It’s a sunny spring day as Mary Mulvany, Mark Sigrist and I sit in Mulvany’s driveway. We’re six feet apart and didn’t greet each other with handshakes – just a friendly wave. During our conversation, a family member stops by to pick up baked goods for local health care workers and a resident drives up to purchase handmade facemasks.
“It’s like Grand Central Station here,” Mulvany says, laughing.
During the stay at home order and throughout the pandemic, Mulvany and Sigrist, who are twins, have been busy bees. Mulvany started a grassroots movement that not only helps those in need, but encourages others to help local neighbors, while Sigrist helped create a delivery service for the Grove City Food Pantry.
Their efforts are impressive, but they agree that their work is just one example of how the Grove City community is coming together during these trying times.
In 2017, Mulvany and Sigrist lost their sister, Beth Ann. The death was difficult for the whole family, but Sigrist in particular wanted to find a way to give back. Since Beth Ann was disabled, he decided that volunteering with the Grove City Buddy Ball League (GCBB) was the perfect way to honor her.
Then GCBB was thrown a huge curveball: the pandemic. The 2020 season was set to start in early May, and it was to host its Mother’s Day 5K. Unfortunately, both were canceled. Since sponsorships were already sold and funds already raised, the group had two options: reimburse or redistribute the money to help those in need. It was no surprise that many donors and all the sponsors agreed to help the Grove City Food Pantry.
“There’s a quote by Gandhi that says a society can be measured by how well it treats its most vulnerable,” Sigrist says. “Buddy Ball and the food pantry are good examples of the most vulnerable in this community.”
Mulvany delivers locally made baked goods to Mount Carmel Grove City.
Sigrist immediately transitioned to volunteering full-time at the pantry, but he knew things had to change to comply with social distancing. Since late March, the pantry has operated a delivery service run by volunteers. People can sign up through www.wereseeds.com, which is dedicated to improving central Ohio, in just a few steps. The transition to a delivery service from a traditional pantry wasn’t easy – but it was a success. The pantry was completely booked in April, prompting staff and volunteers to add more delivery times.
“Just create a little structure and people will say, ‘I’m in, I’m in,’” Sigrist says. “It’s always gratifying when you can make that connection between supply and demand.”
The new method is proving to be so successful that the pantry may maintain it even once the pandemic ends.
“Who knows if we’ll change this for the future, but I doubt it,” Sigrist says. “If we got the supply, there is no reason to make it less safe than it is right now.”
The pantry also accepts monetary donations, which are used to keep the facility running, purchase additional food and provide emergency resources for families. Visit www.grovecityfoodpantry.org for more information.
Growing a Grassroots Movement
While Sigrist conquers challenges at the food pantry, Mulvany is also working on ways to help others in need. Nine years ago, Mulvany and several friends started Success Beyond the Classroom, a foundation that grants scholarships to South-Western City School District athletes and marching band students to help offset the cost of participation fees. First, its only fundraiser, which attracts 800 people each April, was canceled. Then, the spring sports season was canceled. Mulvany was devastated and asked herself, now what?
Since her tutoring position through SWCSD and her job at Kohl’s were put on hold, Mulvany found herself with more free time and she got to thinking. Between the foundation and working for the schools, she knew her connections could help rally people to help others.
At the beginning of April, Mulvany started accepting food donations to give to families, baked good donations to deliver to local hospitals, she became a mediator for mask suppliers, rallied parents to have their children make cards for health care workers, and organized social distancing events where residents welcomed and thanked hospital staff outside as they switched shifts.
Within a month, Mulvany’s efforts helped serve more than 100 families and 500 health care workers. Additionally, she collected more than 1,200 cards from local students for front-line workers.
Mulvany says people want to help others during this time but may not know where to start. That’s where she steps in, mainly using social media. Mulvany uses Facebook pages like Grove City Connect and local moms’ groups, encouraging and asking people to help with a particular effort.
“You just have to figure out what your gift is and try to use it to bring people together to help others,” she says. “I think as human beings, some of us want to know that we made a difference. … If your kid made a card that said, ‘Nurses are our heroes,’ that made a difference, and that fills you up. I think we’re all spiritually and emotionally starving.”
