NKY Soup Kitchen Supports Youth Philanthropy Camp for 4th Year in a Row
August 12, 2022 | Written by Rachel Plum
Camp Give participants stand outside Henry Hosea House after lunch and a visit with Executive Director Bruce Stelzer (right).
This summer, Magnified Giving hosted four weeks of Camp Give, a summer camp centered on the value of giving and philanthropy for the youth of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. While many nonprofits partner with Magnified Giving to make this camp possible, one in particular continues to provide special support year after year.
One week of Camp Give specifically serves youth involved in Brighton Center’s Youth Leadership Development program, an after-school program for middle school and high school youth ages 11-18 to build leadership skills and conduct community service projects. During camp, the youth participated in a variety of service projects and explored several local nonprofits to develop an understanding of the work that they do in their own communities. This year, a few of the organizations the campers visited and served included St. Vincent DePaul, the Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky, 1N5, and the Henry Hosea House.
Four years ago, in 2018, Henry Hosea House began partnering with Magnified Giving and the Brighton Center Camp Give program, graciously providing a hot meal at lunchtime for every camper each day throughout the week. Every year since, the Henry Hosea House opens its doors to Camp Give participants almost four hours before its usual opening, just to serve the next generation of philanthropists at Brighton Center.
The Henry Hosea House is a nonprofit organization in Northern Kentucky whose mission is to provide food and nourishment to the bodies and souls of the men, women, and children of Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati. Henry Hosea House first opened its doors 30 years ago and has since served hundreds of thousands of meals to the community.
During their time at Henry Hosea House, in addition to enjoying a delicious meal, the campers met Bruce Stelzer, Executive Director, and Kim Rechtin, Director of Operations, as well as several other people who make Henry Hosea House possible. Bruce shared about the organization, the service needs in the community, and how important it is for the team to serve all of their guests with dignity and respect.
“The campers are incredibly grateful for HHH's generosity and kindness to them. I believe the campers feel very comfortable when we are there and they are incredibly considerate. I am always touched by the respect the Brighton Center campers show Bruce and his staff when we are there for lunch,” said Magnified Giving Director of Programs, Alison Kaufman.
In the last few years, since the Covid-19 pandemic, Henry Hosea House has been working especially hard to connect with the Latino population in the community. Latinos make up only about 1% of the homeless population in the area, however, a much larger number of Latinos in Northern Kentucky live below the poverty line and struggle to feed themselves and their families. Approximately half of the campers at Brighton Center are Latino, so they were very interested in the staff's desire to help their community. One camper, Juan, said, “Henry Hosea House is all about helping the community by providing food to people who cannot get access to healthy meals.”
Campers hard at work designing positive and fun placemats for guests at Henry Hosea House.
This year, Camp Give conducted an indirect service project for Henry Hosea House by decorating positive inspiration placemats to be used by every person who comes through the doors during their dinner services to demonstrate their gratitude for providing lunch each day. “I really loved the way the campers jumped on the opportunity to do something to give back to HHH,” Magnified Giving intern, Andrea DaVila commented. “We asked for 48 and received close to 60 placemats. They were all really well done and thoughtful. When the kids had the opportunity to give the placemats to Bruce and everyone on Friday, they all gathered around as they went through each placemat’s design - you could tell they were very proud of their work and happy to give back.”
Part of Camp Give programming involves the youth collaborating to determine how to utilize grant funding provided by Magnified Giving; the camp’s sponsor, Horizon Community Funds; and the Kroger Zero Hunger Zero Waste Foundation. The campers discuss, advocate, and vote to select grant recipients from among the nonprofits they visited and served throughout the week. This year, the youth decided to grant $1,008.45 to Henry Hosea House. Brighton Center participants also donated $950 to the Emergency Shelter of NKY and $860 to Pet Partners of Greater Cincinnati.
One camper smiles while interacting with a therapy dog who visited during campers’ time with Pet Partners of Greater Cincinnati.
During a visit from 1N5, an organization focused on ending the stigma of mental health, campers brainstormed ways to practice wellness and support their own mental health.