EASTGATE, Ohio — Courtney Karshner grabs some vegetables off the shelf. She gladly takes the Hamburger Helper too. It's become a weekly routine for the mom of two who no longer works, staying home to watch her youngest because she can't afford day care.
"My husband was just laid off for a while," she said. "It takes a weight off, honestly."
The Clermont County mother brought her son and daughter to the IPM Food Pantry on Tuesday. Located on Aicholtz Road in Eastgate, doors to the new 12,000-square-foot facility opened in October.
But IPM has long been serving Southwest Ohio. The Inter Parish Ministry was founded in 1964 to help families living in impoverished conditions along the Little Miami River near Newtown, Ohio. Not long after, the group expanded its focus to food insecurity and opened a pantry in Newtown, providing access to food for local families in need.
"We want the community to feel like they are welcome and that they belong here," said Alida Hart, IPM Food Pantry president and CEO. "It's OK to need food and we're here to take care of the community."
Since then, the nonprofit has expanded offering mobile and pop-up pantries in 112 zip codes throughout eastern Hamilton County as well as Clermont, Adams, Brown and Highland counties.
In 2023, IPM served over 1.3 million pounds of groceries to more than 29,000 families in need.
"We are seeing the struggle with families in smaller communities and we have been slowly moving east into Appalachian communities and partnering with many social service agencies so that we can ensure that families have very easy, simple access to food," Hart said.
Nevertheless, some will still feel shame or embarrassment, Hart said. The new building also offers a sense of anonymity via a drive-thru for those who don't wish to grab a cart and walk through the aisles.
Families also have access to hygiene products, which Hart said should be the standard and not a luxury at a food pantry.
"We feel that personal care items are fundamental to a person's dignity and so when they're grocery shopping we also offer them a choice of personal care items including feminine hygiene items as well as diapers," she said.
The pallets of donations are continuously loaded in, shelved in the back warehouse or stored in the walk-in freezer. It's an endless influx necessary for the pantry to keep up with demand.
Since moving to the new site, IPM has recorded nearly a 70% increase in the number of families seeking services. That includes 1,300 new families by word-of-mouth referrals.
"Last year we did over 100 mobile and pop-up pantries," Hart said.
Even so, the pantry's mission of reaching further and feeding more isn't limited to 112 zip codes.
A fundraising campaign concluded after 15 months when a donation from TQL helped the IPM reach its $5 million goal. Initially, that money helped fund the construction of the new facility. Now, it'll help to fuel more mobilization efforts.
"It's a challenge. There are so many barriers to come to a food pantry — in particular, transportation," Hart said. "It takes a long time to come to a food pantry if you're living out in rural Adams County or Highland County so instead of asking people to come to us, we want to go to them."
While they further the mission, Hart said the core of the pantry will always remain the same — offering a low-barrier, no-judgment solution to families in need.
"It's very helpful," Karshner said. "I know it's hard to ask or accept help," said Karshner. "But in this time, we all have to."
