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Be Concerned dock project a go thanks to Sule Foundation grant; will provide much needed upgrade


A much-needed dock project at one of Northern Kentucky’s largest food pantries has begun thanks to a $20,000 grant from the Elsa Heisel Sule Foundation.

Be Concerned’s facility at 1100 Pike Street in Covington. A grant from the Sule Foundation will provide a much-needed upgrade to the dock at the site (provided photos).

The project will make the upper floor dock at Be Concerned fully functional, so donated and purchased food can be unloaded quicker and with less labor. The nonprofit has been receiving food shipments through its front lobby since moving into the building at 1100 Pike Street  in November.

That’s been a less than ideal arrangement, said Be Concerned Executive Director Andy Brunsman, particularly when the lobby is full of people waiting for their appointments to shop in the agency’s free pantry.

“It’s going to be a more effective and efficient reception process for our donors, and most of all, safer for our shoppers,” he said.

Be Concerned is currently serving about 750 low-income families a month from Kenton, Campbell and Boone counties.

Be Concerned moved into the building eight months ago to make way for Duveneck Square, a major new apartment complex slated for the 700 block of Washington Street, where Be Concerned had operated for 30 years.  Its new quarters were formerly home to Healthpoint, a medical provider for low-income residents.

The dock was left over from the days when the building housed an IGA grocery store. Healthpoint had no need for the dock, so blocked up the opening.

It was reopened as part of a $300,000 remodeling of the building that Be Concerned did last year to reconfigure it to the agency’s needs. But more funding had to be secured to build a pad in the parking lot for the dock and to install a hydraulic lift to raise food from the lot to the dock level.

The Elsa Heisel Sule Foundation  is a Charitable Trust established in 2004 by Elsa Sule, a native of Northern Kentucky. It is an independent philanthropic foundation that makes grants to nonprofit organizations and public agencies that have qualified charitable purpose,, primarily in the tri-state areas of Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana.

“We’re very grateful to the Sule Foundation for recognizing the need for this project and stepping up to make it possible,” Brunsman said.

The two-story building has no elevator, so materials have to be received on the floor on which they will be distributed. That means the thousands of pounds of food, cleaning supplies and hygiene items – all of it dispensed through the pantry on the top floor – will be received through the rebuilt dock.

Since 1968 when it began as the Christmas Store, Be Concerned has helped low-income families celebrate Christmas and maintain economic stability throughout the year. Its programs are supplemental and ongoing in nature so customers can minimize the need for emergency assistance.

Be Concerned is deeply committed to honoring the dignity and humanity of all persons. Its purpose is to assist low-income people of Northern Kentucky in obtaining basic necessities for life. For more information, click here.

Be Concerned


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