January 2009
714 Washington Street, Covington, KY 41011
859-291-1340
www.beconcerned.org. [email protected]
‘Store’ brightens Christmas for 850 families
By Pauline Baumann tering economy — or
During the first
week of December,
Be Concerned was
transformed into a
Christmas Wonderland — a place
where families came
to have their fears
relieved for a little
while and their
dreams fulfilled.
The Annual Be
Concerned Christmas
Store continued a
40-year tradition of
bringing joy and gifts
galore to more than
900 families through
the program.
What started out in
1969 when Sister of
Charity Donna Kinney
gathered donated
toys for the children
of Covington has
grown into a giftfilled bonanza for our
customers.
In spite of the fal-
perhaps because of it
— donors were generous.
"It was amazing to
see the quick response to our request for funds to our
Christmas Appeal,”
said Assistant Director Brenda Young.
“We were worried
that this year might
be a bit lean, but our
donors came through
for us."
And just as generously as the cash
gifts came in, so, too,
were the donations of
meat, canned goods,
toys, and other gifts
that were given
away.
ASTAR Cargo, a
Wilmington, Ohiobased company and
long-time supporter
of Be Concerned,
Continued on Page 2
Volunteer Joan Savage helps a shopper choose a gift at the
Christmas Store from the Housewares Department.
TANK stuffs bus again for Be Concerned
With an assist from
generous Boone County
shoppers and a community-minded team from
Kroger’s Burlington store,
No denying, it’s January. Christmas is rapidly
receding in the rearview
mirror, leaving us another
six weeks of winter.
It’s not the time of year
that inspires thoughts
much beyond keeping ourselves warm and our infraContinued on Page 3
Continued on Page 2
Paul Gottbrath
named director
Keeping the faith in hard times
By Paul Gottbrath
As I write this, the temperature is 7 degrees,
headed for an overnight
low of 6 below. Forecasters don’t see highs above
freezing in the near future,
guaranteeing that the
snow that fell overnight
will be with us for awhile.
TANK again cooked up a
holiday promotion that
gave a big boost to Be
Concerned’s food pantry.
Paul Gottbrath, a longtime Be Concerned volunteer and board member,
has been named director
of the agency, succeeding
Sr. Mary Jennings, CDP.
Gottbrath, 60, who
lives in Cold Spring with
Paul Gottbrath
Continued on Page 3
Families find Christmas
by going to ‘The Store’
Continued from Page 1
once again donated 700 turkeys to
our Christmas Store. That gift was
augmented by donations from La
Salle High School, St. Luke Hospital
and the Freestore FoodBank.
Adding to toys the agency purchased were those donated by the
Sisters of Divine Providence, the U.S.
Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots and individuals and groups.
This year, for the first time, every
family received a new gift in the
Something Special Department.
Distributing those gifts and those
from the Health & Hygiene, Toys and
HUGS departments each day were 2030 volunteers determined to bring
Christmas cheer to those who might
otherwise have no tangible way to
celebrate this season of giving.
Many of the workers were firsttime volunteers attracted to Be Concerned’s practice of treating each customer with dignity. Others were veterans who didn’t want to miss bringing joy and hope to people who really
needed it.
That blend of new blood and experience helped the store run
smoothly as customers shopped for
useful items for their households, parents selected toys for their little ones
and families left with grocery bags
filled to the top with groceries.
Without a doubt, the four days were
a time of joy for the customers and of
satisfaction for the volunteers.
It was a rare person who did not
come away uplifted by the exchange.
"It may have been a lot of work,
but it was all worth it," said Ann Dickman, a year-round volunteer.
So, thanks to everyone who made
the Christmas Store a success.
Know that at the end of a year
filled with gloom and distress, your
generosity created an oasis of caring
and hope in a season that above all
others is supposed to be about those
qualities.
From left, TANK employees Santa (Dennis Skidmore), Judy Hayman,
Doug Wise and Joe Norman paused with Be Concerned board members Debbie Rizzo (in doorway) and Becky Catlett and Becky’s husband, Larry, after unloading food from the Santa Bus.
TANK ‘Stuffs the Bus’ again for Be Concerned
Continued from Page 1
The regional transit authority
staged “Stuff the Bus” Dec. 13
at the Burlington Kroger’s. With
permission of store managers,
TANK parked a full-sized bus in
the store’s lot and handed out
fliers to inbound shoppers asking them to buy groceries for
Be Concerned.
Initial food in the bus came
from donations from TANK employees. Kroger shoppers did
the rest, in seven hours filling
up the bus. The TANK crew
also received $50 in cash,
which was turned into more
groceries.
Santa (TANK driver Dennis
Skidmore) climbed behind the
wheel and motored the groceries to Be Concerned, where
board president Pauline
Baumann, vice president Becky
Catlett and other volunteers
helped unload it.
TANK hopes to “Stuff the
Bus” for Be Concerned again in
2009.
“We feel of all the things
we’ve done for Christmas, this
gave us the most reach and the
biggest bang for our buck,”
said TANK Marketing Director
Lesley Holgate. “We’ve adopted
individual families before, but
this reaches far more people.”
TANK employees feared that
the flagging economy and the
lack of a radio station partner
— which it had last year —
would cut into their collection.
“But we didn’t see that, “
Holgate said.
“We saw an outpouring of
food.”
Save the Date!
