Unity through a spirit of generosity

The holidays bring a special time of reflection. With the spirit of generosity strong in our hearts this time of year, we are reminded of our commitment to better our community. It isn't about fundraising. It is about companies and communities bonding together, providing their time, skills expertise and resources.

At Pepper Ohio, we are proud to say that together with the generous help of our industry partners and employees, we are making strides in things like ending hunger, educating future generations and providing homes to families in need of shelter. If you're looking for ways to give to those in need, some annual events that we like to be a part of each year are listed below.

Holiday Food Drives: 

Our annual holiday food drives are going on now in both of our Ohio locations.   

Mid-Ohio Foodbank food drive - Eleven years ago, two Pepper Ohio employees heard on the radio there was a food shortage at the Mid-Ohio Foodbank. With limited resources and a small list of industry partners, the Ohio team placed boxes on each floor in the office building they worked. Over 3,600 meals were donated to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank that year. Since then, our total donations are equivalent to 228,000 meals!  Participating in our local food drive this year, which ends December 12, is just one way to participate.  Click here to learn some other ways to get involved with the Mid-Ohio Foodbank.

Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church food drive – Our mantra this year is 10 Years, 10,000 Cans!   As we celebrate Pepper Cincinnati's tenth year providing canned goods to the Lincoln Heights Baptist Church food pantry, we are reminded how it all began.  It all started when Sharon Jackson, Project Coordinator, heard that her church purchased a building that was going to be used as a food pantry. After about a month, she checked in to see how things were going, and sadly, the food pantry's shelves were almost bare.  That's when Sharon took action and started a food drive to help stock those shelves.   From now through December 19, you can stop by any one of our five drop-off locations and donate canned goods.

Education

Casino Night - In 2019 we will celebrate our 10th year working with Junior Achievement of Central Ohio to organize a Casino Night.  All proceeds during this event benefit the volunteer-led non-profit.  Junior Achievement's K-12 programs create real-world experiences that teach financial literacy, ignite an entrepreneurial way of thinking and build skills for success in careers and in life.  Our 10th Annual Casino Night will take place May 9, 2019 at The Grand Event Center in Grandview, but if you would like to donate in other ways, click here.

Conservation

little Miami River Clean Up – This past August marked our eighth year partnering with the Little Miami Conservancy to help restore and protect the Little Miami National Wild & Scenic river with a cleanup float.  Overall, the LMC has acquired  110 nature preserves along the Little Miami and several tributaries, preserving over 12% of the Little Miami’s riverfront forests. An additional 44% of the riverfront lands are protected through public and quasi-public ownership. LMC acquires controlling interests in riverfront lands, restores these lands with tree and prairie plantings, conducts over 15 clean up floats annually and presents over 20 nature programs at its River & Trail Center in historic downtown Loveland along the Little Miami Bike Trail. Click here for volunteer opportunities.

Shelter

Habitat for Humanity -  As a member of the construction industry, we have helped contribute and build homes in our communities through the vision and guidance of the Habitat for Humanity of Delaware and Union Counties.  Last year during our third Habitat Build Day, our crew installed 12 doors & frames, 360 lineal feet of door trim, 60 lineal feet of wood base, 20 lineal feet of cove base and more!   No only did we learn more about each other that day, but we also picked up some new home building skills!  Volunteer opportunities are endless for Habitat.  Click here to find out more.

These five annual events are just some of the ways we are investing back into our communities each year. By creating this inseparable bond with our community, we are also inspired by the generosity, creativity and compassion of our employees and trade partners during these events.