"Ohio Valley Goodwill Hosts 9th Annual Homeless Awareness Dinner!"

For the 9th year in a row, Ohio Valley Goodwill was delighted to partner with the Sharonville Convention Center in hosting the Annual Homeless Awareness Dinner on Tuesday, December 14th. The annual tradition is planned and coordinated by staff   members of Goodwill’s Homeless Veterans Reintegration Project (HVRP) team. This year’s holiday celebration welcomed 446 individuals from area shelters including the Anna Louise Inn, Joseph House, City Gospel, Mt. Airy Shelter, Light House, Salvation Army, Interfaith & Urban A, Mercy-St. John’s, the YWCA and the VA DOM. This year’s special guests included 94 children under the age of seven. The youngest guest at this year’s event was only 4 weeks old. For the past 9 years, Ohio Valley Goodwill has partnered with the Sharonville Convention Center, Village Pantry Catering and owner Tom Ward on this memorable event which provides a holiday meal with all the trimmings, entertainment, gifts for each guest,  and an eagerly awaited visit from Santa for all of the little ones. While Ohio Valley Goodwill only provides direct services to a small percentage of each year’s guests, the organization sponsors the annual event to reach out to all those  struggling with homelessness  during the holiday season. “We are thankful to have the opportunity to provide this important dinner during the holiday season for these families,” said Mick Fusco, HVRP Grants Manager. “We appreciate the generous sponsorship of the Sharonville Convention Center and Tom Ward in making the Homeless Awareness Dinner such a success every year.” Each year, Ohio Valley Goodwill serves more than 1000 individuals challenged with homelessness in the Greater Cincinnati community. Community donations make it possible for the organization to provide skill training and employment services to help people to get jobs and permanent places to live. Goodwill is grateful  for the on-going generosity of the Greater Cincinnati community which has allowed the organization to fulfill its important mission of service for the past 95 years.