Resilience
Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. At OCS, we believe in providing our clients with the tools necessary for a bright and successful future. The goal of our resilience programs is to help families grow more resilient against future hardships.
Workshops
OCS hosts workshops on a variety of topics, such as gardening and financial literacy. Want to see what’s coming up next? See what workshops are currently available!
Little Sprouts Summer Camps
Little Sprouts day camps are offered each summer for kids ages 6-10. They can learn about gardening, nature, and sustainability. It’s a safe place for children to learn about how food is grown! Children must be registered in advance to participate.
Job Experience Training Internship (JETI)
In partnership with OhioMEANSJobs’ TANF program, the JETI program builds resiliency in low-income youth ages 16-24 who are engaged to help with all aspects of OCS’ food distribution efforts. During their paid internship, they receive life-skill mentoring and gain excellent work experience and soft-skill job training, while becoming valuable members of the OCS team. Learn more.
Farm to Fork Cooking Classes
On a rolling basis, OCS offers free classes to teach youth how to prepare basic meals using food they can easily grow at home, get from the food pantry, or purchase at the grocery store. The goal is to teach a lifelong skill that helps young people reduce their reliance on fast food in favor of healthier, less expensive meals.
Project LIFE
During the school year, OCS hosts students from the Lorain County JVS. Project LIFE is a JVS course that caters to students with special needs. They come to the Cooper Center to practice basic workplace skills such as clocking in, cleaning, organizing food in the warehouse, and packing boxes of food.
AmeriCorps VISTA
OCS partners with AmeriCorps to provide a paid intern each year to help build capacity. This means helping to pilot new projects such as build-a-garden or doing background research and curriculum development for workshops and classes.
Drug Prevention/Safety
Partnerships That Help Our Neighbors
We have a lot of terrific partners who provide services to families in Lorain County! OCS works with Second Harvest, OhioGuidestone, Medicaid providers, and others to set aside space for tabling during our food pantry hours, which allows these partners can get information and resources to our visitors.
Back to School Giveaway
OCS collects and distributes school supplies to Oberlin City School District students each summer, ensuring everyone can start the academic year on equitable footing for success.
Great Seed Giveaway
Each spring, we give FREE fruit, vegetable, and flower seeds to Lorain County residents, regardless of income. This program encourages families to grow healthy, sustainable food at home, which can significantly lower grocery bills.