantry β€’

Address: 3113 Clifton Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45220 (Campus of Hebrew Union College.)

Serves: all of Cincinnati Jewish Community, Clifton.

Contact: 513-469-1188 to make an appointment

Hours: By appointment only.

Kosher Foods are available. Home grocery delivery is available for individuals who cannot drive.

Website

β€’ Mercy Neighborhood Ministries β€’

Address: 1602 Madison Road #200, Cincinnati, Ohio 45206

Serves: 45206, 45207, 45212, Ages 60+

Contact: 513-751-2500

Hours: Monday – Wednesday (9 – 11:30 am)

Documentation: ID & Proof of residence

β€’ Mother of Christ Church β€’

Address: 5301 Winneste Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45232

Contact: 513-242-0164

Hours: Saturday 10 – 11:30 am

Documentation: Photo ID, proof of residency

β™‘ β€’ Our Daily Bread β€’ β™‘

Address: 1730 Race Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

Serves: Anyone facing food insecurity

Contact: 513-621-6364

Hours: Monday – Friday (8:30 – 11:45 am)

β™‘ β€’ Queen City Food Kitchen & Choice Food Pantry β€’ β™‘

Address: 2631 Gilbert Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45206

Serves: Anyone facing food insecurity

Contact: 513-961-1983

Pantry Hours: Tuesday & Thursday (10 am)

Kitchen Hours: Tuesday – Thursday (12:30 – 1 pm), Saturday (12 – 1 pm & 4 – 5 pm), Sunday (2 – 3 pm)

β™‘ β€’ St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church Choice Food Pantry β€’ β™‘

Address: 1809 Rutland Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45207

Serves: Anyone facing food insecurity

Contact: 513-531-4337

Hours: Monday & Tuesday (1 – 2 pm)

β™‘ β€’ St. Francis Seraph Ministries β€’ β™‘

Address: 1615 Republic Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

Serves: Anyone facing food insecurity

Contact: 513-549-0542

Bagged Lunch Hours:  (8 – 10:30 am)

Dining Room Hours: Monday – Friday (Breakfast: 7 – 9 am, Dinner: 4 – 6 pm)

β€’ St. George Interfaith Food Pantry β€’

Address: 5224 Dennis Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45219

Serves: 45217, 45219, 45220, Any Veteran

Contact: 513-751-8771

Hours: Monday & Tuesday (6 – 7:30 pm), Last Friday of the month (12 – 1:30 pm), Last Saturday of the month (10  – 11:30 am), BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.

Documentation: Photo ID, proof of residency

Website

β€’ St. Joseph Catholic Church β€’

Address: 745 Ezzard Charles Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45203

Contact: 513-381-4526

Hours: Second Tuesday of the month 9 am – 1:30 pm

β€’ St. Leo Church β€’

Address: 2573 Saint Leo Place 45225

Serves: North Fairmont including English Woods, Roll Hill Apartments, and Millville.

Contact: 513-921-1044

Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 1-3:30 pm

Website

β™‘ β€’ St. Vincent de Paul Society β€’ β™‘

Address: 1146 Bank Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45214

Contact: 513-421-0602

Hours: Monday – Friday 8 am – 4 pm

Call ahead to place your Pick up order.

Website

β™‘ β€’ Salvation Army Choice Food Pantry of Cincinnatiβ€’ β™‘

Address: 114 East Central Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

Serves: Anyone facing food insecurity

Contact: 513-762-5600

Hours: Monday – Friday (1 – 3 pm), ONE VISIT PER WEEK.

β€’ Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses β€’

Address: 901 Findlay Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45214

Serves: West End Community

Contact: 513-407-5362

Hours: Monday – Friday 9 am – 1 pm.

Daily Hot Meals also served in Community kitchen.

Website

β™‘ β€’ Ted & Becky Catino Choice Food Pantry β€’ β™‘

Address: 1125 Bank Street, Cincinnati Ohio 45214

Serves: Hamilton County Residents

Contact: 513-421-0602

Hours: Monday – Friday (8 am – 4 pm), Saturday (8 am – 12 pm), BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.

β™‘ β€’ Union Baptist Church Food Pantry β€’ β™‘

Address: 405 West 7th Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45203

Contact: 513-381-3858

Hours: 3rd Friday of each month 10 am

Website

β€’ Walnut Hills Food Pantry β€’

Address: 2386 Kemper Lane, Cincinnati, Ohio 45206

Contact: 513-961-1983

Pantry Hours: Tuesday & Thursday, 12-1:30 pm

Kitchen Hot Meal Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 12-2 pm, Saturday Brunch 12-1 pm, Dinner 4-5 pm, Sunday Dinner 2-3 pm.

Website

β™‘ β€’ Washington United Church of Christ β€’ β™‘

Address: 2950 Sidney Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45225

Contact: 513-312-7408

Pantry Hours: Tuesday & Thursday 12-2:45 pm

Hot Meal Hours: Monday – Thursday 12-12:30 pm, closed 3rd Thursday of month

Website

β€’ West End Emergency Center β€’

Address: 727 Ezzard Charles Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio

Serves: 45203 & 45214

Contact: 513-381-5882

Hours: Tuesday & Thursday 10 am – 2 pm

Documentation: Photo ID, proof of residency

β€’ York Street United Methodist Church β€’

Address: 816 York Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45214

Serves: 45214

Contact: 513-721-8095

Hours: Wednesday 10 am – 12 pm

WEST

Cheviot, College Hill, Fairmount, MillVale, Mt. Airy, Northside, Price Hill, Western Hills, Westwood, Winton Hills.

β€’ Addyston United Methodist Church Pantry β€’

Address: 218 Main Street, Addyston, Ohio 45001

Serves: Hamilton, Cleves

Contact: 513-941-6034

Hours: Monday & Thursday 1-3 pm

Documentation: proof of residency

β€’ Anderson Ferry Church of Christ β€’

Address: 308 Greenwell Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45238

Contact: 513-832-4200

Hours: Monday & Thursday 10 am – 12 pm

Documentation: State ID, birth certificate or custody agreement for all children under 18, proof of residence.

