Over the Rhine ranks highly as one of Cincinnati's poorest and most crime-ridden areas.
+ in 2000, 25,488 people in Cincinnati were homeless for at least one night
+ in OTR the average family income of a single female family is only $4,432
+ 59% of OTR school children qualify for free lunch
+ 79% of Over the Rhine's 7,000 residents live under the poverty level.
+ the perspective of Over the Rhine is that it is a neighborhood plagued by drug use, homicide, poverty, and loss of economic activity.
BUT
People are not just numbers and statistics. The people of Over the Rhine are some of the most beautiful people. They have such strong spirits... they've been through so much. And they love us just as we are.
who we are:
We're a group of silly rich kids from the suburbs just trying to love strangers, and spread God's love to those who are discarded by society. Inspired by Shane Claiborne's book: "the Irresistible Revolution: living as an ordinary radical"... we took our ideas & ran with it.. So every Sunday, for about two years now, a group of us have been going to the heart of Over the Rhine, Washington Park, to hang out with the people there and feed them. We don’t see it as some sort of mission trip or service project. It’s all in love, not guilt or obligation or charity. We have learned more from these beautiful people than ever. We see it as more of a balancing act.. we're just returning what's not ours. We believe that the world was not created with too many people and not enough stuff to fill everyone's basic needs. Over time we are the one's who have created poverty.. and we feel that we can change it.
“What I do you cannot do; but what you do, I cannot do. The needs are great, and none of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.â€
-Mother Teresa
One weekend a 13 year old girl named Chrissy came down with us. She helped us a lot, but was pretty quiet. When she got home, she was very upset and her mother was trying to figure out what was going on. Chrissy said that it's not fair that these people have to live the way they do... it's not fair that she cries to her mom for clothes and things she WANTS, and these people have NOTHING. Chrissy went tearing through her room, putting her clothes in bags to take to Over the Rhine. She wanted the girls she met that were her age to have her clothes. It is a beautiful thing. Something i could type for days about, but you really have to see it yourself. It will make you uncomfortable... and we like that.
here's a short video of 2 of our OTR kids, Lauren & Quentin... they are adorable!
how you can help:
Everyone wants to make a difference. A direct, even tangible impact on someones life. You want to be that boys first kiss. You want the boss to see your name on that successful project. You want to be the one who carries the best present to dad on Christmas. You just want to. there is something in all people that wants to do good, whether they believe in God or not. Well here is your chance to make that direct connection. You can make one sandwich for one person in your city. You can feed one person for one day. You can even hand it to the person yourself if you would like. if you can't make a sandwich or come hangout in Over the Rhine with us, then help spread the word. and don't forget to just love your neighbors.
if you're interested in hanging out with us in Over-the-Rhine, meet us in Washington Park around 1pm (on the Race Street side of the park.. look for a big group of people with coolers!)
our weekly needs:
sandwiches
bread
cheese
lunch meat
peanut butter
jelly
LOVE
bottled water
dessert
chips/snacks
fruit
school supplies
money
toiletries
extra clothes
shoes
yourself
