Who We Are
Ballantyne Families Helping Neighbors in Need (BFHNIN) is a grassroots, 501c3 organization that was born out of COVID when schools shut down. Concerned for children who depend on school breakfast and lunch, one local mom led a few food drives. This led to a realization that there was a large need for food assistance and that many in our community were willing, able, and energized to give.
Since 2020, we have grown and expanded to help more Ballantyne families facing food insecurity, by providing support at Thanksgiving, Winter holidays, Spring Break, and Summer with bags of food, grocery gift cards, encouraging notes from the community, and opened our first food pantry at Community House Middle School. All of the families who we support either work or attend one of the 9 schools* in the Ardrey Kell feeder pattern and are identified by the school counselors/social worker. To date, we have given support to over 10,000 people by providing over 2,000 bags of groceries, $274,000 in grocery gift cards and 1000s of encouraging notes from the community.
We feel so honored to be able to give back to our local community, but there are still many families facing food insecurity who need our help! Did you know that almost 1 in 5 students in the Ardrey Kell High School feeder pattern is eligible for free or reduced lunch?
Whether you are an individual, family, group, neighborhood, or corporation, there are many ways that you can help and support our local Ballantyne community through BFHNIN.
"We are grateful to help families in need of food assistance. We believe in our community… they are neighbors who care and come together in kindness to make a difference in the lives of 100s of local families with food insecurities throughout the year. #loveyourneighbor"
Executive Board

Member At Large

Counselor At Large
Member At Large
Committees
Appreciation ambassadors
- Open
- Open
Database Administrator
- Dana White
Educator team
- Kerry Doub
- Susan Hicks
- Sally Pickard
Financial book reviewers
- Beth Robinson
- Burt White
Grants and corporate alliance committee
- Linda Horchertz
- Susan Medina
- Ashley Parish
- Brooke Schonfeld
- Lauren Rosenbaum
Notes and Resource guide coordinator
- Julie White
Pantry team
- Pantry managers (pantry@ballantynefamilies.org)
- Erin Furey
- Audi Naftzger
- Pantry manager assistants
- Tammy Menzel
- Sheila White
- Inventory manager
- Sheila White
Publicity
- Open
School Champion Lead/Newsletter
- Debora Pupo
School Champions
High school
- Ardrey Kell – Lauren Rosenbaum
Middle schools:
- Community House – MJ Gamio
- JM Robinson – Denise Oswald
- Rea Farms – Maggie Webb
Elementary schools:
- Ballantyne – Darcey Meus
- Elon Park – Beth Patterson
- Endhaven – Amy Rothwell
- Hawk Ridge – Diana Sepulveda
- Polo Ridge – Shannon Denholm/Merete McMaster
School Counselors
High school
- Ardrey Kell – Jon Rochester (social worker)
Middle schools:
- Community House – Valerie Johnson
- JM Robinson – Lisa Smith
- Rea Farms – Amber Heine
Elementary schools:
- Ballantyne – Nicki Elkins
- Elon Park – Amber Brown
- Endhaven – Taletha Williams
- Hawk Ridge – Mary Bleich
- Polo Ridge – Melissa Stevenson
Signup Genius Coordinator
- Maurisa Singer
Social Media
- Sally Pickard
Special projects/food drives
- Erin Furey (pantry@ballantynefamilies.org)
- Melissa Hartnett – helper
- Lauren Rosenbaum
- Open
Spring Break and Summer Giving Team
- Melissa Graham
- Denise Oswald
- Audi Naftzger – helper
- Kerry Doub – helper
Thanksgiving and December holiday giving team
- Tammy Menzel
- Jen Smith
- Kerry Doub
Website/email
- Geoff Parish
How you can help
There are many ways that we can use your help and support to make a difference. See the links below to get involved!



