From Insight to Impact
Each issue of our newsletter highlights a need in our region, the kind that often goes unseen but affects lives every day. Below you can explore the issue in greater depth and see how local organizations are making a difference.
Together, we can turn awareness into action and create lasting change.
When Neighbors Step In
March 2026
Hunger-relief organizations across Mercer, Lawrence, and Trumbull counties are facing rising costs and growing demand, forcing them to stretch limited resources further than ever. As grocery prices climb, donation dollars buy less, even as providers must purchase more staples like protein and dairy to meet increasing need. Senior nutrition programs, including congregate meal services at the Kinsman Senior Center, have seen meals rise by 22% in two years, reflecting the pressure firsthand.
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Despite these challenges, local organizations remain responsive and deeply connected to their communities. With steady local support, they continue strengthening the safety net—ensuring neighbors receive help before hardship becomes crisis.
Recent Requests for Assistance
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Below are some of the organizations that have asked for help working every day to address this issue. If you would like to provide a grant from your fund to help, please contact Judy Radkowski.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Through its food pantry, members and volunteers of Holy Spirit Parish in Lawrence County work to strengthen fellowship and support the spiritual, social, and outreach needs of their community. Open to anyone in need, the pantry welcomes neighbors each Saturday to receive food assistance, along with clothing, hygiene items, and other essential household products.
The Mercer County Food Bank works tirelessly to support more than 50 member agencies located throughout the county. Together, these agencies serve over 5,600 households experiencing food insecurity. Remarkably, a donation of just $1 can provide two meals.
Country Neighbor Program, Inc. provides essential nutrition and support services to older adults throughout Trumbull County, helping seniors remain healthy, connected, and independent. Through congregate meals, home-delivered meals, and supportive services, the program addresses both physical needs and social well-being, ensuring neighbors receive not only nourishment, but also connection and care.
Meals on Wheels New Castle and Trumbull Mobile Meals deliver nutritious meals to homebound seniors and individuals with disabilities. More than meal services, the programs provide regular wellness checks, friendly connections, and vital support that helps neighbors remain healthy, independent, and safely in their own homes.
And these are just a few examples! Looking to help an organization serving your community? Please contact Judy Radkowski and we would be happy to assist you in having an impact.
Warmth, Dignity, and Hope
December 2025
Across our region, donor generosity fuels dozens of winter-warmth initiatives, reaching children, families, and vulnerable neighbors before the cold does. From the lifesaving outreach of the Youngstown Blue Coats, to the practical support of Smalltown Neighbors, to the new coats distributed by The Good Shepherd Center and the Knights of Columbus, these efforts reflect a community that refuses to let anyone face winter alone. Together, they offer not just warmth, but dignity, comfort, and the steady reassurance that this region looks out for its own.
Recent Requests for Assistance
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Below are some of the organizations that have asked for help working every day to address this issue. If you would like to provide a grant from your fund to help, please contact Judy Radkowski.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
With a mission as straightforward as it is vital, “In America, nobody should freeze to death”, the Youngstown Blue Coats provide lifesaving outreach to individuals experiencing homelessness. Their team travels directly to camps and unsheltered communities during the winter months, delivering coats, sleeping gear, warm clothing, and essential supplies. By bridging the gap between shelters and those living outdoors, they protect our most vulnerable neighbors and honor the dignity of every individual, including many veterans.
Smalltown Neighbors
Smalltown Neighbors has spent 13 years making sure children in the Badger School District community never face winter unprepared. This year alone, they’ve already delivered 142 bags filled with new coats, boots, hats, and gloves, and another round of orders will reach students before Thanksgiving break. Their team goes the extra mile, even working to stock the elementary office with hard-to-find warm gloves so young children have what they need all season long. It’s quiet, loyal work rooted in one belief: when a community cares for its kids, everyone stays a little warmer.
The Good Shepherd Center in Greenville ensures local families head into winter with confidence. Through its thrift store and annual coat giveaways, made possible in partnership with the Knights of Columbus, the Center places warm coats directly into the hands of children and parents who need them most. Their focused distribution events create real impact at the moments families are counting on support. It’s dependable, compassionate work that helps neighbors stay warm and reminds the community that no one has to face the cold alone.
And these are just a few examples! Looking to help an organization serving your community? Please contact Judy Radkowski and we would be happy to assist you in having an impact.
Every Child Deserves a Bed
September 2025
Right now, across our region, single mothers are doing everything they can to give their children a better life, often while facing the kind of hardship most of us will never fully understand.
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Their children don’t have beds.
They sleep on floors, on borrowed couches, or bundled together in makeshift spaces, because a new mattress, box spring, and frame are simply out of reach.
What an amazing way to make a direct, life-changing difference.
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Recent Requests for Assistance
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Below are some of the organizations that have asked for help working every day to address this issue. If you would like to provide a grant from your fund to help, please contact Judy Radkowski.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
The Building of Hope ministry is dedicated to demonstrating the love of Christ through the provision of gently used furniture and essential household items. Our aim is to offer individuals in our community facing hardships a supportive hand up, emphasizing empowerment over mere assistance. To meet the demand for beds, we've forged a partnership with Laskey’s Furniture in Sharon.
The Sleep Soundly Mattress Voucher Program provides factory-fresh mattresses, box springs, and bed frames to individuals and families with a healthy, comfortable place to sleep. These neighbors, many recently homeless, escaping domestic violence, or simply experiencing poverty—receive new beds that offer rest, health, and healing. Every bed delivered is an expression of love, hope, and humanity. Our goal: to meet every request as need grows.
The Mattress Program is a year-round initiative that provides mattresses, box springs, and frames to individuals in need, particularly those who are homeless, escaping domestic violence, or experiencing other crises like fires. It helps low-income families, including young mothers and those transitioning to independence.