Harvest Moon Trivia 2024 success!
What a night! Thank you to everyone that attended Harvest Moon Trivia last week. Our trivia night is more than just fun; it’s about bringing our community together and supporting our neighbors. With your help, we raised $14,000 for our programs and services!
We send a heartfelt thanks to our remarkable volunteers, attendees and dedicated sponsors for making this event a success – Roeslein & Associates, Armanino, West Newsmagazine, Boyd & Barbara Jones, The Miller Family, Loomis Bros. Equipment Co., and Group Resources, LLC. Your generosity allows us to continue our mission of providing food and resources for families in need.
Shoutout to Trivia Riot for facilitating the challenging yet fun rounds. We also love having Tracy Hinson and Garry Frank from 5 On Your Side bring their extra flair as special guests!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Circle of Concern Announces Purchase of Adjacent Property
Circle of Concern is excited to announce the acquisition of new property that will expand its capacity to serve families in need.
The purchase of this property, previously home to Meramec Jack’s Restaurant and Bar, was made possible by a generous charitable bequest, a testament of the strong community support for Circle of Concern’s mission.
“Circle has grown. We’re serving new communities and seeing more families,” says Cyndi Miller, Executive Director. “With the purchase of adjacent ground, we have opportunity to improve our operations and potentially serve even more families if needed. We’re immensely grateful for the support that makes this possible, and we eagerly anticipate the positive impact these changes will have on our ability to serve our community.”
This strategic purchase is part of a larger campus-wide plan and will enable the organization to make future improvements that:
• Increase capacity to serve more families
• Improve safety for clients, volunteers and staff
• Improve efficiency and food distribution flow
In the short term, the plan involves razing the existing building to create a temporary green space as the organization plans next steps and improvements for the campus.
Circle of Concern is deeply grateful for the continued support of donors, volunteers, and community partners who share in the goal of helping our neighbors move from struggle to stability.
For more information, please email circle@circleofconcern.org or call 636-861-2623.
Eagle Scout Cookbook by Anikait Rawat
We’re excited to share a new recipe book based on our food pantry. Meet Anikait Rawat, who focused his final Eagle Scout project on helping our clients explore new meals. He created this fun and in-depth cook book, highlighting some of the pantry’s most popular ingredients. It’s an invitation to explore new meals, and new possibilities every day. Thanks for cooking from the heart, Anikait. This recipe cookbook is available in our pantry for clients
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD HIS COOKBOOK
Holiday Adoption 2024
Will you join us in celebrating the holidays, spreading joy and providing something extra for a local family in need?
We hope to support 650 families with gift cards, seasonal foods and more!
Children, seniors, single parents, veterans, people living with disabilities and illness – each will be remembered this December.
Please CLICK HERE to support families this holiday season!
Good luck to our recent intern, Jessica!
We were excited to host Jessica Knight, a Dietetic Student from Logan University, who interned with us for her final three weeks of schooling. She came to our organization to gain knowledge from our esteemed pantry team, Virginia and Becky, and experience what it’s like to be a part of a nonprofit food pantry. Additionally, she helped out other departments with her fresh perspective in capturing what Circle is all about. She did an exceptional job contributing to the team! We’re grateful. Thanks and Good luck to you, Jessica!
Stay tuned on social media as we’ll be sharing some videos she helped create that focus on our garden and client-choice pantry. Read more below about Jessica and her experience with us.
Tell us about yourself
I am a student dietitian at Logan University with a special interest in community nutrition and agriculture. In my work, I hope to continue advocating for a more sustainable, healthful, and accessible food system through policy change and grassroots efforts.
What brought you to Circle of Concern?
My clinical coordinators at Logan University felt that Circle of Concern would be a great match for my final rotation. I couldn’t agree more!
What skills or knowledge did you gain during your internship?
I participated in food rescue pickups and processing, where I observed the workflow from start to finish. I also learned the importance of considering food dignity when serving clients, ways to motivate and empower volunteers, and many other essential skills involved in running a food pantry and beyond.
What was your favorite project?
My favorite project was completing the Valley Park bags for students. It was exciting to see a project through from start to finish and know that many children will benefit from the food provided in the bags.
What was the most rewarding thing working with Circle?
Contributing to an organization that offers nutritious food and a variety of supportive services to those in need was rewarding. I also loved getting to know the amazing staff and volunteers!
What do you have planned after your Circle internship?
When I return home to Rochester, New York, I will start a job in a private nutrition practice and also work as a contract writer for a colleague in Washington DC on topics including nutrition policy, Farm Bill advocacy, and food rescue. In my spare time, my dream is to start a teaching farm to feed the community, provide space to connect with nature, and offer hands-on agricultural education opportunities.
Volunteer Spotlight on Keli Graham
Connections: A common theme we hear from many of our volunteers, but we particularly love it when our volunteers make connections with our clients in a meaningful way. Our volunteer spotlight features Keli Graham, a pantry and guest relations volunteer that has been supporting Circle since we introduced the curbside model during COVID.
