Feast of Love

An ecumenical ministry helping people help other people
Karen Lane, Director/Founder of Feast of Love,  513-541-5676  ext. 167

Tools for Schools

The Feasts

Operation Baby Formula

Camp S'More

Feast of Love began in 1986. The initial purpose was to provide holiday meals for those who were lonely. These dinners inspired the community, and the ministry began to broaden to fill other needs. Today the supporting churches include

  • College Hill Presbyterian Church
  • St. Clare Roman Catholic Church
  • Evangelical Community Church.

Since the Feast of Love began, it has followed God’s call and has grown significantly as it has met needs that are unaddressed by other organizations.

Today the Feast of Love Ministries operate entirely through its 120 regular volunteers – plus additional volunteers for special events. College Hill Presbyterian Church provides space and use of telephones for Feast of Love. Other than that, donations designated for this ministry are the sole source of funding.

For more information on ways you can be involved, call:

Karen Lane, co-founder, at 513-541-5676, Ext. 167, or

Marie Nieman at 513-681-1256.

Feast of Love on Facebook
Feast of Love Ministries

  • Holiday Feasts
    People need . . . food and love while celebrating the holidays.The Feast of Love provides love and a free hot meal on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. The lonely, poor, homeless, wealthy, singles, and families share a table and fellowship at College Hill Presbyterian Church. Meals are delivered to shut-ins from the community. The generosity of many groups and individuals makes it possible to deliver food to shelters and serving locations in the inner city and urban areas of Cincinnati and northern Kentucky. Up to 2,000 people are served at each Feast.

    Statistics for 2011 Christmas Dinners

    In-House: 225

    Meals-On-Wheels: 163

    Around City: 518

    Volunteers: 220

  • Find a Need and Fill It
    Families need basic household items, furniture, and small appliances. In our city, children sleep on the floor, and many low income families may have no table or plates for their meals. Find A Need And Fill It gives people beds, tableware, and other items a way to share them with needy people—abused women and children who need to reconstruct their lives, the homeless, the elderly, the disabled, and those slipping through the “safety net” of society. We work with established agencies, shelters, and organizations who screen clients to insure needs are legitimate.

    Statistics for past years:

    Agencies Used: 24

    Adult Served: 380

    Children Served: 647

  • Operation Baby Formula
    Babies need baby formula, diapers, and child care items. Hungry babies cry! Since 1989, Operation Baby Formula has fed and cared for hundreds of area children. Baby formula, diapers, and child care items are collected and distributed through the Cincinnati Pregnancy Centers, the Appalachian Council, homeless shelters, and other locations.

    Statistics for 2011

    Baby Formula: 1,473 5 oz. servings

    Diapers: 2,288

  • Tools for Schools
    Children need school supplies for learning. Tools For Schools collects and sends supplies to 26 Cincinnati grade schools where students have family incomes below the poverty level. Items are distributed by teachers and are available, free of charge, to children who would not have the necessary tools to learn without such a ministry.

    Statistics for past years:

    Schools Served: 26

    Enrollment: 11,676

    Monetary Donations: $18, 854.54

    In-Kind Donations

    Pencils, 151,188

    Glue Stix, 13,496

    Pocket Folders, 17,593

    Spiral Notebooks, 20,924

    Pens, 23,120

  • Operation Heat-Up
    People need to keep warm. In the winter the Feast of Love collects new and used blankets, warm clothing (coats, mittens, hats, boots), and heaters to provide safe warmth for clients referred by schools or agencies.
  • Operation Cool-Down
    People need to keep cool. In the summer we collect air conditioners and fans to give to those who cannot afford them.
  • Camp S’more
    Children need overnight camp experiences with fun activities and loving people. Camp S’more is a place where, in the name of Jesus, people give kids a big hug when they arrive, take them fishing and put the worm on their hook, go on a hike and tell them about their creator, play games, cook lots of good food, teach them silly songs, put them to bed, talk around the camp fire, show them how to make s’mores, point at the stars and tell them their names, talk to them about making good choices, show them grace, how to work as a team, and feel sad to see them go. Volunteer to love these children through Adopt a Child – A donation of $50 will cover expenses for a Camp S’more experience for a low-income child.

    Statistics for past years:

    2 Camps, 4 Schools Involved

    Students: 130

    Teachers: 16

    High School Volunteers: 40
  • Choices
    There are many choices that confront our young people these days, and the decisions they make can radically affect their lives. Many of them are surrounded by media and friends that encourage them to make bad choices. Feast of Love wants to counter that by offering a new program to schools called Choices.Choices holds an assembly after getting the approval of school administration, and attendees must have signed permission slips before they come since tough life issues are talked about candidly. The leader in the Choices program is an undercover policeman whose primary objective is to get drug dealers off the street and to illustrate how children can respond when approached by drug dealers. Additionally, a former professional football player, now a Cincinnati police detective, tells a gripping story of growing up in the inner-city and the consequences to his own family of making the wrong choice. Both men are blunt, at times graphic, with their presentation to the students, showing them the real life consequences of poor choices. Students will also hear first-hand from a person who was a victim of rape as a nine-year-old child and learn how to get help to regain self-esteem and self-confidence to prevent this kind of experience from stealing a young person’s future. Choices is a ministry enthusiastically applauded by school officials and students, and gives young people good answers for the tough decisions they have to make.

    Statistics for past years:

    Schools Visited: 5

    Students: 535

Needs

The Feast of Love needs people to contribute, pick up, sort, and deliver items.

Giving yourself away takes many forms. The Feast of Love is used by God to connect those with resources with those with needs, thereby meeting the needs of both—to give and receive.

Many volunteers are required to collect, sort, assemble, take inventory, do phone calling, and deliver materials for:

* Holiday Feasts

* Find a Need and Fill It

* Operation Baby Formula

* Tools for Schools

* Operation Heat Up

* Operation Cool Down

* Camp S’more

* Choices

We have more dreams and a 3-year expansion plan. Donate your gifts, time and talents now!