With the merger of Talawanda Oxford Pantry & Social Services and Oxford’s Family Resource Center (FRC), a stronger, united organization will provide Oxford-area residents with new and improved services, as well as a new building on the TOPSS campus at 5445 College Corner Pike.
“Our goal is to provide the basic services in the new building so that the community can not only survive, but thrive,” TOPSS executive director Sherry Martin told city council Tuesday, as she and board secretary Suzy Hummel outlined the goals and visions for the organization in the coming year.
The organization also looks forward to providing “wraparound services” in its new building. This will include services that “other community organizations provide that we can invite onto the TOPSS campus,” Hummel said.
Hummel said these may include healthcare and educational services like GED classes.
The new building, funded through the American Rescue Plan Act, will be built behind their current campus and is expected to include showers, laundry and computer stations. On the extended campus, TOPSS plans to also provide hot meals, phone charging stations and a tornado shelter.
“Our vision is to become a community hub, making it easier for our neighbors in need to access many of the local service organizations by building our campus,” Hummel said.
The presentation also provided ways in which the community can support TOPSS, including food drives, donations of grocery bags and shoes, and volunteer opportunities.
“If people want to volunteer and give back to the community, TOPSS is a great place to do it. We’ve got something for you to do,” Hummel said.
TOPSS relies on volunteer work and part-time staff to run their organization. “We are a small but mighty staff of two full-time members,” Martin said, including herself and Nicola Rodrigues, former director of FRC.
Next year, Oxford residents can expect to see TOPSS “at festivals, the farmer’s market and different events,” as the organization increases their presence in the community, Hummel said.
“I’m real proud of everything you do,” Mayor William Snavely told the pair.
Hummel said TOPSS is looking forward to a strong partnership with the city to “meet the basic survival needs of Oxford residents who live in poverty.”
