About Us
We provide more than just groceries! At NNEMAP, you and your family can also get hygiene products, healthcare items, and much more. There are also people on site to help you enroll in food stamps and other programs.
NNEMAP Food Pantry is a nonprofit social service agency distributing food and other resources to residents of Columbus, Ohio. NNEMAP’s clientele consists of families living at or below 200 percent of the federally designated poverty level.
OUR HISTORY
NNEMAP’s history goes back to 1958. The construction of Interstate 670 disrupted the area’s “flytown” neighborhoods so drastically that home values plummeted. Within three months of the highway’s construction, a new population of disadvantaged persons needed emergency services. Fourth Avenue Christian Church opened a food pantry with several auxiliary services, and maintained it at their facility for 10 years. By 1968 about a dozen churches known as the Near Northside Cooperative Ministry were working with the Godman Guild Association to serve a population that had moved toward High Street. In April 1969, the pantry incorporated as Near Northside Emergency Material Assistance Program. The pantry operated for 17 years out of a house on Dennison Avenue, a former parsonage donated for the purpose by St. Mark’s Lutheran Church.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Amiee Romans
President
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Amiee Romans has worked in the health and wellness industry for over 30 years. She currently works as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Licensed Massage Therapist for her two companies, Authentic Nutrition and Essentials Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork. Amiee serves on NNEMAP’s Wellness and Nutrition Committee and leads food demos to help our neighbors learn more about food and how to prepare it.
Amiee is passionate about helping people understand how nutritious food can prevent or better manage lifestyle diseases like diabetes, obesity and hypertension. She also enjoys teaching community nutrition as a preceptor for OSU’s Medical Dietetics program.
Amiee is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in human nutrition. She is also a Licensed Massage Therapist and Certified Integrative Yoga Therapist. Amiee enjoys paddleboarding and yoga in her free time. She also enjoys spending time outdoors, hiking, and playing games with her family and friends.
Amy Sockman
Vice President
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Amy Sockman is a 24 year veteran of the banking industry and currently serves as Executive Director of Branch Operations at Wells Fargo in Columbus, Ohio. Amy has held various roles in Program Management, Operations, Business Banking and Consumer Banking at Chase, Citizens and PNC.
In addition to her Board service at NNEMAP, Amy has provided professional consulting at non profits assisting with affordable housing and employment for veterans.
Amy is a graduate of Franklin University with a MBA and a bachelor’s in business administration.
Amy lives with her husband and 2 dachshunds in Grove City, Ohio, has 2 adult children. Amy is a world traveler who enjoys reading, event planning and hosting family gatherings.
Denise Arbogast
Secretary
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With 35 years of experience in the insurance industry, Denise has been a dedicated associate of Grange Insurance since 1990. Currently serving as Assistant Vice President of Personal Lines Underwriting and Operations, she has held various leadership roles across underwriting, operations, compliance, budgeting, and vendor management. Certified as a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Denise is passionate about process improvement and driving operational excellence. She has been an active member of the NNEMAP Board of Directors since 2021.
Denise finds inspiration in the power of community and the lasting influence that compassionate service can have on individuals’ lives. Her commitment to nonprofit work is driven by a desire to contribute to meaningful change and support those in need. She finds great fulfillment in collaborating with others to create sustainable solutions that uplift communities. Denise holds a bachelor’s degree from Franklin University and continues to seek opportunities for personal and professional growth through education and community involvement.
Outside of her professional and volunteer roles, Denise resides in Grove City, Ohio, with her husband Shawn and their cat, Nash. She enjoys staying active by playing volleyball and golf and is an enthusiastic supporter of various sporting events, both as a participant and a spectator.
Anatol (Andy) Ahijevych
Treasurer
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Northwest Christian Church
Sam has served in several leadership roles at Northwest Christian Church in Columbus. Currently he is Congregation Moderator. A Lexington, Kentucky native, Sam holds Master’s and Bachelor degrees from the University of Kentucky and Indiana University, respectively. He is the Founder and President of Funding and Risk Innovations, a company engaged in funding of international trade and management of country and credit risk. He serves on a number of boards and advisory committees in the field of international banking and finance. Sam and his wife Mary, also active at NWCC, have two sons.
Richard Parsons
Governance Committee Chair
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King Avenue United Methodist Church
Associate Attorney, Kravitz Brown & Dortch, LLC
Ricky joined the Board in 2014 and assisted with the reorganization of NNEMAP’s governance structure. As an attorney at Kravitz, Brown & Dortch, he represents clients in a wide range of civil and criminal litigation matters. Ricky also volunteers at the Columbus Legal Aid Society’s Brief Legal Advice Clinics; is an assistant class agent for his alma mater, Carleton College; and provides pro bono counsel to Hogar Irekani, an orphanage in Morelia, Mexico.