Website

β€’ C.A.I.N. (Churches Active in Northside β€’

Address: 4230 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45223

Serves: 45223

Contact: 513-591-2246

Hours: Monday (5 – 7 pm), Tuesday & Thursday (10 am – 1 pm)

Hot meals available Monday from 5 – 6 pm.

Documentation: ID required

β€’ Central Church of Christ β€’

Address: 3501 Cheviot Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45211

Contact: 513-481-5820

Hours: Monday – Friday 9 am – 3 pm

Free meal every Wednesday at 5:30 pm, anyone is welcome.

Website

β€’ Childhood Food Solutions Food Pantry β€’

Address: 2574 Saint Leo Place, Cincinnati, Ohio 45225

Serves: 45225

Contact: 513-399-6059

Hours: Monday – Friday (9 am – 3 pm)

β€’ Edward J. Eiding Food Pantry at Eden Chapel β€’

Address: 150 Dahlia Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45233

Serves: Delhi, Saylor Park

Contact: 513-941-4183

Hours: 2nd Wednesday of month 12-4 pm. 4th Wednesday of month 2-6 pm.

Documentation: Photo ID or other form of identification (passport).

Website

β€’ Gray Road Church of Christ β€’

Address: 4826 Gray Road, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45232

Contact: 513-541-4100

Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Friday 10 am – 1 pm.

Documentation: Photo ID

β€’ Harrison Avenue Assembly of God β€’

Address: 949 Harrison Avenue, Harrison, Ohio 45030

Contact: 513-367-6109

Hours: Tuesday – Friday 9 am – 2:30 pm

Documentation: Photo ID

β™‘ β€’ Harrison Avenue Church on Fire β€’ β™‘

Address: 10544 Harrison Avenue, Harrison, Ohio 45030

Contact: 513-367-6109, or text “food” to 513-268-0756

Hours: Wednesday 6-8 pm

NO DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED.

β™‘ β€’ Helping Hands Pantry β€’ β™‘

Address: 9746 Dry Fork Road, Harrison, Ohio 45030

Serves: anyone facing food insecurity

Contact: 513-788-1172,  appointment preferred but walk-ins welcome.

Hours: Monday & Friday 1 – 3 pm

Hot Meal offered every 5th Saturday 11 am – 1 pm. Meal delivery available for those without transportation.

Website

β€’ Manna Outreach INC. Pantry β€’

Address: 931 McPherson Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45205

Contact: 513-924-5344

Hours: Wednesday (11 am – 1 pm), Every 3rd & 4th Saturday (11 am – 1 pm).

β€’ Mt. Healthy Alliance Food Pantry β€’

Address: 7717 Harrison Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45231

Serves: Mt. Healthy

Contact: 513-551-8036

Hours: Monday 11 am – 1 pm, Tuesday 5 pm – 7 pm, Thursday & Saturday 9 am – 12 pm

Documentation: Photo ID, proof of residency

Website

β€’ Mt. Hope Baptist Church β€’

Address: 9200 Stimple Road, Harrison, Ohio 45030

Serves: Harrison & Cleves

Contact: 513-367-0450

Pantry Hours: Last Thursday & Friday of the month 1-3 pm

Fresh Produce Giveaway: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 12 – 2 pm.

β™‘ β€’ Oak Hills United Methodist Church β€’ β™‘

Address: 6069 Bridgetown Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45248

Contact: 513-574-1131

Hours: Wednesdays 6:30 – 8 pm, 1st & 3rd Saturday 9 – 11 am

Documentation: No Documentation required, but will need to fill out a form upon arrival

Website

β€’ St. Boniface Pantry SVDP β€’

Address: 1750 Chase Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45223

Serves: families within Parish boundaries

Contact: 513-541-1563

Hours: Saturday 1-3 pm

Documentation: Proof of residence, identification for each family member

Website

β€’ St. John the Baptist SVDP β€’

Address: 520 Park Avenue, Harrison, Ohio 45030

Contact: 513-300-4962 for home delivery

Hours: 2nd Saturday 10 – 11 am, 4th Saturday 11 am – 1 pm

β€’ St. Michaels Center β€’

Address: 2104 Saint Michael Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45204

Serves: 45204

Contact: 513-244-2214

Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays 10 am – 2 pm

NO DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED.

β€’ St. Therese Little Flower Food Pantry β€’

Address: 5560 Kirby Lane, Cincinnati, Ohio 45239

Serves: 45239

Contact: 513-541-5560

Pantry Hours: Tuesday (1:30 – 2:30 pm)

Hot meals available Tuesday from 6:30 – 7:30 pm

β€’ St. William β€’

Address: 4108 West Eighth Street, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45205

Contact: 513-921-0247

Hours: Wednesday 6 – 7 pm.

Documentation: proof of residence

β€’ SON Ministries β€’

Address: 8871 Colerain Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45251

Serves: Northwest Local School District & North College Hill school district.

Contact: 513-385-1793

Hours: Monday & Wednesday 10 am – 12 pm, Wednesday 4:30 – 6:30 pm

Documentation: Photo ID, bill with current address postmarked within 30 days.

β™‘ β€’ Table of Hope β€’ β™‘

Address: 3707 Edgewood Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45211

Contact: 513-661-2428

Hours: Sunday 12:30 – 1:30 pm.

Documentation: Name, Address, Number in household.

Provides crockpot meal kits. Sign up for the wait list HERE.

Website

β™‘ β€’ Tikkun Farms Free Market β€’ β™‘

Address: 7945 Elizabeth Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45231

You must first go across the street to Hilltop Shopping Plaza at 8200 Hamilton Avenue to get your shopping number. There will be a Tikkun Farm Flag placed by the second light post. Park in line of spaces by the flag and a volunteer will come to your car to assist you.

