Catholic Charities volunteer to be recognized at Great American Ballpark

Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

Catholic Family Night at Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati, will bring together the faithful of the Diocese of Covington and Archdiocese of Cincinnati, along with Bishop John Iffert and Archbishop Robert Casey, to celebrate the theme ‘Love in Action.’ This evening will highlight the mission and ministries of Catholic Charities on both sides of the river, and the people who make them possible, embodying Love in Action. One of the volunteers who will be recognized is Notre Dame Sister Nance Hehman, who lives in residence at the St. Augustine Convent, Augusta, and is an integral member of the Mobile Food Pantry team in Bracken, Mason and Pendelton County.

Sister Nance began her involvement with the Mobile Food Pantry in 2020 at its inception, when John Hehman, director of the Mobile Food Pantry and Sister Nance’s nephew, called her for assistance. “She was a big part of getting it started,” said Mr. Hehman, “she was one of the first people that said she would be there to help.”

Since the beginning, Sister Nance has been responsible for helping members of the community register and sign in to the mobile food pantry, understanding first-hand the food insecurity in Bracken County. “I was on the parish phone line, they would call and ask for help…so I knew the need for food down here was pretty drastic,” she said. “Being able to help to serve and help fill that need, that’s why you keep coming back. The people who come are very, very grateful,” she said.

Sister Nance’s time at the registration table has allowed her to form relationships with the community members who take advantage of the ministry. “It’s very moving. I would get to know them, and they would get to know me,” she said.

“She makes a really positive impact on the guests coming in for food,” said Mr. Hehman, “You watch her do the registration. People come in and, if for whatever reason she isn’t able to make it, they ask for her.”

During her six years of work with the Mobile Food Pantry, Sister Nance has found that the most rewarding is “seeing how happy the little kids were when you brought food, or they shop,” she said. Moments like watching children and families realize they will have food in the coming week, “makes you very appreciative of what you’ve been given and what you are able to share,” she said.

For Sister Nance, her experience over the last six years is more than volunteer work, it is a reflection of the community’s willingness to serve each other. “It’s wonderful what these people do,” she said, “all the ones that I’ve ever gone to, the parish community goes all out to make this work, for the whole community, for the whole county.”

Volunteering her own time and resources to the Mobile Food Pantry ministry is the true embodiment of Love in Action, “Everybody needs help sometimes, and if you’ve got the time, and you got the resources. I think it’s an obligation to share.”