Keli has forged a connection with a particular client that has been greatly impacted by trauma in her past. Keli has a way of welcoming her in the pantry to help this client lighten her mood, even if for just a little while. The client, so grateful for Keli, sent us a note and said she was thankful for being “part of the girls and feeling included” because she doesn’t have that with anyone else. Keli shared that she tries to be a positive presence for clients and never wants them to feel any shame for their situation. Keli enjoys the camaraderie at Circle and loves that everyone here is so “caring and here for the same reason” and says she sees that reflected throughout the building. Keli sees the client journey from start to finish in her volunteer roles at Circle, and we see compassion and positivity in her interactions with our clients.
Keli also volunteers at the golf tournament and is joining the trivia committee this year! Last year she “volunteered” her husband’s Edward Jones office to conduct a food drive and then recruited them to play in the golf outing! And those connections – still happening! Keli came to us through another volunteer’s recommendation (thank you, Stephanie) and has made many new friendships here. Fun Fact: When she recently vacationed in Maui, she made a point of meeting up with another volunteer friend and the two families attended a luau together! When she’s not at Circle, she likes to workout, travel, and hang out with her lifelong friends (coincidentally, called Circle of 7). Be sure to say hello and introduce yourself to Keli if you see her around the building. She always has a smile to share!
Thank you for all the ways you support our clients, Keli! We are most grateful!
Summer Opportunities Success
Our Summer Opportunities program has officially ended for 2024, and this year, we were able to fund a summer experience for 109 children! This program is so impactful because it offers children new experiences, skill sets, and hobbies that they may have otherwise not had access to. Through this program, children and youths participated in horseback riding, football camps, lifeguard lessons, and more. We are so lucky to be able to offer this program thanks to supporters like you.
Save the Date for Harvest Moon Trivia
Mark your calendars for this year’s Harvest Moon Trivia!
Our trivia night is coming back on Friday, October 18th, 6:00pm-9:30pm at Andre’s West with hosts Trivia Riot. You’ll experience all the fun you’ve come to expect plus some new features. Stay tuned for details!
18th Annual Golf Tournament Results
We would like to thank everyone who supported our 18th Annual Charity Golf Tournament at Aberdeen Golf Club.
With a sold-out course again this year, your generosity helped make this tournament a success. Thanks to our golfers, sponsors and volunteers, we raised over $37,000, which will directly benefit the Circle of Concern food pantry and other client programs. We thank you for supporting our mission and allowing us to continue to serve the families in our area that are faced with food insecurity.
We’d also like to offer our congratulations to the following winners:
- Top flight winners: The Benner team with a final score of 61. This flight was determined by a score card play-off. The Zuniga team finished with the same score of 61!
- B Flight winners: The Page foursome, with a final score of 69.
- Longest Drive (women) – Hedy Boone
- Longest Drive (men) – Jim McGrath
- Closet to the Pin (women): #5 – Norma Colosimo, and #16 – Jenny Coles
- Closest to the Pin (men): #5 – B. Haskins, and #16 – J. Mcenery
We want to extend a special note of thanks to our Presenting Sponsor, Orthopedic Specialists, and to our event host, St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church. Their partnerships fuel our mission!
On behalf of the staff, board, and volunteers of Circle of Concern, thank you for choosing to support our organization through this golf tournament. We hope you plan to join us again next year.
COC June 2024 Enews
The National Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive was a huge success!
On Saturday, May 11th, the National Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive took place throughout the region. We are excited to share the results with everyone who helped make the day a huge success at Circle of Concern.
In total, we received 55,635 pounds of food and personal care items from Ballwin and Valley Park. Thank you!
The many individuals that contributed to this day is a bit overwhelming and yet, humbling, to the Circle staff. We had 30 families, individuals, and community groups pick up, fold and return the 50,000 bags needed to kick-off this one day event. The groups varied from elementary school students to a senior men’s bible study group. Additionally, between the Ballwin Post Office and our Circle Warehouse, we had 150 volunteers throughout the day sorting, boxing, delivering and doing lots of heavy lifting! We’d like to give a special shout out to the Living Word Congregation, and in particular, Scott Reichter, for his leadership and logistical oversight on this day. And not to be forgotten, a huge thank you to both post office teams that picked up thousands of donations, fed volunteers, and made sure the day went smoothly from start to finish. The partnership with Living Word and Ballwin & Valley Park post offices means a great deal to us and their involvement is another way this day is so special for us.
We are so grateful to everyone who contributed and participated in this event. The 55,635 pounds collected will go a long way in helping to serve our client families over the next few months. Your actions truly make a difference and we are very grateful for your support!
From the Circle Staff, Board Members, volunteers, and of course, our client families – Thank you!
