At Tuesday night’s city council meeting, Highlands Heights residents received a recap of the successful Thanksgiving food drive led by the city staff and council.
After the city issued a request for food donations in November, residents responded with remarkable generosity, providing nearly 1,000 pounds of food to the Pantry of Hope, a community outreach program headed up by First Baptist Church of Highland Heights.
Councilmember Deborah Ball said that helping those in need has never been more important.
“It is such an honor for us as a city to be able to help our Northern Kentucky residents in their time of need,” Ball said.
Councilmember Jesse Hockenbury joined Ball and other councilmembers in assisting residents with organizing their donations.
“I spent collection day helping residents as they dropped off their donations, and seeing the generosity and care behind each one was inspiring,” said Hockenbury.
City Administrator Michael Giffen emphasized the importance of stepping up to support the Pantry of Hope during a surge in requests.
“It was important for us to step up knowing the Pantry of Hope had been strained in recent weeks with an uptick in requests,” Giffen said. “We were glad we could come through in a moment of need and look forward to helping in the future.”
Mayor Greg Meyers expressed his gratitude to the residents who donated.
“I was overjoyed with the response we had from our citizens with such short notice for help. My hope for next year is to double the number of groceries,” Meyers said. “The items donated truly made a difference at the pantry.”