Oasis Compassion Agency Inc

Pass and don’t stop here. People need help and it’s not a compassionate place.

Put simply this organization is not just a hand out, it is a hand up. I was first drawn to Oasis Compassion Agency when I met its amazing and inspiring founder, Sharon Gill. I was impressed that the clients were required to take a class that fit their individual needs. After retiring as an elementary school media specialist, I decided I wanted to work with adults for a change. I was assigned to be a receptionist in the Womens Center and sometimes helped in the intake office. I thoroughly enjoyed taking a cooking class with clients. I found the staff to be superb and professional. The clients were appreciative, yet they had to do their part to improve their lives.

PATRICIA MOORE HERE...I WORKED AS VOLUNTEER IN THE INTAKE OFFICE, THRIFT SHOP AND PANTRY FOR THREE YEARS WITH GREAT APPRECIATION FOR THE LEADERS, VOLUNTEER DEDICATION AND UTTER KINDNESS AND RESPECT FOR THE CLIENTS OF OASIS. AS A RESULT, OUR FOUNDATION, THE CHRIST FOUNDATION HAS BEEN SUPPORTING OASIS FOR SIX YEARS. ALSO, FRIENDS ON THE BOARD OF QUANTUM FOUNDATION ARE IMPRESSED AND SUPPORTING OASIS AS WELL.

Oasis Compassion Agency offers the very best in services to those most in need in Palm Beach county. As a volunteer I noticed first hand how beneficial this organization is to the community and how blessed the clients were to receive a number of helpful and fundamental services such as food, clothing but also education and counseling. Sharon Gill is the most compassionate, caring and business minded person I've ever had the pleasure of working with. Everyone who is thinking of volunteering or donating to a charitable cause should consider Oasis Compassion Agency. You can be certain that your time and money is being used efficiently to help people in the community with basic needs.

Oasis is a wonderful place to volunteer. The staff is caring and compassionate. More importantly, the clients, who are in financial need, are truly appreciative of the services they receive .The term Oasis Compassion Agency is very appropriate. The organization follows our Biblical instructions to care for the poor and needy. Oasis is truly a blessing to many.

I have been volunteering with Oasis Compassion Agency since July 2009. When I found them, through the United Way, I was willing to do whatever they needed. I chose them from the list in my area because they provide services locally and because the scope of services they provide have the ability to save individuals and families from going hungry and losing their homes. Oasis operates a food pantry, career center, now a women's center (that has opened since I started volunteering which is an amazing addition and a testatment to their dedication to the community) and a thrift store with affordable clothing including business wear for interviews and everyday work wear.

They are an amazing group that I am proud to be a part of and they gave me a great opportunity at a time when I really needed it. I was laid off when I started volunteering with Oasis and they gave me a chance to use my Human Resources skills to create an Interview Skills workshop for out of work Oasis clients. It has been an honor to teach that workshop, which I still do today more than 3 years later and will continue to do for as long as they need me. The employee and volunteers are a pleasure to work with and they genuinely care about the clients they serve. I am lucky to have found them!

I am just a customer,and if I am needed, I would like to volunteer.....Patricia, is the most lovely and kind woman, who is MY reason for continually going back, plus of course the great deals....GOD BLESS YOU ALL.........The little jewish/christian lady.......

My mother has told me that Oasis is a wonderful place to be. You can feel God's spirit there and everyone she knows there is very kind and loving. Her first experience at volunteering was in the Thrift Store. She loved it so much that when she started working she asked her boss if she could have every other Friday off so she could continue to volunteer at Oasis. Amazingly, her new employer said yes! This agency really helps people by meeting them at their need - food, clothes, jobs, lifeskills - whatever it is, and helping them reach their next level. Mostly, she said it is wonderful to be able to pray with people and talk about how Jesus can change their life and give them hope. There is no other place like it. She says it is great to serve there and be able to show God's love to people. My mom is very grateful to Oasis for that opportunity!

Disappointed ultimately that they did not seem to appreciate all my volunteering and donations...
Volunteered here and was doing several days a week for months then had a vacation and wanted to resume schedule. I stopped by several times and was always made to feel that they were too busy! They never called me back to volunteer. With that said, I don't believe they value all volunteers.

If I had to make changes to this organization, I would like to see them expand even bigger and duplicate the services in other areas of the country and the world.

This charity provides an invaluable public service to the residents in our community. The agency provides participating residents with assistance to get back on their feet during difficult times. Participants are given the opportunity to take part in classes that helps in job searching. In addition to providing classes on interviewing skills and resume writing, the agency also provides assistance through the food pantry. Residents who are down on their luck are able to get pastries and canned food items from the pantry during their enrollment period. This agency gives members of our community a chance to get back on their feet with dignity.

