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PAGE 16 - SOUTHWEST MESSENGER - <strong>November</strong> <strong>18</strong>, 20<strong>18</strong><br />
Soapcitylaundry.com<br />
4310 Broadway<br />
Grove City, OH 43123<br />
614-801-1999<br />
Grove City Living<br />
www.columbusmessenger.com<br />
M.A.S.H Pantry helping those<br />
who have served our country<br />
The M.A.S.H. Pantry, or “Military and<br />
Service Hero’s Pantry” is quickly becoming<br />
a well-known Grove City non-profit, which<br />
helps provide necessities for veterans who<br />
have fallen on rough times.<br />
The Victorious Living Christian Church<br />
has been kind enough to donate space for<br />
them to operate and out of that single room<br />
the M.A.S.H. Pantry has been serving up<br />
miracles.<br />
I was lucky enough to sit down in that<br />
same room, now stuffed to the brim with<br />
food, toiletries and clothes, to talk with<br />
some of the folks who run the M.AS.H.<br />
Pantry - Amber Hudson, Founder and Director,<br />
Elaine Fowler, Vice President, and<br />
Ralph Smith, Treasurer - and listen to their<br />
story of how the pantry came to be.<br />
Hudson said the Pantry began under another<br />
name and was dedicated to a cousin<br />
who was killed in a car crash. That community<br />
pantry was struggling to gain success<br />
and the official non-profit status.<br />
“I didn’t have the money to file for our<br />
tax exempt status, so I pawned my jeep and<br />
jewelry to make it happen — borrowed<br />
money from friends,” she said. “Around the<br />
same time I ended up getting a job at the<br />
Columbus VA. While I was there, we finally<br />
became a non-profit — but I saw the organization<br />
was going nowhere as the community<br />
pantry. With my new job, however, I was<br />
able to sit down, have coffee with the veterans,<br />
have doughnuts, asked them ‘What<br />
needs do you have that are not being filled?’<br />
I realized that helping these veterans was<br />
an important cause…that’s where M.A.S.H.<br />
pantry started and it snowballed from<br />
there. Sometimes it’s like the cause finds<br />
you, not the other way around.”<br />
Hudson related how they impact the veterans’<br />
lives through the overwhelming support<br />
of the community.<br />
“We had a soft opening in 2014 — we<br />
could have been more organized back then<br />
— and fed 150 homeless veterans over<br />
Christmas,” Hudson said with a smile. “We<br />
did some logistics and had another opening<br />
on May 30 of 2015. We’ve been growing<br />
strong since then. We survive on community<br />
support. We’re independent, we don’t get<br />
government funding. We’re basically at the<br />
mercy of the community support with which<br />
we’ve been very blessed.”<br />
M.A.S.H. has grown enough to do several<br />
monthly outreach programs — not just in<br />
Grove City, but also the surrounding areas,<br />
providing fresh produce, meals for entire<br />
living centers, clothes and toiletries.<br />
Smith said, it’s more than just about food<br />
See MASH page 15<br />
Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce<br />
To create a positive environment for the development and success of business<br />
2019 SCHEDULE<br />
Make your advertising plans to reserve space<br />
in our 2019 Grove City Living Section.<br />
Reaching over 21,000 households.<br />
March 10 - Taste of Grove City Promo<br />
May 5th - Foundation Fundraiser wrap up and<br />
WE: LEAD Women’s Business<br />
September 8th - Arts in the Alley Promo<br />
<strong>November</strong> 3rd - Grove City Giving<br />
Call Doug Henry<br />
614-272-5422<br />
Email: doughenry@columbusmessenger.com
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