ORCCA: Feed • House • Warm • Educate

This past holiday season, our community partners did a great job of banding together to support our community's needs and keep our neighbors fed. I would like to thank AAA, Carson Oil, Columbia Distribution, Coquille Tribal Community Center and Health Clinic, K-DOCK, the Mill Casino, North Bend Medical Centers, North Bend and Coos Bay Safeway's, Southern Oregon Regional Brokerage, Springleaf Financial, Toyota of Coos Bay and everyone who donated food and money. Overall our partners brought in a total of 15,903 pounds, all of which is being distributed to hungry families along the South Coast.

To find out how you can continue to help feed hungry families, please call the South Coast Food Share at (541) 888-7024 or learn more at www.orcca.us.

Yours,
Mary Schoen-Clark
CEO, Oregon Coast Community Action

 

February 1, 2012

This past holiday season, our community partners did a great job of banding together to support our community's needs and keep our neighbors fed. I would like to thank AAA, Carson Oil, Columbia Distribution, Coquille Tribal Community Center and Health Clinic, K-DOCK, the Mill Casino, North Bend Medical Centers, North Bend and Coos Bay Safeway's, Southern Oregon Regional Brokerage, Springleaf Financial, Toyota of Coos Bay and everyone who donated food and money. Overall our partners brought in a total of 15,903 pounds, all of which is being distributed to hungry families along the South Coast.

To find out how you can continue to help feed hungry families, please call the South Coast Food Share at (541) 888-7024 or learn more at www.orcca.us.

Yours,
Mary Schoen-Clark
CEO, Oregon Coast Community Action

Oregon Coast Community Action is thrilled to highlight the progress being made in supporting South Coast families through the 2011-2012 US Department of Energy American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's (ARRA) Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers (SERC) Program grant. Upon being awarded $1.24 million, ORCCA began the process of providing sustainable energy resources for low-income consumers in Coos and Curry counties.

Through a partnership with Sol Coast Consulting and Design, ORCCA is providing Solar Photovoltaic (PV) access to over 100 low-income households in the area. ORCCA has already been able to install solar panels at the Women's Safety and Resource Center's Chloe House, as well as Coos Curry Housing Authority's facilities in Airport Heights and Powers. Most recently, panels have been installed at Cedar Grove Apartments, and have just begun installations at Park West Apartments.

Oregon Coast Community Action is once again excited to welcome an AmeriCorps NCCC team to the area to "get things done" on the South Coast. Blue Seven, a team of 10 young adults from around the country who have committed to a year of community service, is currently supporting ORCCA in helping to feed, house, warm, and educate community members from Reedsport to Brookings.

This is the second team ORCCA has had the privilege of hosting recently. During their 6 weeks in Coos Bay last fall, Green Four made significant contributions to the South Coast community. During their short stay, they received, inventoried, and distributed 216,482 pounds of food; conducted annual trainings for 50 partner agency employees; tutored 85 Head Start children, installed energy-saving light bulbs and showerheads in 25 homes; and expanded 3 community gardens. Their presence increased ORCCA's ability to address the challenges associated with providing essential services to many members of the South Coast.

Through the work of the Share Bear Snack Pack Program and support from institutions like Coos Bay Elks Lodge, Oregon Coast Community Action is combating hunger among South Coast children and helping them grow! Hunger is a problem that many individuals in Coos County have to face on a regular basis and we estimate 30% of those who eat from emergency food boxes are children.

Many of the children in our community are able to receive low-income meals during the school week, but when the weekend and school breaks roll around, a little extra help from a Share Bear can make the difference. The Share Bear Snack Pack program aims to ensure every child has enough to eat by providing child-friendly, nonperishable food items they can take home every Friday. The grant, totaling $10,000, will help to support the 130 children at Madison Elementary School who receive Snack Packs every week.

Oregon Coast Community Action and the South Coast Food Share are thrilled to welcome the Coos Bay Salvation Army into the South Coast Food Share network of emergency meal sites and food pantries as our newest partner agency! As a partner agency, the South Coast Food Share will help the Salvation Army receive thousands of pounds of food from national, regional and local sources and provide support to help feed our neighbors.

"We are excited that the Salvation Army is able to provide emergency food to all of Coos and lower Douglas counties," says Lt. Kevin Pope, who serves as co-director with his wife Lt. Heather Pope. "Our goal is to make sure that those who need food are getting it. Being a member of the Food Share network has allowed us to increase the amount of assistance we can provide to those who come to us.