MONROE TOWNSHIP -- Marlene Baker still remembers the old man and his daughter and their bags of butter, flour and peanut butter.
Mrs. Baker, 57, runs Hillcrest Community Services, which opens for business Monday at 2295 Hillcrest Drive, the former site of a Wesleyan church. An open house is scheduled for 1-5 p.m. today. The old man is almost as much a part of Mrs. Baker's life as he was the day she saw him 10 years ago in Milford with the government surplus commodities.
"The man had a tear down his cheek," Mrs. Baker said. "(He said), "I guess I'll eat peanut butter and biscuits again this month.' It broke my heart."
Hillcrest serves needy Clermont County residents and provides food, clothing, and money for rent, utilities, heating oil, prescriptions and gasoline.
It is part of THE HANDS (Teens Helping Elderly, Handicapped, Adolescent, Needy, Deserving Souls), a Milford organization founded in 1987. Volunteers also distribute food and clean houses for people who can't do it themselves.
"It's a good thing to be doing in the community," said volunteer Heidi Ludwig, 16, a junior at Milford High School.
Mrs. Baker said for the last six years the store operated out of a Seventh-day Adventist Church in Amelia. She said it has served some 12,000 people over that time.
TO HELP
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To make a donation, write to Hillcrest Community Services, 2295 Hillcrest Drive, Amelia, Ohio 45102. Phone: 734-6659 or 831-5516.
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But the program almost ended in April, when the church told Mrs. Baker it no longer wanted to be a part of the operation, which meant a different building had to be found.
At the same time, Ron and Becky Reaves of Union Township were trying to find a use for the old church building on Hillcrest Drive they had bought as an investment in August 1997. Members of Landmark Baptist Church on Clough Pike, they considered converting it to apartments or leasing it to another congregation until church member Dave Hammock mentioned Mrs. Baker's need.
"I guess I felt there was a good cause," Mrs. Reaves said.
Mrs. Baker remembers May 2, the day she saw the building for the first time.
"I took one look and thought, "This building is fabulous,' " Mrs. Baker said. "It's two stories; it sits on 2 1/2 acres."
Getting the building ready has been a huge undertaking. Walls had to be scrubbed and repainted, shelves for the food had to be installed and Mrs. Baker's office had to be organized.
Many have helped. Residents and stores donated food, building supplies and clothes.
The clothing store dominates what used to be the church's first-floor sanctuary. Food is stored in separate rooms, and a custodian occupies a second-floor apartment.
Mrs. Baker said about $1,000 is needed to pay outstanding heat and water bills, and she would like to have several window air-conditioner units because many of her volunteers have trouble with the heat. She intends to continue her work because she still thinks of the old man.
"I want to be in every aspect, and not just a Band-Aid covering," Mrs. Baker said. ". . . That man, he's an inspiration, I guess. He's unforgettable."
