News & Events 2024
Food Shelf in the News
At the Oxford Ecumenical Food Shelf, volunteers from seven Christian churches work together to help feed those in need.
Read the article, Seven Christian Churches Work Together at Oxford Food Shelf, by Bill Doyle, Correspondent, in the November 22, 2024 edition of the Catholic Free Press.
Chamber Gives Back
The Webster-Dudley-Oxford Chamber of Commerce donated $1000 in grocery gift cards to the Oxford Ecumenical Food Shelf to support our mission to provide food for people in need this Thanksgiving. Thank you for your generosity!
Table Talk Gives Pies
Another big thank you - this time our gratitude goes out to Table Talk Pies, Inc. for generously donating 100 dessert pies for Thanksgiving dinner. Oxford Food Shelf families and volunteers are so appreciative!
Grant Helps Fight Hunger
The Bishop of Worcester Most Reverend Robert McManus presented a Catholic Campaign for Human Development Local Grant Award of $1000 to the Food Shelf at a ceremony in Worcester recently. The funds will be used to stock the pantry's shelves.
Churches Supportive
Thank you to all who gave selflessly this Thanksgiving so others may enjoy a meal with their families, including First Baptist Church of North Oxford, First Congregational Church of Oxford, Good Shepherd, Oak Hill Bible Church, St Roch Parish, United Methodist Church, and Zion Lutheran Church.
Fallon Health Grant
Fallon Health presented a $1,000 Community Benefits Mini Grant to the Oxford Ecumenical Food Shelf.
“We applaud the Oxford Food Shelf on the important work they’re doing to address food and nutrition security by improving and expanding access to healthy food sources,” said Cheryl Schmaltz, Community Engagement Manager at Fallon Health.” Read More.
Holiday Food Drive
Many thanks to the Oxford Lassie League Softball for holding a food drive for the Oxford Food Shelf in October during the Field of Screams tournament. They collected over 153 pounds of Thanksgiving meal "fixings" for our families. We are truly grateful for your generosity!
Local Yogis Give Back
A big thank you to all the yogis and teachers at Oxford's Better Life with Yoga who donated boxed food items to help families in need. The items were delivered to Webster Dudley Food Share and Oxford Food Shelf in November, just in time for the holidays.
Farm Donates Squash
We're getting ready for our families this evening! Which reminds us that a big thank you goes out to Crown & Roots Farm for sharing some of their summer squash and zucchini with us. We are grateful for your continued generosity! And, as always, we are thankful for our dedicated, hard-working volunteers who give of their time to serve our community. We are truly blessed.
Overlook Farm Gives Generously
Many thanks to Overlook Farm in Rutland for providing the Oxford Food Shelf with more than 225 pounds of tomatoes, onions, kale, Swiss chard, broccoli, eggplant, cucumbers, scallions, green peppers, potatoes and 5 types of squash, all just yesterday!
With the Food Shelf’s Christina St. Martin is Tamara Beland and her father, Chic Beland. They provided us with this bounty this summer.
Walk for Oxford Families
Please join Oxford Ecumenical Food Shelf volunteers & others on Sunday, Oct. 20, for the annual Crop Hunger Walk. We begin our easy 3.5-mile walk through town at the First Congregational Church on 355 E. Main St. at 1 pm. Registration at the church is at 12:30 pm. Everyone is welcome!
We’re looking to raise $3500. To participate, go to: https://events.crophungerwalk.org/cropwalks/event/oxfordma and follow the steps from there.
Or just show up on the 20th!
Volunteer Appreciation Event!
We appreciate our volunteers! The Oxford Ecumenical Council and Food Shelf recently celebrated our volunteers with our annual pizza party! P&D Oxford House of Pizza donated 12 pizzas to our evening, with some of our volunteers making salad and baking desserts. We are truly blessed!
Grateful for Pet Food Donations
Thank you, Second Chance Animal Services in East Brookfield, for remembering our pets! The pet adoption center has been donating pet food for our families’ cats and dogs for much of this year! We so appreciate your continued generosity!
Thank You, N&J Donuts for Snacks
Each week, N&J Donuts of Oxford donates trays of freshly made donuts for the Oxford Food Shelf to distribute to our client families. We recently showed our appreciation with a handmade thank you card complete with messages from families and volunteers. Thank you N&J for your continued generosity!
Share Garden Ready for Planting
So grateful for all our volunteers and all they do for the Oxford Ecumenical Council and Food Shelf. Please consider helping out in the garden with our friends at the First Congregational Church of Oxford, MA. Thank you, Robbins Garden Center & Stove Shop.
Girl Scouts Donate Cookies
Girl Scout Leader Ana Caracciolo and her Brownie and Daisy Scouts of troop #35260 visited the Food Shelf, and dropped off donations of Girl Scout cookies and other items. They had a brief tour and helped with shelving such items as juice, jelly, condiments and dog treats. When we receive donations of pet foods, we make available to our families who have pets.
Letter Carrier Food Drive 2024
A big thank you to everyone in Oxford who donated food to the #StampOutHunger food drive. You donated 1,845 pounds of food! Also a big shout out to all the volunteers who spent a sunny afternoon indoors sorting, date-checking and storing all the food. And we can't forget the letter carriers - so grateful for all you do. The Oxford Ecumenical Council and Food Shelf and our families appreciate the generosity of our community!
Lions Club Easter Food Drive
Many thanks to all who came out to see the Easter bunny this weekend and donated food items to the Oxford Food Shelf. We are grateful to the Lions Club for organizing and delivering the food to us. Happy Easter and thank you!
Food Shelf at Senior Health Fair
Our friends at the Oxford Senior Center are hosting a Health & Wellness Fair on Thursday at 10 am to 2 pm. We'll be there to answer any questions you may have about the Food Shelf and our services. All are welcome!
New Freezers Store More
Tarentino Fund Remembers
Many thanks to the Officer Ronald Tarentino, Jr. Charitable Fund for their recent generous donation to the Oxford Ecumenical Council and Food Shelf!
Everyone here - the council, our volunteers and especially our families - are truly grateful. We are blessed to be in such a community!
Curves Continues Tradition
Thank you, Curves Webster MA, for helping us to feed our families this Christmas! We are grateful for your generous donation of bags of holiday meal fixings!
Love the pretty holiday themed bags!
Boy Scout Earns Merit Badge
For his Citizenship in the Community merit badge, Boy Scout Ames Alvarado collected donations of non-perishable food items for our families at the Oxford Ecumenical Council and Food Shelf. Oxford’s young people are awesome!
Ames who is 11 years old and a member of Troop 101 in Auburn spent 8 hours on his project. He recently visited the Food Shelf with his dad, Humberto Alvarado. Many thanks from all of us for your generosity!
Warm Hands, Warm Hearts
Our heartfelt thanks to the 5th grade students at Clara Barton School who collected 560+ pairs of gloves and mittens to help keep our families warm this winter.
Teachers of the three homerooms that collected the gloves and mittens are: Mrs. Hornbaker, Mrs. Pierce, and Mrs. Scholl.
Carl's Oxford Diner Holds Raffle
Look who stopped by this evening! We couldn't be more grateful to Carl's Oxford Diner for their generous support of the Oxford Food Shelf. The Council as well as our volunteers and families thank you.
Gordon Cook representing Carl's Oxford Diner presenting the Oxford Ecumenical Council and Food Shelf with a check for $5,800.00 from the annual prime rib raffle. Thank you to all those who donated.