Nourishing the body, mind and spirit

General Electric, MI/ES Department

For the past three years, the Aviation Engineers of the MI/ES Department of the General Electric Evendale, OH plant have been a corporate sponsor for our Kitchens and Pantry. Under the supervision of Tim Kinne, the Aviation Engineers have completed projects such as converting an old bathroom at the Walnut Hills Pantry into a much needed storage space; building a ramp at the guest entrance of the Walnut Hills Kitchen; building shelves in the storage room at the Over-The-Rhine Kitchen; and converting the trap door to provide direct access to the storage room at the Over-The-Rhine Kitchen. In 2008, site preparation was completed and construction began for the new agency office, which is located at the Walnut Hills Kitchen. Materials for these projects were provided by General Electric Volunteers. The dedication and friendship we have received from Tim Kinne, Dave Yates, Don DeBrunner and all the Aviation Engineers from General Electric has been simply outstanding.

Mr. Bill

On November 18, 2009, William "Mr. Bill" Kenny, our highest seniority volunteer, celebrated his 96th birthday and 33 uninterrupted years with the Over-The-Rhine Kitchen! His story and live interview was televised by Channel 5, WLWT News.

Born in Paris, KY, Mr. Bill was the second son of ten children. He married and has two daughters. Over the years, he has worked in tobacco fields, breaking horses, as a hotel valet, U.S. army sergeant (1941-1946), and as a car finisher for Lincoln Mercury. When asked how he remains so strong, he replied, "Pray to the good Lord!" We deeply thank Mr. Bill for his work and dedication. Each day that the kitchen is open, Mr. Bill rides the bus from his home at the YMCA to help in any way that he can.

Annual Cook Out

On June 21, 2009, we welcomed in the first day of summer with our annual cookout at our Over-The-Rhine Kitchen. This cookout is sponsored by our Sunday OTR sponsors and is coordinated by Deborah and John Moffatt, who supplied the grill, cooking supplies, hamburgers and bottled water for the volunteers this year. We also extend our sincere thanks to the coordinated efforts of the following sponsors for providing all the food and paper products needed for the meal: Adath Israel, Beit Chaverim, Beth Adam, B'nai Tzedek, Golf Manor Synagogue, Isaac M. Wise Temple, Northern Hills Synagogue, Ohav Shalom Congregation, Rockdale Temple, St. Gertrude Church, Temple Sholom, and Valley Temple.

The menu consisted of hamburgers, baked beans, potato salad, chips, apples, cookies and iced tea. This year we passed out tickets to the guests who came for lunch to keep things running more smoothly in the line; this idea worked great. We served 262 meals at this event.

Restaurant Depot

On a cold December morning in 2007, we attended the grand opening for Restaurant Depot, one of the nation's largest restaurant suppliers. To our surprise and delight, we received a tractor trailer full of products to celebrate the event. Skid after skid of paper goods, cookware, canned goods and cleaning products were delivered for use at our Kitchens and Pantry. But, the story gets even better! In conjunction with Restaurant Depot's grand opening, Dick Behrman came up with an idea to generate media recognition for our Kitchens and Pantry. On March 5, 2008, a Who's Who of Greater Cincinnati Chefs prepared and served a delicious meal at our Over-The-Rhine Kitchen. Among the group of distinguished chefs were Jean-Robert de Cavel; Cincinnati's most famous French chef, Paul Sturkey, chef/owner of Mesh in West Chester; Frank Mazzei, owner of Pompilio's in Newport; and Jeff Ledford, executive chef of The Vineyard in Hyde Park. Servers included City Manager Milton Dohoney, Councilman Cecil Thomas and staff members from the city's Community Development and Planning Department.

Navy Operational Support Center

Storekeeper 1st Class Daniel Scott from Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) Cincinnati prepares biscuits at the Walnut Hills Kitchen prior to serving lunch to underprivileged citizens of the greater Cincinnati area. Nine NOSC Cincinnati Sailors served approximately 300 lunches on August 29th & 30th, 2007 at the Walnut Hills and Over-The-Rhine Kitchens as part of Navy Week community outreach programs.

Navy Weeks are designed to show Americans the investment they have made in their Navy and to increase awareness in cities that do not have a significant Fleet presence.

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael Sheehan