Contact: 513-570-6860

Hours: Tuesday 3 – 4 pm, Friday 1 – 4 pm, Saturdays 1 – 2 pm.

Crockpot meal kits also available.

β€’ Washington United Church of Christ β€’

Address: 2950 Sidney Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45225

Serves: Anyone facing food insecurity

Contact: 513-312-7408

Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays (12 – 2:45 pm), closed every 3rd Thursday of the month.

Free lunch provided Monday – Thursday from 12 – 12:30 pm.

β€’ Westfed Food Pantry β€’

Address: 3628 Boudinot Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45211

Serves: 45211, 45238

Contact: 513-661-5166

Hours: Last two Thursdays of the month (1: 30 – 2:30 pm), One visit per month.

β€’ Westside Vineyard Church β€’

Address: 3420 Glenmore Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45211

Serves: 45211, 45248, 45225

Contact: 513-922-7897

Hours: Monday 6 – 7 pm, Thursday 2 – 4 pm

Community Meal Hours (Dine in & Take out available) : Monday 6 – 7 pm

Website

β€’ Westwood United Methodist Church β€’

Address: 3150 Harrison Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45211

Serves: 45211

Contact: 513-661-3139

Hours: Wednesday 10 am – 12 pm

Documentation: Proof of residency

EAST

Anderson, East End, Newtown

β€’ Guardian Angel’s SVDP β€’

Address: 6531 Beechmont Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45230

Contact: 513-624-3147

Hours: Saturday morning, by appointment only

β€’ Inter Parish Ministry Choice Pantry β€’

Address: 3509 Debolt Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45244

Serves: 45228, 45230, 45244, 45245, 45140

Contact: 513-561-3932

Hours: Monday – Wednesday (10 am – 2 pm), 1 visit per month.

Hot meals provided Monday from 5:30 – 7 pm.

β€’ L.I.F.E. (Loveland Interfaith Effort) β€’

Address: 677 Loveland-Madeira Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45140

Serves: Loveland Community, 45140

Contact: 513-583-8222

Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10 am – 12 pm, 4 – 6:30 pm. Friday & Saturday 10 am – 12 pm.

Documentation: Photo ID, Children: birth certificate, crib card, school record, medical or insurance card, a bill in your name with current Loveland address postmarked within 30 days. If you live in government subsidized housing, you must also supply a copy of your current lease.

Website

β€’ Our Lord Christ the King SVDP β€’

Address: 3710 Eastern Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226

Serves: 45226, 45230, 45244, 45255, 45202

Contact: 513-871-8611 or Jim Patton, jimpatton49@gmail.com

Hours: Tuesday & Thursday 3:30 – 6:30 pm

β€’ SEM Choice Food Pantry β€’

Address: 2020 Beechmont Ave, Cincinnati, Ohio 45230

Serves: Eastern Hamilton Co.

Contact: 513-231-1412

Hours: Monday – Friday (10 am – 2 pm), Tuesday (5:30 – 7 pm), Saturday (10 am – 12 pm)

β™‘ Mobile Pantries β™‘

β€’ Community Action Agency β€’

Please check website for current schedule and locations.

Contact: 513-569-1850 or Sharon Watkins at swatkins@cincy-caa.org

Website

β€’ Healthy Harvest Mobile Food Pantry β€’

Please check website for current schedule, or text HMHH to 833-709-0969 to receive free updates by phone.

Website

Until next time β™‘ Mama Morozov

Grace Girls | Foraging & Nature Crafting

Crafts & DIY, Motherhood, Uncategorized

We had our 3rd Grace Girls meeting this week. We learned about foraging nature to use to craft & decorate with. Mrs. Mary led this topic.

The original plan had been to head out into the woods to forage nature ourselves, but because of the recent heavy storms we have been having as a result of Hurricane Helene, along with the early darkness of Fall evenings, some of the moms brought the nature from their backyards inside to us.

The girls had so much fun “foraging” for nature items that stood out to them to decorate a tablescape with. I thought it was funny that we just decorated our table using Nature last week to celebrate the Autumn Equinox and had to share ours with Mrs. Mary. I love that she also celebrates nature and prioritizes creating family traditions, like me, and that she didn’t judge me for celebrating pagan holidays.

There was a really neat variety of nature to admire. There were pumpkins, gourds, okra, flowers, pine, leaves, plants, wheat, & pinecone.

I got some new inspiration also! I’d love to get some tree stumps to use for my centerpieces! I have a faux one from a cakestand that I put my wedding cake on, but the real ones are way cooler. I didn’t get a photo, but she also had a long, more rectangle-shaped log piece that was perfect for this!!!

They had fun trying out different methods. Some used baskets, some used tree stump rounds or rectangles, some used Mason Jars or directly on the table itself.

I think Athena did really good for her first time. She’s definitely the youngest girl in the group currently, since she just turned 5 this same week and that is the minimum age requirement.

The next part of our night was learning about Flower Presses and getting to use them and the beautiful flowers & plants that Mrs. Mary had pressed for us.

As an old fashioned girl, I always just used heavy books to press my flowers! This was my first time seeing an actual press, and I’m officially obsessed.

I literally sped directly home to beg my husband to make me a simple flower press over the weekend, if we have wood pieces to spare that could work for this. The screws we definitely have, and I can easily obtain thick cardboard from my work, repurposing extra wine boxes.

One of the girls’ mom’s made her the most beautiful flower press for a gift with her name engraved in the wood, and straps to keep it closed instead of screws for much easier accessibility. She said the straps were very affordable from Amazon, so that’s an option I can consider in the future too.

She printed out examples for us to use the pressed flowers to make a card for someone we love, but I decided to hold onto our first pressed flower crafts that we made together as a family. I love the way they turned out.

