The mission of Inter Parish Ministry is to provide food, clothing and other communal support to those in need and to empower clients with information, support and services to improve their lives. Inter Parish Ministry (IPM) Food Pantry has been helping families and children in need for the past 57 years. The organization began when a group of concerned individuals who attended St. Thomas Episcopal Church formed an organization to assist families living in stilt homes along the Little Miami River near Newtown, Ohio. Three other churches (Armstrong Chapel, Indian Hill Episcopal Church, and St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church) joined them in developing a non-profit that is known today as Inter Parish Ministry. Today, over 40 churches, schools and community organizations form a partnership to support IPM to provide food, clothing, emergency assistance, and other support programs to clients living across eastern Hamilton, Clermont and western Brown counties.

Over the past few years, several changes have been instituted which were designed to increase the number of people served as well as the frequency of service. These changes also allowed IPM to expand the amount of fresh foods provided, including eggs, milk, and produce. In addition, IPM maintains a commitment to provide a choice of ten personal care essentials, including soap, shampoo and laundry detergent. The changes implemented included adding zip codes to IPM’s service area, opening a second pantry location, and becoming a USDA-supplied food pantry and have drastically enlarged IPM’s need for resources.

Offering a number of services to families in need, IPM typically provides two choice food and clothing pantries, 10-15 mobile and pop-up food pantries annually, four community gardens, summer community picnics, a choice back to school program, collaborative cooking and nutrition classes, emergency rental assistance and holiday programs.

IPM serves low-income families and children living across 30 zip codes in eastern Hamilton, Clermont, and western Brown counties in Ohio who face food insecurity and poverty-related stress. As the areas served by IPM make up a portion of Appalachian, Ohio, many of the families visiting IPM also have Appalachian heritage. U.S. Census Bureau analysis shows that nearly 1 in 6 children live at or below the poverty line in Southwest Ohio and face food insecurity.