OCS Fast Facts

BASICS

HOURS: The Cooper Community Resource Center, 500 E. Lorain St., Oberlin, has office hours from 9 a.m. to noon and 1-5 p.m. on weekdays (except Fridays, when we close at 4 p.m.)

MISSION: To empower area residents through emergency assistance, food programs, and other services while promoting systemic change.

VISION: A sustainable and thriving community where everyone flourishes.

FOOD PROGRAMS

• THE CHOICE PANTRY is open three times each week: Mondays from 1:30-4:30 p.m., Wednesdays from 1:30-4:30 p.m., and Fridays from 1:30-3:30 p.m.

• CURBSIDE pick-up is available during pantry hours.

• PRODUCE POP-UP PANTRIES are held several times a month to get fresh fruit and vegetables to neighborhoods where we know people are struggling.

• SENIOR BOXES are available for seniors (ages 60+) on a monthly basis.

• HOME DELIVERY is available for Oberlin and Wellington residents who are home-bound or have no transportation options.

• HOLIDAY distributions at Thanksgiving and again at the winter holidays for Oberlin residents only.

GARDEN PROGRAMS

• THE PEOPLE’S GARDEN grows vegetables and fruit to stock the pantry.

• SEED GIVEAWAYS are held each spring to help people cultivate sustainable home gardens.

• LITTLE SPROUTS summer day camp for children, focusing on gardening and the environment.

EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE

• RELIEF with rent, utilities, and prescription medications is available to southern Lorain County residents.

• HOLIDAY HELPING HANDS provides Oberlin families with December holiday gifts, ensuring that all children who live in the city can have presents.

RESILIENCE

• NARCAN AND FENTANYL TEST STRIPS are available to help people dealing with addiction and the danger of overdosing.

• INTERNSHIPS help at-risk youth ages 16-24 by offering paid job experience at OCS through a partnership with Ohio MEANS Jobs.

• WORKSHOPS on topics such as gardening and financial literacy.

KEY DATA POINTS

In FY23-24, OCS:

• Gave food to 2,369 families with 6,962 members.

• Welcomed 17,141 visits to the food pantry.

• Through the pantry, got food to 2,209 children, 3,470 working-age adults, and 1,283 seniors (ages 60+).

• Noted that the MOST COMMON situation we see is when families visit the food pantry once or twice and then recover after a major hardship (layoff, death in the family, medical expense, loss of transportation, etc.).

• Welcomed the average family to the pantry 7 times.

• Got 444,648 pounds of food from Second Harvest Food Bank, which provides about 80 percent of our supply.

• Got 19,220 pounds of food by working with grocers, cafeterias, farms, retailers, and auctions.

• Got 8,884 pounds of food from community donations such as food drives or local gardeners.

• Grew 1,823 pounds of food at Firefly Farms.

• Used $182,510 for emergency financial assistance relief programs, including $79,004 for utility relief and $101,591 for housing relief.

• Helped 852 families with emergency financial relief.