The pressed leaves looked so cool & still so fresh! The Lambs Ear was still so soft & velvety, and even shone a bit in the light.

The girls picked the color of the cardstock they wanted to use as the background for their cards. Then they chose their pressed nature they wanted to use.

Some girls drew vases, others made small photos. Some decorated their envelopes or inside of the cards too. I really enjoy seeing each girls creativity & ideas. I love that these tiny nature-loving seeds are being planted in these girls heads at such young ages.

I also love how many other moms in the group make nature a priority in their families lives & homeschooling. There is such a huge disconnect in most of “society’s children” from nature, to the point where it is now considered a “disorder.” Nature really is the greatest gift our Creator ever created for us. Nature provides everything a human needs, and not enough people truly celebrate Mother Nature & definitely not enough give back to her in this technology-driven world. My wish for each of these girls is that the seeds planted continues to grow strong in their love & appreciation for nature and that they continue to grow a deeper connection with Mother Nature as they learn more about her & her blessings she provides to us.

These were our cards. They had extras and immediately asked me if I would like to make one too because they knew it would be “right up my alley.” Since I was the very last person to begin, with such a late start I just picked whatever was left that spoke out to me. I’d love to do this again with more time to plan what I want to create! The wheels in my brain are already going crazy with all the ideas for how perfect this hobby is to go with our other gardening projects & future plans.

I placed them above our newest Nature Wall. I thought it was the perfect spot for them & love how they look up there. I’m so glad we attended this meeting – it was such a good one!

Until next time β™‘ Mama Morozov

My Latest Food Obsession

Recipes, Uncategorized

A few months ago I made a Ukrainian Care Package for my cousin. We were discussing the Ukrainian foods she loves & grew up eating when she told me about a special food that she ate growing up that her mom used to make for her as a special treat from my Ρ‚Π°Ρ‚ΠΎ & her childhood.

I made a mental note that I would have to find a recipe & make it for my Ρ‚Π°Ρ‚ΠΎ. It seems food triggers his childhood memories that he has compartmentalized deep, deep down inside himself more than anything else so far.

I had honestly forgotten about this dish for a few months; but then one day as I was reading my new-to-me cookbook written by Auschwitz survivors that I had gotten to resonate with my бабуся, who was also a holocaust survivor, I found the recipe for Strawberry Soup.

What my Ρ‚Π°Ρ‚ΠΎ remembers is a little bit different: less soupy, more mashed consistency. His was also made with heavy cream instead of sour cream, but that’s an easy swap. Overall same concept though: Strawberries with cream & sugar.

What Survivor, Eva Kerenyi, shared with me through her story in this cookbook is very simple, although I did have to double the recipe the second time I made this, this week because of how good it is.

  • 2 pounds Strawberries
  • 3/4 cup sweet red wine
  • 3/4 cup sour cream (or heavy cream)
  • 1/2 cup sugar

Blend all ingredients together & chill in refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours. Serve chilled.

I, however, adapted it a little bit because I was a little bit concerned about the wine. I don’t drink alcohol. I was worried that if it was all just mixed together, it would act more as a mixed drink than a food dish. I’m sure I was just over-thinking it, but I wasn’t willing to risk it or let my kids eat it like that (even though Eva shared this recipe was from her own childhood so it must be child-friendly πŸ€·πŸΌβ€β™€οΈ) so, I added an extra step.

Once blended, I cooked it on medium-high heat over the stove until it was boiling and then turned off the stove, but let continue to cook while the burner cooled until the soup was room temperature before transferring it into the refrigerator to cool.

I kept sneaking spoonfuls because it’s so delicious that it is addictive, but I can definitely confirm the longer it chilled, the better the flavor. Cooking it also really made the alcohol taste from the wine disappear which I really appreciate.

Unil next time β™‘ Mama Morozov

Athena’s 5th Birthday

Crafts & DIY, Motherhood, Uncategorized

Happy October!!! Yesterday (October 1st) was Athena’s 5th birthday & I gotta say, that for being very last minute, not very well planned, & on an extremely tight budget, I think I did a great job pulling it together…… “with a little help from my friends”, as The Beatles would say.

Here is how the room looked when she woke up. I wanted her to be surprised & happy as soon as she came into the dining room. She had asked for an Ariel theme.

I went to Dollar Tree ($1.25 Store now, and all items are no longer that price either. They now offer $5 and $10 items πŸ™€) and grabbed a small variety ribbon & streamers in different shades of blue. I hung them from the chandelier to resemble water.

I reused this ball garland inside from one of Sasha’s birthdays that was a Frozen theme and wrapped it around the lights in the center.

I thought this chandelier decor looked really beautiful and all around cost less than $5 to put together.

My best friend, Kara, ordered this Little Mermaid garland to hang in the room for her. Mia & I put it together and hung it from the curtain rod in-between the dining room & living room. It really pulled the theme together. She also ordered some gifts for Athena “from us.”

I really appreciate her so much. Not only did she go above & beyond to help me throw Athena a party she wanted & deserves, but she also pulled me out of the depression hole that I had been slowly sinking further into. I’m really lucky to have her.

Mia & I also made this decoration using an old school candelabra. I came across the idea on Pinterest.

Over the summer I picked up a box of super cool, old metal teaset items for my kids to play with in their backyard playhouse, but my husband convinced me to stash them away to one day attempt to restore them, but they have sat in a tote in my closet untouched.

I pulled out the tote, grabbed the candelabra, and all the utensils. I picked the ones that were smallest and most light-weight. I lit some candles and let the wax pool up, then dumped into the candle holder spot with each utensil and held it in place until the wax cooled. I repeated this process until the utensils were safely stuck in place and each holder was completely full of wax.

I then asked Grammy Kat if she had any pretend pearls I could use to drape around it. She did, of course.

