Homegrown Alliance

10/19/2026

The past week has been heavy, and while I was away on vacation while these events unfolded, I want to acknowledge the pain so many of our families are carrying.

Our Little Miami family is grieving the loss of a 5th grade student, a bright and beloved member of our special needs community. There are no words big enough for this kind of loss. To the family, friends, classmates, teachers, aides, and staff who loved this child: we are holding you in our hearts. Grief looks different for every child and every adult, so please be gentle with yourselves and each other in the days ahead.

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We offer our deepest condolences.

At the same time, our hearts are broken for the Bend, Oregon community after the senseless shooting at Silver Rail Elementary, where three children and a teacher were killed in a special needs classroom. Coming in the same week as our own loss, this one cuts especially deep for our families raising children with special needs. You trust schools to be a place where your child is safe, understood, and cared for, and we know this week may have shaken that trust and brought up fear and grief all at once. We see you, and we stand with you.

Furthermore, October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This one is personal for me, as I lived through domestic violence in my youth, and while walking to the school bus as a child, I witnessed a murder-suicide rooted in domestic violence. I know firsthand how violence at home follows children everywhere: into the classroom, onto the bus, and into how they see the world.

If you or your children are living through this right now, please know that we see you, we feel for you and your family, and if there is any way we can assist you, please reach out to us. You are not alone; we know how hard it is to escape the domestic-violence cycle.

SAFE on Main is an incredible local resource offering a 24-hour crisis line, confidential shelter, legal advocacy, counseling, and support for children.

📞 24-hour hotline: 888-860-4084 (or 513-695-1107)
📞 National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
If you are in immediate danger, call 911.

When the world feels this heavy, it can feel impossible to focus on any one thing. We believe in doing good wherever we're able to, especially in hard times, so we are continuing our push to erase Little Miami School District lunch debt. Making sure every child can eat without worry is one small, concrete way we can care for our kids right now. We urge you to try to do some good in the coming weeks; whether that be complimenting someone, leaving an extra tip at a restaurant, picking up garbage on the side of the road or any other action item - let's try to make this world a little better for everyone.

👉 Help us erase lunch debt: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/erase-little-miami-lunch-debt--2026

10/19/2026

Our friends at MOMS Club of Lebanon Ohio have a gala coming up on 2/6/2027 to support the Lebanon Food Pantry. While not Little Miami related, I plan to attend and hope to see you there as well to support this great cause that benefits Warren County residents!

https://givebutter.com/LoveLocal

It is with great excitement and gratitude that we get to announce a very special gala fundraising event to help provide funds to the Lebanon Food Pantry!

Early bird tickets are on sale now!

10/11/2026

🍎 Lunch Debt Update!🍎

Thanks to your generosity, we've reached 30% of our $5,350 goal to pay down student lunch debt in Little Miami Schools!

Our next target is to reach at least 50% ($2,675) by the end-of-October Little Miami School Board meeting. At that meeting, we'll donate every dollar raised so far directly toward student lunch balances.

We won't stop there. As donations continue to come in, we'll keep making second, third, and more donations until we've raised as much as we can for this cause.

No child should have to worry about a lunch balance. Every gift, big or small, makes a real difference for Little Miami families.

👉 Donate here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/erase-little-miami-lunch-debt--2026

Please continue to share 💛💚

10/10/2026

Today is 10/10. Can you donate $10 today to help with erasing our student lunch debt? No donation is too small to make a difference!! (More details in comments!)

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/erase-little-miami-lunch-debt--2026

10/10/2026

As we head into this three-day weekend, we're continuing to raise funds to pay off student lunch debt in the Little Miami School District, because no student should ever go hungry. 🍎

At the same time, we know many families in our community, with and without children, are struggling to put food on the table right now. If you have a few minutes to look through your pantry, or a few extra dollars to spend on groceries this weekend, please consider donating to our friends at the Nourish & Flourish Project. Their pantry shelves have been running low far too often lately, and every item helps.

Thank you for caring for your neighbors. 💛

Donate to erase lunch debt: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/erase-little-miami-lunch-debt--2026

Donate to Nourish & Flourish Project: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/nourish-and-flourish-pantry-fund?fbclid=IwY2xjawU2fRFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mAWJyaWQRMVBqbVZ2RDluS1hsekt6OUpzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeNYBd93KeD58SrpONzSosvCectDNDWmlbYyEYc6gRadI1nrIL72H8sLA0SV4_aem_kNP63oPPAMgNDprzUyTROA

The pantry shelves are staying emptier and emptier. A majority of the canned goods have been taken (which is what it is there for), but I want to remind you all of other resources there are in the area. Canned goods are prominent at your more standard pantries, so please utilize them if you can!

- Impacting Tomorrow is a resource available to anyone regardless of income, zip code, school district. You can go once a week and get groceries here. They also have a clothing boutique and offer diapers, wipes, menstrual and incontinence products

- Little Miami Food Pantry is open to people in the Little Miami School District that meet an income requirement. For their main building, you can go 1x/month to get groceries. There’s a secondary building that you can go to as needed (when open) where they have perishable items. This second building is open to anyone.

