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Moeller Brew Barn hosting night of giving to benefit local charity aimed at helping mothers in need

RUSSIA — A Shelby County charity that helps local moms is getting some help its own from a business that is planning a fundraiser.

Rustic Hope is a ministry in Russia that helps single moms with necessities like diapers, formula, car seats and baby furniture and clothing.

While the non-profit was founded in 2013, but founder Connie McEldowney said the idea to help moms started well before that.

McEldowney said the charity has grown significantly over the years thanks to the help of others.

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“To have so much community support is unreal,” she said. “Because this would all be some crazy idea that I had.”

She said dream to “have a store where everything is free” would not be a reality if others did not donate and help by volunteering.

Brandy Lewis, of Piqua, told News Center 7′s James Rider that she started going to Rustic Hope in 2017.

“This place gives me hope,” Lewis said.

Lewis said if it was not for McEldowney and Rustic Hope, she and her family would have nothing. That, Lewis said, was even more true now, around the holidays.

“[Connie] is not like a person who helps out; she’s like family. Connie would actually bring me diapers to where I was at. She brought me a thing of diapers to my work,” Lewis said. “Any time I needed diapers for my daughter or clothes, I came here. Furniture, bedding for my daughter, we never had to go to the store because we couldn’t afford it.”

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McEldowney said she has seen a lot of different moms grow and overcome over her years of running Rustic Hope.

“On the big scale, 90 percent of these moms, after their kids are a little older and they get on their feet, they’re coming back to volunteer. They’re donating all their stuff that they don’t need back here,” McEldowney said.

To help give back to McEldowney and Rustic Hope, the Moeller Brew Barn locations in Maria Stein and Troy will be hosting a special night of giving on Tuesday to benefit the non-profit. 20 percent of the proceeds will be donated to Rustic Hope.

While the event is a chance to donate to the non-profit, McEldowney said it will also be a good opportunity to advertise and let women know there is help out there if they need it.




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