Be Concerned Golf Outing
Sept. 18, 2009
To sponsor or play, call Brenda Young at (859) 291-1340
Keeping the faith in hard times
Continued from Page 1
structure intact. Yet I am hoping that
you, our faithful supporters, will look
beyond the grimness of the time and
the weather and not forget the people we are dedicated to helping.
Dozens have called us since we
reopened Jan. 5, desperate for help
with food, rent, utilities, clothing and
just about any other necessity you
can think of.
Those needing groceries and
clothing we’ve signed up for our program. Others we’ve referred to sister
agencies, which report increased demand for their services similar to
what we are experiencing.
I worry, as the poison of recession
bleeds into every corner of our society, if we’ll be able to accommodate
everyone who comes to us for help.
It’s a troubling question. People are
scared and growing more so every
day as the tide of layoffs, business
closings, foreclosures and the like
surges.
But then I have to remind myself
what Be Concerned is — a very faithbased organization.
Faith in the Gospel’s message that
each person is a reflection of his or
her Creator and should be treated
with the same respect as the good
Lord Himself.
Faith in the determination of our
donors and volunteers that the work
we do is vital and should continue to
be supported.
Faith that if we are good stewards
of all that is given to us for our customers, it will continue to be given.
Most of all, faith that Divine Providence, working through the good
hearts of countless individuals and
organizations, will sustain us in the
future as it has in the last 40 years.
So, happy New Year. If you
need help, give us a call. If you can
help, please do.
VOLUNTEER VOICES
Sally Murray got started at Be Concerned in the
days when the agency was
a nomadic Christmas
Store, moving from donated space to donated
space each December.
When the program went
year-round in the mid’80s, the Edgewood resiSally Murray
dent began volunteering
weekly in Housewares. She also still helps
out at the Christmas Store, usually in toys.
Murray heard about the Christmas Store
through friends at St. Pius X Church.
She has maintained her service while
working as an artist. Once a potter, she now
makes quilts and dolls.
She’s volunteered so long at Be Concerned for a simple reason. “I just like it,”
she said. “It’s a really good service. The customers are so appreciative. You get to know
their names and a little bit about them.”
She enjoys the camaraderie of her Thursday colleagues.
“Be Concerned is a great organization,”
she said. “I hope it continues to do what it’s
doing.”
Gottbrath
Continued on Page 3
his wife, Cathy, comes to Be
Concerned from the Cincin-
nati Metro Area Combined
Federal Campaign, where
he oversaw a fund drive in
2008 that raised $1.32
million for charity.
Gottbrath, who began
volunteering at Be Concerned in 2000, was board
president in 2006-2008.
Before moving into
nonprofits, he spent 33
years in newspapers, most
recently at The Cincinnati
and Kentucky Post.
The Gottbraths have 4
daughters, 4 grandchildren
and 2 on the way.
E-mail newsletter
Be Concerned is starting an
on-line newsletter. If you’d like
to receive it, send your email
address to:
[email protected]
Board of Directors
President
Pauline Baumann
Vice President
Rebecca Catlett
Treasurer
Carl Stamm
Secretary/Historian
Marilyn Janson
Members
Joseph Eilerman
Michael Hegener
Kelly Hiltibrand
Vicki Lenhof
Mike Lenihan
Nick Lowry
Debbie Rizzo
Bobbi Roemer
Charles Zimmer III
Peter Zimmer
Board of Advisers
Steve Averdick
Bill Butler
Fred Greenwood
Nancy Hiltibrand
Lou-Ann Holtzleiter
Bob Klensch
Larry Schell
Legal Counsel
Robert D. Hudson
Director
Paul Gottbrath
Assistant Director
Brenda Young
CUSTOMER CORNER
I found out about Be
Concerned from
friends about a
year ago. It’s a
lot of fun to
come for my
monthly food
appointment.
The volunCarole
teers and staff
Bartlett
are very caring
and helpful,
and the food helps me financially.
I always get the larger
vegetables and make up
extra recipes for the people in my building. I make
stews, soups, spaghetti.
The food’s not wasted.
I buy bowls, dishes and
pans cheap in Housewares.
Be Concerned is a wonderful place! Thank you.
- Carole Bartlett
NON PROFIT ORG
US POSTAGE
PAID
COVINGTON, KY
PERMIT NO. 135
714 Washington Street
Covington, KY 41011
Thanks!
Holy Family students
Olivia Stitt, left, and Zada
Stephens help volunteer
Elaine Bowling sort clothing Dec. 15. Third and
fourth-graders from the
Covington school also donated scarves they had
knitted for customers.
ACTION Ministries
Adams Stepner Walterman
& Dusing
ASTAR Air Cargo
Freestore FoodBank
Greater Cincinnati
Foundation
Holy Family School
Jim Kaelin
Kroger’s
Mary, Queen of Heaven
Motch Jewelers
Northern Ky. Harvest
Pi Alpha Phi
Remke’s
St. Agnes Church
St. Cecilia School
Transit Authority of No. Ky.
Wish List
We are in special need of
shampoo, body lotion,
body wash, laundry detergent and deodorant for
our customers for Easter.
If you can help with those
items or any on the list below, please call Brenda
Young at (859) 291-1340.
►Canned fruit
►Pasta sauce
►Pork ‘n Beans
►Peanut butter
►Canned soups
►Cereal
►Toilet paper
► Toothpaste
►Large paper shopping
bags with handles
► High-speed buffer
► Bar soap