For breakfast, I made homemade donuts and icing and let the kids decorate their own donut using Sprinkles I already had. This was mine.

For a special treat, we made these little “oysters” which were pre-made macaroons with a birthday-cake flavored “pearl” jellybean.

I ordered her cake from Kroger for $22. I usually prefer to make my own cakes, but with everything going on lately I really wanted to have a stress-free day for her birthday so that I could be fully present with her. It made her happy & that’s what really matters.

My parents & Grammy Kat stopped by to celebrate Athena during the day.

For dinner, she requested “Dad’s burgers” so he grilled burgers for the family & a Veggie burger for me.

After dinner, we went to see Kozak Siromaha in a small concert hosted by UNWLA & the Ukrainian community. It was our first Ukrainian concert experience by a famous artist.

After the concert, we went home to sing happy birthday to Athena & eat cake.

I can’t believe she’s already 5! It seems like she was just a baby!!! I’m so grateful for these last 5 years with her. She is always smiling and lights up every room she enters. She’s so kind & so thoughtful. She truly makes the world a brighter place. I’m so grateful I get to be her mama.

Until next time β™‘ Mama Morozov

Our Trip to McGlasson Farm πŸŒ»

Uncategorized

We tried to take our annual Apple Orchard picking trip this morning, but when arrived we learned that due to the current drought we are in, the orchards have already been exhausted and closed a few weeks early.

Our new options were to pick our own pumpkins, or cut our own Sunflowers. We went with cutting sunflowers since we already have our own pumpkin patch and plan to try to sell them from our own yard market we are planning & preparing for.

The sunflowers were sold $1 per stem. Each kid got to pick one sunflower. I got one yellow, one orange, and one maroon. Some had multiple flowers on each stem. I think that was a very fair deal.

The farm only accept Cash, Check, or Venmo so plan ahead for that if you make the trip. They have produce, apple cider, pumpkins, homemade jams, and sunflowers for sale.

McGlassons Farms is a cute little farm located at 5832 River Road in Hebron, Kentucky. It is definitely worth making a trip to, and the family who owns & operates it is very kind. I’m going to plan earlier for next year so we can experience their U-Pick Apple Orchard, although it has been a lot of fun trying to experience a new orchard each year.

My sunflower bouquet is very beautiful and I’m glad that we went. We may not have gotten to pick apples, but it was not a wasted trip. I was really disappointed that we wouldn’t be able to attend the Gorman Heritage Farm Sunflower Festival this year, so it was special that we still got the U-Pick Sunflower cutting experience.

I’ve already got one baby sunflower from low on the stem in the propagation station preparing for our yard. I’m hoping for some nice, strong roots to grow in the mean time. I already planted a ton of Sunflower seeds this year, too late in the season. I am hoping next year they surprise me for a lovely addition to our mini homestead. I was inspired to buy a few more sunflower seed packets marked down to almost nothing to plant next spring just in case.

This was my favorite sunflower. Orange is my favorite color and it reminded me a lot of the bouquet my best friend, Kara, & I made for my fall wedding to Niko.

Facts About Sunflowers

🌻 Sunflowers are Ukraine’s National Flower.

🌻 The Ukrainian word for Sunflower is: соняшник

🌻 Sunflowers were planted around Chernobyl after the Nuclear Power Plant explosion to act as filters, extracting the toxins from the soil and removing radiative chemicals from surrounding soil and ponds.

🌻 In 1996 – when Ukraine agreed to give up their Nuclear weapons – Ukraine, Russia, and the United States planted Sunflowers as a symbol of the three nations shared goal of “ensuring that our children and our grandchildren will live in peace.”

🌻 In Ukrainian folklore, Sunflowers are believed to offer protection against evil spirits, bad fortune, and illness.

🌻 Sunflowers have medicinal properties. They can be used to treat fevers, colds & coughs, insect & snake bites, lower blood pressure, act as a diuretic, treat malaria, accelerate childbirth, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, antioxidants, detox chemicals, treat chest pains, treat wounds, treat kidneys, stimulate appetite, supports a healthy thyroid, remove warts, and aid body growth & development.

🌻 Ukraine is the world’s largest producer & exporter of Sunflower Seeds and Sunflower Oil.

🌻 Before Christianty, Ukrainian & other Slavic people worshipped the sun (some of us, like myself, still do). Sunflowers represent the sun’s warmth, power, & magical healing. They also represent hope & loyality because they face the rising sun each day, loyally following the sun’s path. Sunflowers also represent fertility, unity, longevity, & peace.

🌻 Sunflowers are also used to represent rememberance, resistance, & solidarity for the millions of Ukrainian victims of Holodomor.

🌻 The entire Sunflower is edible and useful. One of my favorite ways to eat Sunflowers is Ukrainian Halva, a delicious dessert made from the seeds.

You may even remember this Ukrainian woman who offered sunflower seeds to the Russian occupiers on the first day of the invasion (February 24, 2022). If this is the first time you are seeing this video, enjoy this beautiful, brave soul of a hero:

Until next time β™‘ Mama Morozov

Autumn Equinox 🍁 | Mabon Celebration πŸ‚

homeschool, Motherhood, Uncategorized

We welcomed the shifting of seasons into Fall yesterday with a Mabon Celebration. If you do not know what Mabon is, it is the official day of Autumn’s beginning and a day that we are supposed to give thanks to Mother Earth for all that she gave us over this last season of summer.

It is a time to reflect and relax after working hard all summer. Let go of what is no longer serving you or your soul. Let go of toxic relationships that are holding you back, as well let go of bad habits & self-destructive thoughts in yourself. Finish up the tasks you started, but have not yet completed. Reflect on goals you’ve accomplished, focus on the goals you have set for yourself that you still need to work towards, or set new ones all together.

We began our Fall festivities with a field trip attending the Homeschool Harvest Festival in Heritage Village.

