OXFORD, Ohio — As food pantries across Ohio finish up their busiest season, Feeding America estimates they will help 1.5 million across the state put food on the table, including hundreds in Oxford, Ohio.
Blocks away from Miami University, more than 250 families will stop by the Talawanda Oxford Pantry and Social Services complex for help this holiday season from a new face in leadership at the pantry.
Sherry Martin took over in November after former executive director Ann Fuehrer stepped down to focus on economic injustice initiatives.
“This is really my dream job so I kind of jumped on it,” Martin said.
Martin packs groceries for the pantry
A lifelong Oxford resident, Martin has been volunteering at TOPSS since 2017 and served as secretary of the board for more than two years before stepping into her new role a few weeks before Thanksgiving.
“It was wild timing, but it’s worked out so far,” she said.
Martin credits her experience with the pantry for helping her keep her head above water for her first holiday season leading the TOPSS staff, volunteers and distributing more than $10,000 in prepaid cards and gift bags to families in need.
“I think it’s just all the moving parts and keeping them organized,” she said.
Martin said her time as a volunteer opened her eyes to the need across Oxford.
According to the U.S. Census, 47.5% of the community lives below the poverty line and Martin said she sees many familiar faces coming to the pantry month after month.
“They’re Oxford people so I’ve known them all my life,” she said.
During Fuehrer’s tenure as executive director, pantry services expanded to include a mobile pantry and deliveries, in addition to the curbside shopping the facility offers three times a week.
Martin said she hopes to keep that growth going and find more ways to serve more people more often.
“I really want to work to try to serve the homeless people better because the way we’re set up is really for families,” she said.
Volunteers help pack groceries for clients
As affordable housing gets more and more difficult to find in Oxford, Martin said she’s seen the problem grow.
“I talked to a lady this morning who said she just walks around at night and then during the day she sleeps at somebody’s house, whoever will let her take a nap,” she said.
Under those circumstances, Martin said coming to the pantry every other week to stock up on food and toiletries isn’t feasible.
“I would like for them to be able to have a different program for them where they can get more food more often so they don’t have to carry so much with them,” she said.
Martin said the pantry’s immediate needs are donations of ready-to-eat food or food that requires minimal cooking as well as personal care items like soap, toothpaste and diapers.
As she enters the new year, though, she said she’s hoping to get the ball rolling, working to find new ways to serve her neighbors.
“They know me and I know them,” she said.