Heartwarming Encounters
Through their efforts, Mulvany and Sigrist have encountered extremely giving and appreciative people in the community.
At the food pantry, high school seniors who were stripped of their senior activities step up to make pantry deliveries. Grandparents, parents and children volunteer together and use the delivery time to connect outside the house. Even those accepting food are working to pay it forward.
“I delivered to a lady and her literal words were, ‘This is so humiliating to take this food, I never thought it would come to this.’ Then she said, ‘I’d like to make a donation to the food pantry,’ so she pulled out a $20 bill,” Sigrist says. “It was vulnerability and a tender heart in the same five-minute encounter.”
Mulvany is working with several residents to help distribute their homemade masks. Lifelong Grove City residents Cindy Schemrich and Lynnsey Logan created more 1,500 masks in less than two months. The duo donated all the masks and only asked for donations to help offset the cost of materials. Beverly Leonhard only accepts small tips for her masks. Sam Larger crafted more than 800 masks within several weeks, donating them all and telling her customers to pay it forward.
Locally-based Darling Balloons made a doctor and nurse balloon to help cheer up Mount Carmel Grove City staff and patients.
In mid-spring, Mulvany accepted donations of chips, granola, candy, heartwarming cards and Dairy Queen meals and delivered the goods to local hospitals. At that time, the hospital vending machines weren’t being filled and Mulvany wanted to provide some treats. Her daughter-in-law, Courtney, who works at OhioHealth Grove City Methodist Hospital, was overwhelmed.
“When Courtney came down, she was just tearful,” Mulvany says. “She said, ‘You know, Mary, everyone is just smiling today, you don’t even know the difference this makes. All I can tell you is everyone is smiling.’ That’s all you can ask for.”
Heart of Grove City oversees collaboration through the pandemic
Project Altogether raises money for affected businesses
The Heart of Grove City is a fitting name for the organization that supports the historic Town Center, as it proves time and time again that it’s the bloodline of the businesses perched along and near Broadway.
At the start of the pandemic, local businesses including Grove City Brewing Co. and Hop Yard 62 teamed up to make the Altogether Adventure Ale. The effort was to promote Visit Grove City, showcase community pride and raise funds to help preserve the Town Center – but it did so much more than that. Shortly after, the collaboration evolved into a full-fledged initiative overseen by Heart of Grove City.
Project Altogether raises money to support businesses in the Heart of Grove City service area impacted by the pandemic. The initiative gives 100 percent of raised proceeds to assist these efforts. Based on available funds, Heart of Grove City also considers small businesses outside its service area.
Andy Furr, director of Heart of Grove City, says business and resident collaboration is critical to keep this initiative afloat.
“Especially now, it’s important to work together and show that strength, show that solidarity,” says Furr. “The more you see that (collaboration), the more enticing it is for (residents) to say, ‘I need to support those folks.’”
Anyone can donate to the cause through www.heartofgrovecity.org. Even the small businesses that face difficult times are contributing.
The Farm Table on 62 sold special edition, decorative throw pillows with proceeds supporting the initiative. The Chandler sold limited edition candles. Leber Design and Print sold T-shirts and shopping totes, raising more than $1,300 within a few weeks.
Furr stresses that just because businesses began reopening mid-May, doesn’t mean the local economy is flourishing. Furr says continuing to support Project Altogether is vital.
“You may think, ‘Oh, the state lifted the bans on this and that, businesses will be okay.’ Well, no. These folks had no revenue stream coming in. They may have deferred their utilities, but they still have to pay them eventually,” Furr says. “Just because they’re open doesn’t mean everything is better.”
After the pandemic, Furr says Project Altogether won’t dissolve but will, hopefully, do the exact opposite.
“Our hope is that once we get through the pandemic that Project Altogether can continue to grow and work with the (Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce) or work with Visit Grove City,” Furr says. “It’s not only designed to help people through this pandemic but to continue on once we’ve established our new normal.”
Lydia Freudenberg is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