We played old-fashioned games like Bobbing For Donuts. Bobbing For Apples would be a more historically accurate game, but for sanitary purposes donuts was the modern chosen object. It was still really cute, and was actually in one of my books that I use as inspiration for celebrating each season. I think that Bobbing For Apples for would still be a fun fall activity to try together – maybe as a family game night.

I loved the old time vibes mixed with all of the nature. The leaves were as big as the younger girls heads! There were so many different kinds of acorns. We collected a few of our favorite things for our Fall dinner table for our Autumn Feast.

We learned about pickling foods; why we do it and what different types of foods that people would pickle to preserve. My girls are already pros at this, and they were the only children who knew what Beets were.

We learned about using a meat smoker to smoke meat and that back then it would take 2-3 days before it was finished smoking. That would have been my husband’s favorite part of the festival.

We also learned how to make bread in the brick bread oven and Cornbread over a hearth stove. It reminded us of our latest Grace Girls meeting where we learned to make pizza over a fire. Making bread was an entire day of work from early in the morning until the sun was down, making Loaf after Loaf for a weeks worth of bread. The family who lived in that home {before it was a museum} had 15 children, so they needed a lot of bread!

It made me really grateful that today I can spread my bread baking out more than one day and that I don’t have to wear full length, full sleeve dresses with bonnets while I bake. I’d be baking myself in that attire.

During question time, one child asked how they are supposed to microwave their food.

We learned about trains and different ways of transportation since cars did not exist.

We learned about old fashioned tools, made a pumpkin on the printing press, and explored the General Store. We all really enjoyed looking at all of the antique items. They were things we’d still want today!

Their pumpkins were so cute. I think I’m going to laminate them and find a way to use them for decor. Another possibility would be to use them in our Fall Sale.

We learned about how doctors used leeches as medicine to suck the bad blood out of a patient. Each of the girls got a gummy leech.

I really loved The General Store and this Pantry. I love vintage things so much amd honestly prefer them over any of the cheaply made things today. The things back then were meant to last. You’d buy once and it would last multiple lifetimes, passed down through generations, still working. In fact, everything in the museum was still in perfect condition. The things today are meant to last one to a couple uses then either breaks or you must soon replace with a newer model to keep up. I can’t stand this way of life.

I loved how the store is set up. All of the bottom rows and anything out are meant for children to play with, and everything behind the glass is meant only for looking at. They had so much fun playing with everything and doing the scavenger hunt.

The girls learned about how electricity was not available, so people had to make their own metal lanterns to keep a candle in once the sun went down. They would push holes in the metal in pretty designs for the light to shine through. They made tin ornaments to represent the candles.

The girls didn’t want to stay for the Yarn Dolls. The line was ridiculously long. They saw some children holding theirs, and made a statement that the Corn Husk Dolls that they made in Grace Girls was a lot better to make than the Yarn. I think Yarn was a lot cheaper, faster, and easier though so for a big event like this, that would make more sense.

A cute throwback from 2022

We also didn’t get to do candle dipping which is one I was looking forward to. We were under a heat advisory by the Park Rangers and weren’t allowed to do an outdoor fire. They prepared take-home kits for 400 children, but ran out much quicker than expected. Even though we didn’t get a kit, that makes me really happy that so many more families have decided to join the homeschool world this year.

I really want to add a scarecrow to our garden next year. I think they are so fun. I also really loved this box that was supposed to contain Herb Garden Information, but instead it contained spiderwebs. It was still really cute and would be fun to add something similiar somewhere in my front yard as maybe a Seed Sharing Box.

We enjoyed ourselves and are glad we went. It was a nice way to begin this new Fall season together. After going, I realized that I give my kids a really good blend of both the old world, and the more modern one as far as homemaking goes.

The upcoming events all sound really fun. I’m hoping for us to be able to attend at least one of them.

I also took the time to put our Fall poem we are memorizing in Ukrainian School in a beautiful layout so that I was able to print it out and hang it up for us to read daily with our Sing a Song of Seasons poem. It helps me a lot to read along to what I am listening to in Ukrainian language. Without the words, I can get a bit lost.

The Decor

We collected nature to create our tablescape. I really wanted to decorate without buying new items & show that you really don’t need to spend any money at all and still have a beautiful Fall home.

I decluttered most of my holiday stuff last year. As much as I love decorating, it bothers me that we only use these items for a very small fraction of the year while they sit in a bin in storage taking up a lot of valuable space for the rest of the year. This is a really great way to still decorate and not have to store the items once we are finished with them. Instead, we can just move some to our Nature Walls & the rest right into our compost to move on to its next life phase in our garden.

I think it ended up looking really beautiful and it meant more that we collected the nature together as a family than just bought at a store. It is just way more us.

The Menu:

The rest of the family had Pork Chops with apples, onions, and cornbread stuffing; I made Vegetarian Apple & Sage Sausage (Field Roast brand) for myself with the same side of stuffing mixture. It was my first time having apples in my stuffing and it was seriously a game changer!!!

The sides were Sweet Potato Casserole, Harvest Salad, & Sourdough Discard Sweet Rolls.

To drink, we had Apple Cider.

All of the different Fall flavors came together SOO deliciously! I’m definitely going to be remaking a couple of these dishes again at Thanksgiving!!!

For dessert, I made a Pumpkin Pie with homemade whipped cream to go with it. I loved making the little leaves for the crust and will definitely be doing that again, but with way more leaves next time. I loved the flavor of this pie, but not the texture so I’ll be re-working that in the coming weeks to prepare for Thanksgiving.

We have so many more fun Fall activities planned this year. I really want to take in each day of this season and make it extra special for our family. The last year has really been a struggle for us financially & instead of continuing to live in constant worry, I really want to slow down, live in gratitude, and begin appreciating what this last year has blessed us with instead of money, because it’s been so much. We may not have any money, but we are so very rich in all the right ways.