- Lebanon Food Pantry is available to residents of Warren County that are eligible based on income requirements. There’s also a clothing section here. 1x/mo.

If none of these work for you, please look at findhelp.org or reach out with your zip code and I’ll see what I can find.

10/09/2026

🎉 Day One Update: Erase Little Miami Lunch Debt! 🎉
Bonus Update: THANK YOU to everyone who donated this morning - Jessica's donation got us up to $1,095 and we're officially 20% of the way to our goal of $5,350! Please continue to share; I know that this community is passionate about making sure our children are fed - as evidenced by the support of local food pantries like our friend Nourish & Flourish Project and the Morrow Food Pantry.

This community never ceases to amaze me - in just 19 hours, you've raised $885, which is already 17% of our $5,350 goal! Thank you to every single person who gave or shared.

Let's see if we can push just a bit further for this next goal - can we hit $1,000 by the 24-hour mark? We're only $115 away! A handful of gifts in the next few hours would get us there.

👉 Donate here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/erase-little-miami-lunch-debt--2026

Every dollar goes straight to clearing student lunch balances. Can't give right now? A share helps just as much - please share everywhere; let's clear this debt! 🔁

10/08/2026

💡 Happy DAF Day! 💡

A Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) is like a charitable savings account: you contribute, get your tax deduction right away, and then recommend grants to the causes you care about whenever you're ready.

Have one through Fidelity, Schwab, Vanguard, or a community foundation? You can recommend a grant to Homegrown Alliance in just a couple of minutes:

👉 https://bit.ly/3VUf9bJ

Your gift supports scholarships, school supplies, and resources for Little Miami students and families.

10/08/2026

🍎 Let's Erase Little Miami Lunch Debt - AGAIN! 🍎

In March 2025, this community showed up in a big way. Together, we raised $5,975, which was more than enough to pay off every student lunch debt in the district at that time. Let's see if we're able to make this happen again!

Times are tough right now. Gas, groceries, utilities, and nearly everything else keep getting more expensive, and more Little Miami families than ever are struggling to make ends meet. No child should ever go hungry - every kid deserves the dignity and security associated with being fed. Hungry kids have a harder time focusing, keeping up in class, and managing their emotions, and they're more likely to get sick or miss school. They can't learn and grow when they're worried about their next meal or embarrassed about a lunch balance.

As of today (10/8/2026), students across the Little Miami School District owe a combined $7,721.63 in school lunch debt.

Of that total, $5,349.90 is owed by students carrying balances of more than $20. These are the families feeling it most, so that's where we're starting.

🎯 Our goal: $5,350 to clear every student balance over $20
🌟 Our stretch goal: $7,721.63 to completely wipe out lunch debt for the ENTIRE district

Every dollar goes straight toward student balances. We fundraise through Zeffy, so 100% of your gift goes to the mission, with no platform fees taken out. Donations are tax-deductible, and you'll get a receipt automatically.

No gift is too small. Whether it's $5 or $500, every dollar chips away at a student's balance. Last year we proved what this community can do, so let's make sure every Little Miami kid starts the day with a full tray and a clean slate.

👉 Donate here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/erase-little-miami-lunch-debt--2026

Can't give right now? Sharing this post helps just as much! 🔁

🌸 Coming soon: Tackling period poverty in Little Miami 🌸
Lunch debt isn't the only barrier our students face. Period poverty is very real, and no student should miss class or feel embarrassed because they can't access the supplies they need. We will soon be collecting period supplies as well as funds to purchase supplies for Little Miami students. We are looking into partnering with some local businesses and will announce drop-off locations soon. Please email [email protected] if you would like to help with this initiative!

10/01/2026

We are so honored to announce the very first recipients of our C.A.R.E. (Caregiving and Respite Expenses) Mini-Grant: Joshua & Family!

Anyone who has been a caregiver knows how much it takes out of you, and how rarely you get a break. That's why we started this program, and we couldn't think of a better family to kick it off with.

As a reminder, the winner will be receiving 1) $500 to help with the costs of therapy for their child provided by United Way of Warren County, 2) a 90-minute massage from Back to Basic Kneads, & 3) additional gift cards for a family meal and activity to celebrate the entire family.

We have some big thank-yous to hand out. United Way of Warren County and the Dove-Downey Family, thank you for funding this and believing in what we're trying to do. We could not have done it without you and please know the Dove in the image for this award is in honor of your mother; she raised an extraordinary human being & we're honored to call you our friend.

And a special thank you to Jen at Back To Basic Kneads. We reached out to purchase a 60-minute massage and Jen bumped it up to 90 minutes because she's WONDERFUL. She is an autism mom and fierce advocate herself, so she knows exactly how much caregivers give and how little time they get for themselves. We adore her as a person, but she's also gives the most incredible massages around - we highly recommend visiting her at her studio in the Morrow Arts Center!

Joshua & Family, congratulations. We're cheering you on!

To those who applied and were nominated please know that we see you, we honor you and we appreciate all that you are doing to love, support and care for your children. If you applied and/or were nominated this quarter, there is no need to reapply - we are going to roll these submissions over each quarter.

If you know a Little Miami family who could use some support or you could use some extra support yourself, applications will open up again on December 1st.