Oberlin Community Services made a serious upgrade to its space in 2023, including moving from its Professor Street home to a new site at 500 E. Lorain St., Oberlin.
By moving, the nonprofit nearly tripled in size, according to Jason Hawk, communications and development coordinator for Oberlin Community Services.
The pantry closed its doors at the former location for the final time Dec. 22, Hawk said.
It reopened Jan. 3.
“Our focus is mainly on southern Lorain County,” Hawk said. “We want to make sure that there’s enough food to go on the tables.
“We try to make sure that we get as much food to people as we can. We’ve done the math, and it averages out to about 1 ton of food per day.”
The expanded pantry came at the perfect time for Oberlin Community Services, Hawk said.
The demand for food and other supplies for low-income residents has been skyrocketing, he said.
“Today, we’ll probably have about 150 to 180 households come through,” Hawk said. “We don’t turn away anybody.
“The pantry is open to folks in all of Lorain County. We want to make sure that the southern, more rural, more agrarian parts of the county that are farther from the bright lights of the cities, we want to make sure that those folks can get food, too.”
According to Hawk, the new space has more than enough room to accommodate the entirety of Oberlin Community Services.
The organization also has brought in some new partners under the roof such as Colors+ Counseling, he said.
“This pantry right here and the warehouse are more than 14,000 square feet,” Hawk said. “We’re almost tripling the space we had, just for the food program.
“That’s one of the major reasons that we’ve seen a lot more families coming through to get food is that there’s fewer waits.”
Hawk thanked the organization’s vast array of donors for helping to keep supply high, even as demand continues to grow.
The pantry’s goal is to provide more than just the bare minimum, and be able to provide meat, dairy and fresh produce to Lorain County residents in need, he said.
“Without the donors, we’d be sunk,” Hawk said. “We do have a very wide support system out there, not only in terms of people who are willing to give us financial gifts … but also farms, grocery stores, all kinds of places that are willing to give us food.”
Those looking to support Oberlin Community Services and its food pantry can bring food to the pantry, or send in checks, he said.
Any and all support is appreciated, Hawk added.
To make a donation, go to https://www.oberlincommunityservices.org/giving.
For more information, call 440-774-6579 or email ocservices@oberlincommunityservices.org.