Until next time β™‘ Mama Morozov

Pumpkin Pie πŸŽƒ Sourdough Discard Bagels πŸ₯―

Recipes, Uncategorized

Getting my sourdough starter – which I have officially named моя закваска (“My sourdough” in Ukrainian, because I like the way it sounds and it immerses the language into my daily life) – has been one of my best homemaking decisions ever! I have been baking like crazy every free second I get, obsessively trying all of the different ways to use up my discard.

I had a request for Bagels, so we went with a Pumpkin Pie flavor for Fall. They were literally the BEST Bagels we’ve ever eaten! I also went ahead and made a batch of Everything Bagels (which were great as well) using Trader Joe’s Everything but the Bagel Seasoning because I knew my husband wouldn’t be on board with the Pumpkin Pie flavor.

From now on, we’re never buying bagels again. We are going to make our homemade Bagels even easier by preparing them the night before and letting them rise overnight while we sleep so that we can begin straight at the boiling stage in the morning and get right to our homeschool work.

We started in the morning with a nice room temperature sourdough discard that was fed the evening before.

We added together all the ingredients – first the dry, then wet – to form a nice smooth dough, then let the dough rise for a few hours.

After it doubled, it was time to form the Bagels. We cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and shaped the dough into Bagels. This was the best bagel dough I’ve worked with, and the first time they came out exactly the way I like my Bagels.

Mia did a great job shaping the Bagels! Once they were in their bagel form, we let them rest for another 30 minutes before boiling.

We filled our Cast Iron Dutch Oven with 8 cups water & 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and heat to a strong boil. Once the water was boiling, we added 2 Bagels at a time for 30 seconds on each side, then transfer to a wire rack with a piece of parchment paper placed on it until all Bagels

Then we did an egg wash to each bagel and added the Pumpkin Pie topping to the Bagels and baked for 20 minutes in the oven. This topping is a Fall-inspired copycat from Panera’s Cinnamon Sugar Bagels.

The kids loved picking all of the crispy melted topping off of the parchment paper and calling it “candy.” It reminded me a lot of a molasses candy (but with more toffee texture) that I had made at school as a child when I was learning about Little House on the Prarie & Pioneer life. It was one of my fondest memories from that school.

If you don’t have a bunch of kids to eat it all in seconds, consider crumbling up the pieces to use as a crispy topping for another Fall treat, or sprinkled on whipped cream on top of a warm pumpkin flavored beverage to make it extra special.

We waited about 5 minutes for the Bagels to cool because we were so hungry by the time they were finished, although I’d suggest a longer waiting period. It was very hot to cut, but soooo warm and delicious. The cream cheese was really easy to spread! Because they were fresh out of the oven we didn’t need to heat them in the Toaster. Later when we did reheat bagels in the Toaster, they were somehow even better.

I hope that you love them as much as we did!

Ingredients | Bagels

DRY:

  • 3 3/4 Bread Flour
  • 1 Tablespoon Light Brown Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
  • 2 Teaspoons Sea Salt
  • 1 Teaspoon Active Dry Yeast

WET:

  • 1 Can Pumpkin Puree
  • 3/4 Cup Sourdough Discard
  • 1/4 Cup Warm Water

Ingredients | Pumpkin Pie Topping

  • 4 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons White Sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons Turbanado Sugar
  • 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1 Teaspoon Cardamom
  • Salted Butter, melted

Ingredients | Additionals

  • 8 Cups Water – for boiling
  • 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar – for boiling
  • 1 Egg yolk – for egg wash
  • 1 Tablespoon-ish Water – for egg wash

Directions

  • Add dry ingredients to the bowl of your Kitchenaid Stand Mixer then whisk together until combined.
  • Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together using the dough hook.
  • Transfer dough to a greased bowl to rise for at least 2 hours.
  • Cut dough into 8 equal pieces. Knead into balls and use your thumb to punch a hole through to form a bagel shape and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Let rise at least 30 minutes to overnight.
  • Boil 8 cups water with 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar on stove. Preheat oven to 425Β°F.
  • Add Bagels to boiling water 2 at a time for 30 seconds on each side. Remove from boiling water and set aside on a wire rack to cool while you finish boiling the rest of the Bagels. 
  • Transfer cooled bagels back to your baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together Egg Yolk with 1 Tablespoon-ish water. (I usually just fill up the bigger half of the egg shell with water). Brush egg wash over each bagel getting the tops and sides really well covered.
  • Top each bagel with the Pumpkin Pie topping, pressing in lightly.
  • Bake for 20 minutes at 425Β°F. Flip baking sheet after 10 minutes (set timer so you don’t forget).
  • Let cool before serving with Cream Cheese: plain, pumpkin spice, or maple pecan flavors would all be delicious. Enjoy!

Until next time β™‘ Mama Morozov

The Lifecycle of a Watermelon in Pictures

Uncategorized

We added 4 new beds to our garden this year for fruits & veggies. One of them being for watermelon, which we grew from seed and will be re-growing from their seeds for next year.

I love that they are personal size. It’s much more manageable for cutting. I have loved watching our garden grow and seeing the harvest we have gotten this year. Our kids are always so excited when they get to watch our food grow then be rewarded for their patience with eating it.

I love that they can go right out into their backyard and find fresh food to eat. You don’t need a lot of land to start homesteading, just to be able to know how to use the space you do have to your advantage. You’ll never regret growing your own food.

Until next time β™‘ Mama Morozov

How to Apply For a Food Card in Hamilton County, Ohio + Produce Perks

RESOURCES, Uncategorized

September is National Hunger Action Month!

In case you don’t know how to apply for Food Assistance, I wanted to explain step by step how to do it (for people living in Hamilton County, Ohio.)

