Pickaway County, Ohio, is south of Columbus, the state capital. The manufacturing and agricultural industries employ most residents in several small towns in this southern Ohio county. The World’s largest Pumpkin Water Tower is in Circleville—the home of a huge pumpkin festival that draws thousands of visitors to the town each fall. 

Almost 80% of the kids in Pickaway County qualify for free and reduced breakfast and lunch each weekday. During the pandemic, local realtor Gina Warner and her family started helping the school district pack brown paper bags of breakfast and lunch items, which were distributed daily through a drive-up line. 

“It was on my heart that these families were so dependent on the food. I wondered what happens on the weekends.” Gina started investigating, and that led her to Blessings in a Backpack. In the fall of 2020, she started a program feeding 35 children. She is now feeding 365 children each week at six different schools. She also works with an agency serving homeless teens, who receive a Blessings bag each week. 

Recognizing the need for broader support, Gina, who had been in children’s ministry, used community contacts she knew from her church to engage a local businessman, Caleb Gouge. Together, the two funded the first year’s food expenses, and Gouge continued to support the program with matching funds during the Giving Tuesday campaigns. 

In 2023, the two met with another local business owner, an event coordinator. Within three months, they pulled off the first Night of Generosity. With matching funds from Gouge, a donated venue, and additional sponsorship and donations, they raised $40,000. Securing a list of business owners from the local chamber of commerce, the group invited area business owners to the free event. A video testimonial from school staff illustrated the difference the Blessings program was having in the school communities. 

The event has continued annually—and is now open to the public. Last year, a panel of school officials talked about the Blessings program in person, and Gina and her team collected financial donations. Many members of the community chip in to help with the event, a local printer donates his services for invites, the event venue is discounted, and other realtors in the community have come on as principal sponsors and paid for the charcuterie tables that guests enjoy during the event. This year, more matching dollars are coming from other sources—including the local Eagles Club. 

The Night of Generosity has been raising between $45,000 and $50,000 each year. While it’s not enough to fund the entirety of the Pickaway County program’s food expenses, combined with year-round fundraising and a healthy Giving Tuesday campaign, the program has been successful for the last five years. Gina says she is constantly keeping the Blessings program in front of the community and continues to grow a team to help her. She has recruited volunteers for a donor care committee—who work on stewarding donors, a volunteer who creates an active social media presence, and an outreach coordinator who handles food drives. 

 Gina laughs and says she has another method: “I pray a lot and wait for Jesus to bring the money in.”