Anatol (Andy) Ahijevych
Past President; Finance Committee Chair
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Linworth United Methodist Church
Battelle Memorial Institute (Retired)
Andy retired from Battelle after spending 37 years in various accounting/finance related positions. He graduated from The Ohio State University with degrees in Accounting and a Masters of Business Administration. He became a Certified Public Accountant prior to joining Battelle.
Carla Nuenke
Past President; Governance Committee
Northwest Christian Church
Franklin County Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Board (retired)
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Carla is an active member of Northwest Christian Church, having served in several leadership positions including board chair, and is currently chair of the Stewardship Commission. She is a Professional Mental Health Counselor, having participated in direct service, social service program management, and retired from service planning at the ADAMH Board. She currently provides telehealth counseling through Better Help and Grow Therapy. She holds an MS in Life-span Development and an MEd in Counselor Education, both from Purdue University. In addition, she edits the newsletter for the Columbus chapter of American Mensa and is a member of their Executive Committee.
Amiee Romans
At-Large; Wellness & Nutrition Committee
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Amiee joined the board in 2016 afer graduating from The Ohio State University with a degree in Human Nutrition that focused on dietetics. A Columbus business owner since 2000, Amiee has dedicated herself and her business efforts to improving the health and wellness of the local community. Her experience includes business planning, marketing, nutrition education strategies and food safety. Amiee and her husband James, also an OSU Alumni, have a college-age son.
Shelly Lawler
At-Large
PwC
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Shelly joined the board in 2023. She currently works for PwC where she has held various management roles in consulting and risk management. She is a proud graduate of The Ohio State University, Max B. Fisher College of Business. Shelly lives by the verse “for unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required…” and enjoys volunteering with local service organizations and her church. In addition, she is a world traveler and loves spending time with her family.
Amy Sockman
Amy Sockman
At-Large
JP Morgan Chase
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Amy joined the NNEMAP board in 2023. Amy has worked at JPMorgan Chase Bank since 2012 and is currently an Executive Director within the Operations division. During her time at Chase Amy has worked on a variety of large scale transformation initiatives across Consumer Banking, Business Banking and Operations. Amy has her MBA from Franklin University. She lives with her husband in Grove City and has two adult children. Amy enjoys traveling, entertaining and reading.
Venita Robinson
At-Large
Nationwide Children's Hospital
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Venita supports Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s (NCH) Pediatric Vital Signs (PVS). PVS is the way we seek to improve and measure the health of children in the communities we serve by recognizing the fact that a child’s wellbeing is inextricably tied to educational opportunities, neighborhood safety, housing quality and a number of other determinants that can be addressed through population health strategies. PVS includes eight measures that give us an indication of the impact of our collective population health work and is a part of the hospital’s strategic plan. As the Infant Wellness Manager, Venita uses her skills to think through 3 of the 8 large, complex problems – unintended teen pregnancy prevention, child obesity and infant mortality.
Venita also works with hospital systems, Federally Qualified Health Systems and Community Based Organizations as part of the Ohio Better Birth Outcomes, to facilitate interventions within the healthcare setting to reduce infant mortality in Franklin County – with the focus on reducing the Black infant mortality rate.
Some of the ways Venita gives back to her community is by sitting on the Executive Board for New Directions Career Center, being a mentor for both Big Brother Big Sisters and NCH’s high school mentoring program and participating in ad hoc volunteer opportunities. Venita also facilitates racial reconciliation sessions through Crossroad’s Living UNDIVIDED program. When there is time, Venita loves to travel and work on her house, Alberta.
STAFF LEADERSHIP
Roy Clark
Executive Director
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King Avenue United Methodist Church
Macy’s (retired)
Roy has been Executive Director of NNEMAP since 2009. His background includes a 34-year career with Lazarus and Macy’s, with 23 of those years as a General Manager. Roy’s years at Macy’s included being the regional representative to Central Ohio non-profits, an experience that led him to a career change to the non-profit sector. Roy has served on both social service and arts boards in Columbus. He attends King Avenue United Methodist Church.
Crystal Vance
Director of Development & Marketing
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Crystal came on board as the Director of Development and Marketing at the end of 2021. Crystal comes to NNEMAP from a similar role with Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine in Huntington, WV.
Crystal works closely with Executive Director, Roy Clark to promote awareness and fundraise on behalf of NNEMAP.
Denise Arbogast
Board President
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Denise joined the NNEMAP Board in 2021 and is currently serving a two-year term as Board President. She has worked for Grange Insurance since 1990 and is currently the Assistant Vice President of Personal Lines Underwriting and Operations. During her tenure with Grange Insurance, she has held leadership roles in underwriting, operations, compliance, budgeting, and vendor management. Denise graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Franklin University. She enjoys playing volleyball and golf along with watching and attending various sporting events.