How to Apply

STEP ONE: PRINT an application for Job & Family Services. I provided the downloads for you at the bottom of this post for easy access. Just download & print! You are able to print this application for free at your local library if you do not have access to a printer.

They do offer an online option, but from experience I have had the most success doing it exactly the way I am sharing – the good old-fashioned pen & paper method.

STEP TWO: Fill out application to the best of your ability.

***If you need help to fill out an application, please contact the Hamilton County Community Action Center or The Healing Center. Your local library is also able to help fill out your JFS application. All of these places provide assistance for free.***

STEP THREE: Gather all necessary documents. For *FOOD ONLY* you will need the following:

  • Identification: -State ID, -Drivers License, -Military ID, -Passport, -birth certificate, -social security card, -Visa documents for Refugees for each member of the family unit. (Provide as much as you can, Children will have less documents.)
  • Employment Verification for all members working members of the family unit: -Your last 4 paystubs OR Employment Verification Form (there is a seperate form for Self-Employment Verification), -unemployment benefits, -Veteran benefits, -Social Security Benefits, -Child Support (either what you pay OR what you receive based on your individual case),  any other consistant or large earnings you receive such as gambling. Again, provide what you can. You won’t have all of these documents.
  • Household Verification: -Deed, -Mortgage statement, -Rent receipt, -Lease agreement, -Letter from landlord, -Letter from person you are residing with, -Can also state Homelessness. -Current Energy bill, -Homeowners Insurance, -Renters Insurance, -Phone bill.
  • Resources: -Current bank statements (can prove you are in an emergency situation and bump your case to top priority), -Car title, -life insurance policy.

*** If you are also applying for childcare, you will need to provide your work or school schedule to show the amount of childcare needed. Daycare Vouchers cover the full or partial cost of daycare or after-school care, depending on your individual situation. You will need to find your own provider that accepts daycare Vouchers.***

Photo Provided by Hamilton County Job & Family Services Website

STEP FOUR: Take application and documents to your local library and fill out the Job & Family Services Fax Cover Letter (it is usually out where all of the upcoming events is, but if it is not just ask your librarian for help. The cover letter is meant to track the amount of papers you are submitting. Once the cover letter is filled out, ask your librarian to please help fax the papers to the Job & Family Services Offices. They will give you a short confirmation receipt that they were received. Hold onto this letter – documents have been known to “go missing.” This receipt will act as proof that you did in fact submit such documents at what day & time.

Next Steps

After you fax your documents, you will receive a text confirmation from JFS stating that your documents were received. It will look like this:

Shortly after you receive this text, you will receive a letter by mail stating that a telephone interview has been scheduled. It will provide a day, time, and phone number to call for your interview. It is very important that you do not miss this time!!!

Call on the day & time the letter provides and answer the questions that the social worker asks.

Important Information + Produce Perks

Expect VERY long wait times on hold, sometimes up to two hours. They can provide a translator and will ask if one is needed at the beginning of the interview. If you are using your own translator, please plan accordingly around the long wait times.

If this is your first time applying, a card will be sent to you in the mail with your benefits loaded on it. You will need to call to activate the new card and set up your PIN.

You will need to re-apply every 6 months. JFS will send you a letter in the mail letting you know that it is time along with a re-determination application.

You’ll be able to use your card at any grocery store, or any gas station that accepts SNAP. There will be a small sign or sticker on the door letting your know that SNAP is accepted.

At Findlay Market (and certain other local farmers markets), you can use your SNAP card as Produce Perks to get $1 for $1 on fresh fruits & vegetables up to $25 of free fruits & vegetables per day. For example, if you spend $15 on produce, you’ll be given an extra $15 to spend on more produce.

It is an incentive for families to use their benefits on healthy food choices.

You can also see if you qualify to sign up for their Fruit & Vegetable coupon booklet to use towards more fruits & vegetables than the alloted $25 per day, or when your food card runs out. Each booklet is worth $140, each coupon being worth $5. You would use these coupons the same way you would cash.

I truly hope this helps β™‘

Applications to Download

Until next time β™‘ Mama Morozov

Autumn Apple Crisp πŸŽ

Recipes, Uncategorized

I love baking all year round, but I especially love baking in the Fall & Winter months. The cozy, nature-inspired Fall decor is up. The weather outside is getting cooler, and the nights shorter. Our home is filled with smells of cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and clove. Every day brings a new delicious treat for us to try.

I try to keep September for apples, October for pumpkins, and November for pecans but I’m not strict about it. This year, I began the Apple theme with this Autumn Apple Crisp. It was sooo good, the family already asked me to remake it. I’ll have to use both skillets next time because one was definitely not enough for us! This one is for sure going in our family cookbook!

Ingredients | Crumble

  • 3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 cup packed Light Brown Sugar
  • 1/4 cup Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon Nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon Clove
  • 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
  • 1 stick butter, cut into small cubes

Ingredients | Apple Crisp

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 8 Granny Smith Apples, sliced thinly
  • 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
  • 2 tablespoons packed Light Brown Sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
  • Juice of 1 small lemon

Directions

  1. Peel apples, set aside.
  2. Make crumble topping: in a medium-to-large mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients except butter. Once whisked, add the butter cubes and use your hands to blend together until it reaches a Crumbly, sandy texture, then set aside.
  3. Melt the butter in a cast iron skillet on medium-low heat on the stove. Once melted, add the apples and salt. Mix together until apples are fully coated in butter.
  4. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together until fully coated again, continue cooking for 5 minutes.
  5. Turn off the heat, but do not remove your skillet. Sprinkle crumble topping evenly on top of warm apples.
  6. Cover with foil and cook for 20 minutes at 350Β°.
  7. Remove foil, cook for an additional 20 minutes.
  8. Serve warm with Vanilla Ice Cream {and maybe a Caramel Glaze?} & enjoy πŸ˜‹!!!

What is your favorite Fall dessert?

Until next time β™‘ Mama Morozov