Western-Star.com

HUBER HEIGHTS — A group of Huber Heights residents are hoping that since they worked so well to elect a president they will work equally well to support the community.

"It is a nonpartisan effort," Organizing for America organizer Janine Poppa said. "And I hope people believe it's nonpartisan, because we truly do need each other to move it forward."

Poppa said the network of grassroots campaign workers has been asked to spearhead community efforts on a very local basis, a challenge taken up in Huber Heights.

"He (Obama) can't do it alone," Poppa said. "It's easy to complain and bellyache, but it's going to take every one of us to make a difference."

Poppa said the group, which has already met three times, meets on the second Sunday of each month at 2 p.m., at the Epilepsy Foundation of Western Ohio, 7523 Brandt Pike, to identify issues they think are important for people in Huber Heights, then find ways to work toward solutions. Right now they are collecting canned foods, personal care, paper, cleaning and pet supplies to distribute among Huber Heights food pantries. Items can be brought to meetings or dropped off at the Epilepsy Foundation offices, where Poppa is director, during the week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"It's amazing how many people are struggling here to eat and pay their rent or house payment," she said. "We have people with epilepsy that can't afford their medication. There's just as many people with big homes in the city losing jobs and everybody has to eat, everybody has needs that are not being met."

Poppa said the group is studying how to work on area youth issues of health, exercise and nutrition, and, as the group expands and other issues are identified, more ways to meet the needs of Huber Heights will be explored.

"Hopefully people will find others who are like-minded," she said.

Poppa said the group currently has a nucleus of about eight volunteers, but she saw how that expanded during the presidential campaign and believes it can happen again as a nonpolitical community effort.

"That's exactly how it started with the campaign," she said. "It started small but then people started calling neighbors and they started calling us and it all just grew."

For more information, Poppa can be reached at (937) 684-0653.