Community Outreach
If you are interested in being on this committee, please contact Ginn Gould - 973-907-7354 or VGDesign@optonline.net

The NJAWBO Passaic Chapter has taken OASIS, A Haven for Women & Children in Paterson as our Community Outreach Project, 59 Mill Street, Paterson, NJ 07501 - Check below for some information or go to their website.

OASIS A Haven for Women and Children
Tel. 973-881-8307
Fax 973-881-1755
email@oasisnj.org
www.oasis-ahavenforwomenandchildren.org

What is Oasis - A Haven for Women and Children?

It is a charitable, non-profit organization dedicated to providing food and clothing to women and their young children, and offering educational and other opportunities to help women compete in today's marketplace.  Oasis offers these services in a safe, nurturing environment.  We are committed to fostering healthy family relationships, and we seek to preserve the dignity of people and their cultures.  Oasis offers these programs at a single location in downtown Paterson, New Jersey, where our aim is to provide the tools necessary to foster economic independence for women and their children.

 What We Do

Oasis is a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting low-income families who strive to achieve economic independence by providing educational programs to equip mothers and their children with the skills they need to become self-sufficient.  We provide a “hand up, not a hand out” by offering Adult Education classes for women and After-School and Summer Camp programs for at-risk youth in the Paterson community, all at no charge.  Other programs, such as infant and toddler care in the Nurturing Center, access to a Food Pantry for weekend care packages, and a Clothing Distribution Center ensure the women enrolled in the education programs can focus more attention on their studies.  Our unique and innovative network of programs enables our students to remain focused on their studies. 

Oasis is the only resource for women and children in Paterson that comprehensively addresses the needs of education, food, clothing, and children’s programming with open hearts, without judgment or restrictions, and completely free of charge.  Through the comprehensive approach of providing food, clothing, educational and children’s programming, opportunities for empowerment are created for women and children who have so few places to turn to for help.  These families have a real chance to acquire skills needed to break out of the cycle of poverty and dependence.

  Programs
   Basic Needs:
     •Daily Community Lunch (12:00 - 1:00 pm)
     •Food Pantry (daily with referral)
     •Clothing Boutique 
       (daily with referral or all-community welcome
       on Mondays)

   Women’s Education:
     •GED
     •ESL
     •Computer Training

   Children’s Education:
     •Michael Wagner After-School Program
       (3:00-6:00 pm during the school year only)
     •Carl’s Kids Summer Camp (July - August)
     •Nurturing Center, ages 6 months - 3 years old
      (9:00am - 3:00pm during the school year only)
     •Children's Center, ages 3-5 years old
          (9:00am - 3:00pm during the school year only)

CLOTHING DONATIONS -
WHAT:  Please donate clean, in-season, new or used clothing for women and children.  We do not accept men’s clothing.  Due to storage considerations we are unable to accept games, toys and furniture at this time.
WHEN:  Clothing donations are accepted during the first full week of the month ONLY from 8:30 am - 11:00 am OR 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm.
WHERE:  You may park in front of Oasis, along the curb with the yellow line; this is the official unloading area.

FOOD DONATIONS
In addition to serving daily hot lunch to the community at large, Oasis also operates a food pantry.  There we collect donations and create “food bags” which contain simple staples that are given out to women and children who might otherwise go hungry.  You may choose one (or a few) of the items from the list (on the right) and donate them in bulk (we’re always in need of peanut butter, for example), or you may donate food bags that you create yourself.  These bags contain enough food to feed a family of 4 for about 3 days.

  The Oasis Food Bag
     •2 cans of soup
     •2 pastas
     •2 cans of vegetables
     •2 cans of tuna
     •1 can of either corn beef
       hash, stew beef or chili
     •2 boxes of macaroni & 
       cheese (or rice)
     •1 box of cereal (or oatmeal)
     •1 jar of jelly
     •1 jar of peanut butter
     •1 snack
     •1 can of fruit
     •1 jar of tomato sauce