“I have first-time people coming to the pantry who leave in tears because they are so grateful and surprised at what they have received,,” said Barb Standifer, the nonprofit’s president. “I think it’s the amount. Our pantry is pretty generous.”
Clients who visit the food pantry may do so once a month with a volunteer helping them fill their grocery cart according to family size.
People in need often benefit from more than just the products they place in their carts.
“They can come in and get a smile and kind of say what their day’s been (like) and get some empathy there, and I just think they walk out with some relief,” Standifer said. “They don’t have to worry about tomorrow (or things like) ‘How much is in that jar of peanut butter?’ or ‘How many slices of bread do I have?’ That kind of thing.”
John Drummond, 63, of Miamisburg, said Helping Hands helped him make it through a rough stretch between 2022 and 2024. He said everyone who volunteers there, young and old, are “wonderful people.”
“Every time I went there, they were totally nice,” Drummond said. “They didn’t make you feel like you were getting charity. They just talked to you like you were regular people.”
Helping Hands started out as a mobile effort, moving from church to church during its early years, then moved to 64 S. Main St. in 1984. In 1988, it moved to a newly constructed building on East Maple Avenue that it shared with Miamisburg Youth Center, and it has remained there. Standifer said the city of Miamisburg owns the building and pays its utilities.
The food pantry serves between 175 and 200 families in the Miamisburg school district monthly, between 6 and 8 p.m. each Monday and between 2 and 4 p.m. each Wednesday, Standifer said.
Last year, Helping Hands served 2,600 families, or about 8,000 people, Standifer said. That equates to approximately 129,000 meals, she said.
Helping Hands is “totally dependent” on donations, but lucky enough to not have to rely on fundraisers or grant money, she said.
“When people ... want to do a food drive, I say, ‘This is what we need,’ ” Standifer said. ‘I’ve never posted anything to say, ‘Can you bring (something)?’ It kind of just comes to us.”
The food pantry is staffed by between 25 and 30 volunteers, most of whom work a shift there once a month.
Residents of the Miamisburg school district who need the food pantry call to make an appointment, provide their name, address and other information, and schedule a time to stop by, Standifer said.
Then they shop for everything from chicken, salmon, pork, beef, cheese and beans to yogurt, milk, fruits, vegetables, bread, pastries and more. The majority of the food items are provided by the Dayton Foodbank, which serves a wide variety of smaller pantries like Helping Hands, all around the region.
“It’s just totally amazing that it’s been a giving organization that’s been viable for so long with so little work to bring the money in,” Standifer said. “But then, when you have the clients, and you see the need, and you see how they leave relieved, it just fills your heart.”
WHAT TO KNOW
What: Miamisburg Helping Hands Food Pantry
Where: 224 E. Maple Ave., Miamisburg
Contact: 937-866-9323
Hours: 6-8 p.m., Monday; 2-4 p.m. Wednesday
More information: Clients are asked to call ahead to make a reservation, and are limited to one visit per month. They also must meet Miamisburg school district residency.
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