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We Welcome Everyone

OUR MINISTRIES

How We Serve in Cincinnati

Far too many people are slipping through the cracks in Cincinnati. 1 in 7 residents are at risk of hunger. Additionally, Cincinnati ranks as the fifth loneliest city in the United States, with 46.2% of residents living alone.

FOCUS Cincinnati will respond to this calling by providing both physical sustenance for our neighbors in need (in the form of hot meals and pantry items) as bringing people together in community around a shared table.

  • FOCUS Cincinnati offers two monthly meals at two locations: Christ the Savior-Holy Spirit Orthodox Church (4285 Ashland Avenue, Norwood, OH) and Holy Trinity-Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church (7000 Winton Road, Finneytown, OH. Both meals are  prepared in Holy Trinity-Saint Nicholas’ commercial kitchen.
  • FOCUS Cincinnati has  two food pantries, one at each parish.  Holy Trinity-St. Nicholas operates their pantry weekly on Wednesdays.  Guests can shop once a month for groceries, but can get sandwiches, bread, and non-perishables weekly.  The non-perishables include fresh vegetables.  Christ the Savior operates their food pantry once a month on the Third Saturday.  They also offer non-perishables.  

What We Are and What We Are Not

Traditional soup kitchens separate volunteers from guests and focus on the mere gifting of food. FOCUS Cincinnati, by contrast, invites our volunteers and guests to a shared table where fellowship and community can grow around a shared meal.

  • FOCUS Cincinnati does more than feed people physically, but also spiritually and emotionally through the community that can develop around shared meals.
  • As Orthodox Christians, we are called to find Christ in the breaking of the bread (the shared Eucharistic meal). Yet we are also called to participate in “the liturgy after the liturgy,” when we are sent into the world to serve in the Lord’s name. As we use food to build fellowship, we can encounter Christ in the community that emerges when strangers gather to eat together and serve each other.

Our Hopes for the Future

As a new Center, our short-term goals are modest. But we hope to continue to expand our service in the months and years ahead as we develop our capacity to meet the needs of our neighbors in Cincinnati.

  • As our team grows and refines its process, we can explore possible additions to the programs of FOCUS Cincinnati (for example, a mobile strategy to reach homebound and isolated neighbors).
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FOCUS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, FEIN: 26-4427803

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