‘We pitched in. That’s what we do.’

Mar 31, 2020

Senior Social Work Major Organizes Food Drive for Needy Families

It was a Friday night when Molly made the call to her boss.

“These families are just weighing heavy on my heart,” she said. “I think I have a way to help — a large donation of food.” 

“My response was, ‘Let’s do it,’” said Angela Knighten, Family Service Manager, Hamilton County Educational Service Center, which serves families in multiple school districts all throughout the city. “Whatever we can do to help, I want to do it." 

And that was how Molly Mathews, a senior Social Work major from St. Bernard, was able to help feed more than 100 families over the past two weeks.

Of course, she didn’t do it alone.

Molly, who is serving an internship through Xavier with the Hamilton County Head Start Preschool Program, helps fill in as a liaison between families in need and the center. Now, because of the COVID-19 virus, people have lost their jobs, children are out of school (requiring additional food and care) and in general, times are tougher everywhere. The Head Start Preschool classrooms were forced to shut down March 16 due to the pandemic.


Suddenly, her job has become even more important.

“Making sure their needs are met, this is our prime time to shine,” Molly said. “We’re constantly reaching out to families, making sure they’re okay.”

So what was Molly’s idea? She reached out to local churches, one being Highland Avenue Baptist in Elmwood Place, who just happened to receive a lot of food every Saturday through their food pantry, Bountiful Blessings.

They’re able to feed a lot of families, but they also needed something to do with the leftovers.

So Molly, Angela and others gladly loaded up two cars and two pickup trucks full of those leftovers, and provided curb-side delivery to their parents in need. Then, Immanuel United Church of Christ in St. Bernard got in the act, donating $500 to the cause. That enabled the group to purchase Kroger gift cards for others.

“Some of them need cleaning supplies, toilet paper, food,” Molly said. “I didn’t know it would turn out to be as big as it turned out to be.”

By Sunday, they’d taken the $500 and paired it with another $220 that Molly’s mother got just by posting on Facebook for a couple of hours. In about 16 total hours, the group was able to get food and gift cards for more than 100 families.

“It was crazy,” Molly said. “It really showed how the community all pitched in and things just came together really nicely. Over the past couple of days, I have seen so many people come together to help those who are struggling.”

So what do you do when your entire senior year turns upside down? If you’re Xavier students, you give back. Turns out Molly and the other 14 senior classmates in her cohort donated their time to help pack up food.

“All of them pitched in. That’s what we do,” Molly said. “As social workers, we all have the same goal in mind: To help others. We all have special hearts to do that — not everyone is made for it. To see everyone work together, it’s really amazing.”

She originally came to Xavier because she had a great scholarship. “I couldn’t turn down the Xavier name,” she said. “And I am so happy I made the decision I did to come to Xavier. The people in my cohort, and the professors are amazing.”

She started her internship in August, 2019, and now, she will graduate this spring.

“It’s bittersweet that I have to leave my class and professors,” she said. “I’ve been with them for four years and we’ve been really close. I feel heartbroken that I won’t be able to hang out with my friends anymore, but we do see each other on zoom — we talk about getting together this summer, if we can.”

That’s when Molly will be getting married, and everyone plans to attend the party.

“Our last hurrah!” she said.

But before all of that, her fundraising efforts will continue. Next weekend, they will again visit Highland Avenue Baptist to pick up their leftovers and prepare them for pickup.

“The work that Molly initiated has just been a Godsend for a lot of these families,” Angela Knighten said. “The Xavier interns that I’ve supervised, they always come so prepared, in a great mindset, very motivated — there’s a clear difference in the students Xavier produces and Molly’s work is stellar.”

“It all just happened so fast,” Molly said. “It puts my mind at ease knowing that Head Start families are getting the resources they need during this uncertain time.”

Want to donate or help? Contact Angela Knighten: angela.knighten@hcesc.org or 513-240-1444

— By Ryan Clark, Office of Marketing and Communications