Congratulations, Class of 2026
OCS Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator Rosa Gadsden (right) was honored on Monday, May 25 at Oberlin College commencement! She received the Award for Distinguished Service to the Community, recognizing her hard work to provide food and additional services to thousands of Lorain County residents each year. Also pictured are Ruby Ahdoot and Lilly Dodson, two AMAZING students who graduated after helping in the OCS food pantry over the past four years. Hundreds of students get involved in local community service at OCS and other organizations during their years at Oberlin College, gaining valuable experience through volunteering and work study. Congratulations, Oberlin College Class of 2026! We will miss you!
Stamping Out Hunger
Thank you, Oberlin USPS workers! While completing their routes Saturday, May 9, they collected 467 pounds of nonperishable food from Oberlin residents as part of the National Association of Letter Carriers' Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. We're so thankful to have a wonderful and supportive community! While we are extremely grateful to both mail carriers and residents, please note that the amount generated by the drive across Lorain County fell substantially this year, as reported by the Chronicle-Telegram. This comes as corporate donations to Second Harvest Food Bank remain much lower than normal, limiting the emergency food supply for local families. YOU can help ensure there is plenty of food for everyone! Donations can be made at the Cooper Community Resource Center, 500 E. Lorain St., Oberlin. This includes nonperishable food as well as produce from your garden or farm, dairy products, baby diapers, adult diapers, menstrual products, and other hygiene items. Working together as a community, we ALL make a big difference!
Pilot Connects Us to Sheetz
Our food pantry staff started a new pilot program May 19 in partnership with Second Harvest, picking up 15 pounds of donations from Sheetz on Chestnut Ridge Road. The Meal Connect program is a way for partner nonprofits (like OCS!) to work directly with stores to get smaller-sized food donations twice each week, providing fast delivery of fresh goods. We're excited to be part of this pilot and hope to see it expand quickly, helping OCS and others meet increased need.
Do you think worms are gross?
Well, OCS Resilience Coordinator Marla Brewer knows just how good worms are for the health of your garden! On May 19, she led a class on vermiculture, which is the cultivation and farming of earthworms. They are excellent garden helpers, eating organic waste and converting it into nutrient-dense compost. This sustainable process is a highly effective way to divert kitchen scraps from landfills while producing premium fertilizer. This was one of the best-attended workshops OCS has offered in the last couple of years!
You’re Invited!
Keeping It Cooler
The OCS choice pantry got a great upgrade in early May with the addition of a new reach-in cooler! It’s already allowed us to move so much more fresh produce, dairy, and egg stock onto the pantry floor, giving neighbors better access to nutritious staples. This purchase was made possible by a capacity grant from Second Harvest Food Bank. Thank you, Second Harvest!
Partnerships That Work
More than 150 people visited the Cooper Center on May 6 to get rid of electronic scrap like old TVs, computers, printers, VCRs, DVD players, and radios. Oberlin Cable Co-op and Allay LLC used our parking lot to collect several tons of e-waste to be recycled rather than end up in the landfill!
This Donation Made a Real Splash
Special thanks to Sandy and Ed Wood, who made a giant delivery at the tail end of April! Throughout the month, they held a hygiene item drive at SplashZone, asking folks who play and work out there to give shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, and other essentials. At the end, they dropped off two SUVs-worth of donations for local families that access the OCS food pantry. These are high-value items that are incredibly useful for the 350-400 households that OCS serves each week. YOU too can help ensure there are always essentials available by giving baby diapers, adult diapers, menstrual products, toothbrushes, soap, and more! Hygiene and food donations are always welcome during Cooper Center business hours (we recommend mornings) and there are is also a donation bin outside the front doors where nonperishable items can be dropped on nights and weekends. Thank you!
Oh, SNAP!
Special thanks to Amelia Eastin of Second Harvest Food Bank. She spent time May 18, 20, and 22 answering pantry visitors’ questions about the federal SNAP (formerly food stamps) program benefits, eligibility, and changes. Times are tough, and both OCS and Second Harvest want to help people get the food they need through every available channel!
How can I support OCS?
There are lots of ways to donate to OCS — mail a check, give online, use PayPal, make a gift of stock, even include OCS in your estate planning. Learn more by clicking the button below.
You can donate right from our Walmart wishlist
Did you know we have a wish list? You can buy items for the OCS food pantry via our Walmart online registry. It highlights dozens of low-cost nonperishable staples that are especially useful for the thousands of families we serve. To buy food to donate to the OCS pantry, visit www.tinyurl.com/OCSwishlist and browse the list! Donations can be shipped or brought to the Cooper Center, 500 E. Lorain St., Oberlin, OH 44074.
