The Family Resource Center is working with a church and brewhouse to help the needy in Oxford this holiday season.
Through partnerships with Crossroads Church and Gaslight Brewhouse, the center expects to reach hundreds of individuals and families in the community with food and help between now and Thanksgiving, said Brad Hoblitzell, director of the center.
“Seeing the enthusiasm to help really has given us at The Family Resource Center something to be thankful for and has us excited to grow and continue to expand on this,” Hoblitzell said.
The Family Resource Center, 5445 College Corner Pike, is a non-profit group serving residents of the Talawanda School District. Its services seek to help people through a variety of educational, economic and social enrichment programs.
Crossroads has several locations in Greater Cincinnati. The church’s Oxford location, 406 E. Withrow St., is going into its third year of giving back and creating impacts on the community. Crossroads Oxford volunteers will be collecting boxes in the food drive until 11 a.m. Sunday. Those volunteers will then be delivered to families identified by the Family Resource Center and the school district.
Gaslight Brewhouse, recently opened at 325 S. College Ave., is partnering with the Family Resource Center for the first time this year. Gaslight has been collecting unused toys and cash donations at the restaurant for the past few weeks. Those donations will be passed on to the resource center for distribution in the community after Nov. 26.
Gaslight also will be using its kitchen on Nov. 26 to create ready-to-eat Thanksgiving meals that the center will then pick up and deliver to needy families, according Hoblitzell.
As of Thursday, more than 150 people had signed up with the family center to receive the meals, Hoblitzell said. He hopes the partnership with Gaslight will ultimately provide 200 to 300 meals to people in the community.
“The Gaslight event is something fun and new for the community. I really appreciate a restaurant in town wanting to give back to a community in need and really embrace Oxford,” Hoblitzell said. “For me it’s exciting just seeing the heart of Oxford from The Gaslight and Crossroads and others that have gone out of their way to help the community during a time that typically puts a lot of stress on struggling families.”
