The Thanksgiving season is an opportunity for people to appreciate what they have and give back what they can.
Talawanda and Oxford Pantry and Social Services (TOPSS) is hosting an open-invite Thanksgiving day celebration at 1 p.m. at 5445 College Corner Pike.
“We hope that seniors, TOPSS clients, community members and students will all come out if they don’t have anything else to do,” Sherry Martin, executive director of TOPSS, said. “I think TOPSS is pretty fortunate to be where it is. Even when the students leave for the winter, there are still groups that will help out; and the locals are always generous.”
Sydney Shelly, a pantry assistant at TOPSS and a junior nutrition major at Miami, said they are not short on help during the holiday season.
“We get a lot of student volunteers during the year from all different majors,” Shelly said. “But when the students aren’t here we get a ton of help from churches and other organizations to keep our food bank full.”
TOPSS doesn’t build itself around one group of people, either. The pantry aims to help anyone they can. Senior or student, food insecure or just someone feeling lonely – everyone is welcome at TOPSS.
“I would say we mostly get returning faces,” Martin said. “Obviously people come in during the holidays when things are tighter, but a lot of people usually come back. I think they like that they can choose what they get instead of just being handed a box.”
Shelly said this December is no different.
“Especially during the winter months,” Shelly added. “People may not be able to walk to the store or to their jobs everyday, so us being there feels even more important.”
TOPSS isn’t restricting aid to just Thanksgiving day, however. Curbside shopping is available at certain times throughout the week, and the pantry itself even calls out to those in the area with what supplies it may need.
The food pantry has been trying to cultivate its online presence recently as a way to improve community engagement. Its Instagram profile and its Facebook page – @topsspantry – frequently posts upcoming events as well as available times for food pickup, what items they need and any unusual things they want people to know.
With Thanksgiving approaching quickly down the pipeline, the Talawanda and Oxford pantry is beginning to get ready for its busiest season of the year – both in terms of clients and volunteers.
“We definitely need more help, more volunteers,” Martin said. “Some days we have nobody and post something about needing help, and other days we’ll get a bunch of people all at once and they’re like ‘Why did you say you need people?’”
Shelly echoed this sentiment.
“There’s always going to be an increased need for aid. We always try to help to the best of our ability, I just want to be able to try and do more,” Shelly said.
Thursday, Nov. 21, will begin TOPSS’ Thanksgiving distribution. People interested in volunteering at TOPSS can register for shifts and responsibilities at its website, or email [email protected] with questions.
Talawanda and Oxford Pantry and Social Services is located at 5445 College Corner Pike, Oxford, Ohio.
