COLUMBUS, Ohio — A family facing the loss of a son turned their heartbreak into hope by forming Jordan's Crossing, an organization that's now feeding thousands who are struggling during the pandemic.
Over 10 years ago, Jordan Rieser was killed in a car accident.
His older sister, Jennifer Rieser-Braunm, says he was her sidekick. At first, she said her family didn't know how they would get through it
"That grief is just so awful," Rieser-Braunm said.
Jordan's father wanted to help people who were hurting too. He started packing sack lunches and handing them out from the back of his pickup truck.
Over the years, a team of five people turned into a team of hundreds, and it became Jordan's Crossing Resource Center.
Jordan's Crossing ministers to the homeless and addicted on the west side of Columbus, primarily in the Hilltop areas.
Offering hot meals every day is a huge part of what they do for the community.
At first, the organization served meals on Friday nights. But when the pandemic began, they knew people would be struggling.
"It was 200 lunches a day we were passing out, and then it just exploded," Rieser-Braunm said.
They went from serving a few hundred meals a day, to almost a thousand.
Southeast Mental Health, the React Team, Mount Carmel and Franklinton Township's Chief of Police are just a few of the organizations and individuals helping to distribute food to people in need, including struggling addicts.
"Everyone in our city is affected by this," Rieser-Braunm said. "People want to help people. Everyone is struggling right now, and what it shows me is that people are kind."
Rieser-Braunm says she's grateful that the community loves to help. "We are all giving back to each other, and it's so cool to see."
For more information on Jordan's Crossing, including how to find help or volunteer, visit their website or Facebook page.