Silo Works

We host a monthly free meal for the community. The meal attracts people in our area who are in need of a friend or a free meal. Our guests include folks with limited physical or mental ability, seniors, families, single parents, immigrants, and folks who are homeless. The meal creates a safe space where people from all walks of life come together and support each other. Because our event draws a signifcant crowd, we limited our gatherings to outdoor summer meals during covid to ensure attendees safety. We have now returned to year-round meals.

We empower our friends to provide for their own food needs through backyard gardening, a community garden and educational workshops. To help our friends further stabilize their food source, we launched growing with Silo, a backyard gardening program that has made, installed and filled over 200 raised garden beds in the backyards of the most vulnerable people in oxford. These mini vegetable gardens empower our friends to grow their own food and learn about sustainable growing practices. To further empower friends growing their own food, we created the growing together community garden- a place where friends and neighbors come together to grow food for themselves and others.

The delivering hope program ensures no one in the oxford community is isolated or experiencing food or housing insecurity, exacerbated by the covid pandemic. Delivering hope was initiated in response to covid. Silo friends were hit hard and fast by covid- some got sick, many lost their jobs and almost all lost wages. Requests for food increased instantaneously. We creatively and immediately adapted our services to ensure their needs were met. We support our friends through relationship building, ongoing food deliveries and emergency assistance. Twice weekly, bags of fresh produce, meat and canned goods are delivered to vulnerable people in our community. When delivering food and personal items, we find that relational connection is one of the most hopeful things we bring to people's doorstep.

We have found that visiting friends in their homes is a great way for them to feel connected and build relationships, especially if age or illness prevents them from leaving their home. At least monthly, our Silo volunteers visit a home bound friend bringing a token gift. These home visits ensure our friends are not experiencing debilitating isolation and depression.