2009 Holiday Program at OCS

Oberlin Residents

Sign-Up for the
2009 Holiday Program at OCS!

* Special Holiday Food Distribution: For singles and families held on December 15.


* Holiday Helping Hands: Community volunteers donate gifts to Oberlin children, ages 17 and under, for the Holiday Season, distributed December 18.

Sign-Up Dates and Times at Oberlin Community Services:

Saturday Food Distribution
November 14, 10:30am-1pm

Additional Sign-Ups Monday-Friday
November 16-20, 10am-12pm and 1-4pm
(Please bring a list of your children’s clothing/shoe sizes and
special gift requests to complete the Holiday Helping Hands form.)

For holiday assistance you are required to bring:
->Proof of Income
->Picture ID
->Address Verification

Residents of Wellington, Penfield, Pittsfield, Camden, Rochester, Brighton, and Huntington should contact WELL-HELP at 647-2689 or The Salvation Army at 647-7600 for assistance.

Bird feeding on fresh sunflower seeds.


Flower between our tomato plants.


 

About OCS:

Oberlin Community Services is a responsive community organization that provides direct assistance, referrals and other services to Oberlin area residents and groups who need help meeting their basic needs.

Since 1955, Oberlin Community Services (OCS) has supported the community in sensitive and caring ways. The OCS staff, Oberlin College work-study students, and more than a hundred volunteers join forces with schools, churches, medical and social service providers, civic groups, businesses, and government to offer a wide array of services to low-income citizens of Oberlin and Southern Lorain County.

The need is greater than ever today.

Last year OCS helped 2,503 families, more than double the previous year. The staff sees five new clients each week.

As the economy worsens, more people are left behind.

* Nearly 20% of all Oberlin residents live in poverty.

* More than half of public school children in Oberlin qualify for free or reduced-cost lunches because their families are poor.

* Unemployment in Lorain County is now 8.2%, above the national average of 5.7%.

* 51 homes were foreclosed in Oberlin in 2006, and 52 in 2007.

OCS provides a safety net to help people get back on their feet. OCS assists with food, housing, utilities, clothes, transportation, medicine, counseling, and much more.

These are our neighbors.

The poor and least powerful are often invisible in our community: older people who need help with food, utility bills or medicines, the newly unemployed, or those who need help with mortgages or rent payments.

You can help.

OCS relies entirely on donations and grants to meet its budget. Through your job, church, club, school, civic group, or on-line donation, you can help. Contributions are needed, and donations are tax deductible.