Samuel S. Moore (Sam)
Past President; Chair, Development & Marketing Committee; Governance Committee
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Northwest Christian Church
Sam has served in several leadership roles at Northwest Christian Church in Columbus. Currently he is Congregation Moderator. A Lexington, Kentucky native, Sam holds Master’s and Bachelor degrees from the University of Kentucky and Indiana University, respectively. He is the Founder and President of Funding and Risk Innovations, a company engaged in funding of international trade and management of country and credit risk. He serves on a number of boards and advisory committees in the field of international banking and finance. Sam and his wife Mary, also active at NWCC, have two sons.
Richard Parsons
Governance Committee Chair
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King Avenue United Methodist Church
Associate Attorney, Kravitz Brown & Dortch, LLC
Ricky joined the Board in 2014 and assisted with the reorganization of NNEMAP’s governance structure. As an attorney at Kravitz, Brown & Dortch, he represents clients in a wide range of civil and criminal litigation matters. Ricky also volunteers at the Columbus Legal Aid Society’s Brief Legal Advice Clinics; is an assistant class agent for his alma mater, Carleton College; and provides pro bono counsel to Hogar Irekani, an orphanage in Morelia, Mexico.
Anatol (Andy) Ahijevych
Past President; Finance Committee Chair
Read More
Linworth United Methodist Church
Battelle Memorial Institute (Retired)
Andy retired from Battelle after spending 37 years in various accounting/finance related positions. He graduated from The Ohio State University with degrees in Accounting and a Masters of Business Administration. He became a Certified Public Accountant prior to joining Battelle.
Carla Nuenke
Past President; Governance Committee
Northwest Christian Church
Franklin County Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Board (retired)
Read More
Carla is an active member of Northwest Christian Church, having served in several leadership positions including board chair, and is currently chair of the Stewardship Commission. She is a Professional Mental Health Counselor, having participated in direct service, social service program management, and retired from service planning at the ADAMH Board. She currently provides telehealth counseling through Better Help and Grow Therapy. She holds an MS in Life-span Development and an MEd in Counselor Education, both from Purdue University. In addition, she edits the newsletter for the Columbus chapter of American Mensa and is a member of their Executive Committee.
Amiee Romans
At-Large; Wellness & Nutrition Committee
Read More
Amiee joined the board in 2016 afer graduating from The Ohio State University with a degree in Human Nutrition that focused on dietetics. A Columbus business owner since 2000, Amiee has dedicated herself and her business efforts to improving the health and wellness of the local community. Her experience includes business planning, marketing, nutrition education strategies and food safety. Amiee and her husband James, also an OSU Alumni, have a college-age son.
Shelly Lawler
At-Large
PwC
Read More
Shelly joined the board in 2023. She currently works for PwC where she has held various management roles in consulting and risk management. She is a proud graduate of The Ohio State University, Max B. Fisher College of Business. Shelly lives by the verse “for unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required…” and enjoys volunteering with local service organizations and her church. In addition, she is a world traveler and loves spending time with her family.
Amy Sockman
At-Large
JP Morgan Chase
Read More
Amy joined the NNEMAP board in 2023. Amy has worked at JPMorgan Chase Bank since 2012 and is currently an Executive Director within the Operations division. During her time at Chase Amy has worked on a variety of large scale transformation initiatives across Consumer Banking, Business Banking and Operations. Amy has her MBA from Franklin University. She lives with her husband in Grove City and has two adult children. Amy enjoys traveling, entertaining and reading.
Venita Robinson
At-Large
Nationwide Children's Hospital
Read More
Venita supports Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s (NCH) Pediatric Vital Signs (PVS). PVS is the way we seek to improve and measure the health of children in the communities we serve by recognizing the fact that a child’s wellbeing is inextricably tied to educational opportunities, neighborhood safety, housing quality and a number of other determinants that can be addressed through population health strategies. PVS includes eight measures that give us an indication of the impact of our collective population health work and is a part of the hospital’s strategic plan. As the Infant Wellness Manager, Venita uses her skills to think through 3 of the 8 large, complex problems – unintended teen pregnancy prevention, child obesity and infant mortality.
Venita also works with hospital systems, Federally Qualified Health Systems and Community Based Organizations as part of the Ohio Better Birth Outcomes, to facilitate interventions within the healthcare setting to reduce infant mortality in Franklin County – with the focus on reducing the Black infant mortality rate.
Some of the ways Venita gives back to her community is by sitting on the Executive Board for New Directions Career Center, being a mentor for both Big Brother Big Sisters and NCH’s high school mentoring program and participating in ad hoc volunteer opportunities. Venita also facilitates racial reconciliation sessions through Crossroad’s Living UNDIVIDED program. When there is time, Venita loves to travel and work on her house, Alberta.
NNEMAP MURAL
With the participation of the staff and board members of NNEMAP we were fortunate to work with Phil Martin, a well known artist and muralist, to create this wonderful mural on our 55-foot-long east-facing wall. Over 80 volunteers and neighbors assisted with the painting project, which was completed in October 2015.