A woman approaches the gray, stone church office on the northwest side of downtown Newark, stops at the door and asks what day it is.
“I get lost knowing the days,” she says with a smile. And fortunately, it’s a day and time when the church office is open.
Then she politely asks a pastor for a “Blessing Bag.”
It was a mission success at First United Methodist Church, 88 N. 5th St., which is among a number of other Newark-area churches that provide food, clothing, blankets, household goods and other services to unsheltered people and those who have homes but not much in them.
The woman left with one of the many Blessing Bags full of ready-to-eat food and personal hygiene products hands out each month.
The church offers a “shower ministry,” which opens the church each Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to provide showers, a hot meal and clothing to those in need.
| Read more: Downtown Newark church showers unhoused people with compassion
First Church also provides volunteers and prepares food for up to 150 people who receive hot meals at the Salvation Army on East Main Street. And the church operates a free store called Casey’s Cupboard.
“At the beginning of September, we estimated that we had probably done 750 (Blessing Bags) for the year,” said the Rev. Peter Borhauer, the assistant pastor who will become the senior pastor at First Church in January.
Borhauer said cuts in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program) benefits, or events such as the government shutdown in November that delayed SNAP payments, can destabilize households that otherwise are able to make ends meet – barely.
“If they’ve lost their SNAP benefits, then they have to spend money on food. Well, can they pay their utility bill? Or are they able to make their rent? Or will they buy gas?” he said, adding that housing costs are increasingly a factor because “here in Newark, there’s little affordable housing.”
Those who can afford housing can’t always afford to furnish them with even the basic necessities, such as blankets for their beds and things for the kitchen, such as pots, pans, plates, bowls and utensils.
Church members Bill and Julie Koppert of Newark run Casey’s Cupboard with six to eight other volunteers. When they were debating whether to open the free store, they kept in mind that there was no place like it in the city that gave away new and gently used household items.
Food pantries provided food for the people in need, but they learned that some people were challenged in cooking that food because they lacked kitchen supplies.
Folks who come to the free store are referred to Casey’s Cupboard by social service agencies that have talked with the customers, verified that they have housing and what they need for their home, Bill Koppert said.
Some people contact the church directly, and they are referred to a social service agency to make a determination of need, and then they are referred back to the church, which had helped more than 50 families in 2025 as fall approached.
“We need proof of their residence,” Julie Koppert said, and the free store asks those receiving household goods to sign a form saying they won’t sell the donations.
The free store regularly helps people who were previously unsheltered and now have a home with little to furnish it. In some cases, the volunteers helped people who lost everything during an eviction or who survived a house fire and were restocking a new home while rebuilding their lives.
The demand is steady, and Casey’s Cupboard is always looking for donations of kitchen supplies, blankets and household items – or cash or gift cards the volunteers can use to help families in need.
First Church holds a “Blanket Sunday” once a year to seek donations of new blankets from its members to stock the free store shelves. It also asks members to donate fans during the heat of summer, and it gave away 50 of them during August and September.
Donations come from outside the church, as well.
“Some people give money to me in Walmart,” Bill Koppert said, noting that they recognize him as a volunteer at the free store.
When people find out about this service, they want to help, he said. There is even an Amazon wishlist (https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/1X7MI4QMMRYIG) where people can buy items for the individuals in need.
Improved public transportation in the form of an increasing number of Licking County Transit buses has brought more people to the church for food and household items.
“Before, if you didn’t live within a pretty short distance of the route, you’d have to walk far away just to get to the bus stop for it to not take you realistically where you need to go,” Borhauer said.
A Newark man referred to Casey’s Cupboard in the fall, Eric, arrived in a car with an empty trunk. He sat in a chair at the free store warehouse and checked off the items he needed as the cool October air crept into the warehouse.
He left with a full trunk: Boxes of new household items included a Crockpot, coffee maker, toaster, utensils, bed comforter, fan, lamp, plates, dish towels, and more.
Eric said he didn’t take any pots or pans because one of his friends was going to give them to him, and he didn’t want to take items from the free store that other people in need could use.
Nicole Krumholz writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.