I first started volunteering at Oasis Compassion Agency about a couple years ago when my college advisors recommended that I do some volunteer work because "it looks good on a resume". I chose Oasis solely because it was located 2 minutes away from my home and they were open on Saturdays. Thinking about it now, it's actually kind of interesting how my self-interest controlled my decisions for a place to volunteer, everything needed to be perfectly convenient for me. And this is the exact opposite of what volunteering is all about. When I accrued sufficient hours of volunteer work, I could have stopped, but there was something about Oasis that kept drawing me in to its doors. And of course, if I couldn't give my time, I would try my best to make a donation of some sort to help out the agency. I actually figured out what kept me coming back to Oasis. When the clients walked in to the food pantry to collect their bread and pastries, and community food, they expressed the purest form of content and gratitude that you rarely see in society anymore. They kept thanking me as if I was the CEO, when I was just the distributor, the middleman. My greatest experience is with the kids. I love giving them candy, snacks, juice, or anything else we had in the pantry for them because they're so innocent and sweet, and it breaks my heart to know that their parents can't afford a basic necessity like food, which some of us, including me, take for granted sometimes. Oasis Compassion Agency has helped me grow in so many ways. This is so remarkable because even though it is designed to assist clients in need, I was also someone in need who didn't know it, and who didn't enter Oasis for help. I didn't need food, clothing, or career counseling, but I needed a perspective to really become aware of what is going on this world and empathize with others, to love one another and treat one another as if we were brothers and sisters. It was then that I decided to understand the purpose of Oasis. Oasis is built upon Biblical principles, and is focused on assisting the homeless/needy/unemployed to get back on their feet. What's great about this program is that it "teaches a man to fish instead of giving him a fish". Oasis accomplishes this by offering computer classes and workshops to train clients to become better job applicants. In addition, the thrift store is stocked with formal attire for the clients to wear on their interviews. Clients who enroll in these courses are then eligible to receive community food for a period of 6 months. As a result, Oasis attempts to transform these clients by providing them with the tools they need to succeed and boosting their confidence and self-esteem. The program is definitely a success because the Oasis Job Counselor helped placed over 20 clients in jobs last year, and the numbers continue to rise despite the economic downturn. Amazing! It is such a privilege to be part of the Oasis team because of their loving staff, volunteers, and clients who work together for enrichment and positive growth.

I am a member of the advisory board and a floating volunteer for the Oasis Compasssion Agency. I volunteer my time, talent and resources to Oasis because it is a lifeline for hurting people in the community. Oasis helps people at thier lowest point see that there is still hope and opportunity to turn their many times desperate situation around. It provides practical solutions to daunting problems. It provides food for the hungry, clothes for those in need, particularly work clothing for job interviews, empowerment opportunities such as job counseling, resume building, computer training and many skills designed to put people back on their feet. Oasis doesn't just "give a man a fish" - it teaches men and women how to fish. In addition to volunteering my time on the advisory board, I have picked up and delivered furniture and food, helped with resumes, job counseling, food pantry work and in many other capacities. I do this because Of the great work of Oasis, its management with integrity, its heart for the community and the major impact it has on its community. One measure of the effectiveness of an organization is whether that organization would be missed in its absence. In the case of Oasis, there is no other private agency that does all that it does with such excellence and impacting so many families per year. Its absence would mean a huge void in the community. Oasis Compassion Agency changes real lives - serving over 4000 families since its inception.

Oasis does an exceptional job of treating its clients with dignity while challenging them to take responsibility for improving their circumstances. They offer more than food, job and life skills training: they offer hope for change, specific case management based on each person's situation, and an environment that encourages cooperation between individuals of all ethnic, social, and religious backgrounds. I've been in the office when a former client returns with a donation or to say thanks, I got the job...and I was there when someone walked in on the verge of suicide because she didn't see a way out of her situation--and she found a group of people who listened, who took immediate action, helped her with a step-by-step plan for regaining her LPN certification and eventually employment and a place to live. I've watched church "attenders" blossom in their spiritual and personal lives by serving others without expecting anything in return. After we moved away from the area, I resigned my position on the Board.

My husband volunteers his time for Oasis and can admit that it is a heartwarming experience to be able to help others less fortunate than himself. There is a real need and Oasis takes that need and gives hope to the hopeless & compassion to the downtrodden. Not one of us can say that we would never need help, and those at Oasis act upon their God given gift to help. Giving of themselves brings not only joy to those who receive but also to those who give. Thanks to all who take the time for others.

I have been a client of Oasis Compassion Agency since September of 2009. In that time I have received support and motivation from the caring staff. I appreciate the help from Tonya and the rest of the staff. I have learned alot of skills, I did not know before. The entire staff keeps me motivated to continue searching for a better job and to better myself. The entire staff is always very welcoming.

Over a year ago, I had the humbling experience of working for Oasis Compassion Agency. During this time I was able to see God’s love in action in ways I cannot express in words. Though Oasis’ mission is to empower economically challenged individuals and families by providing food, resources, job training, computer classes, and spiritual guidance, this agency accomplishes much more than its list of services can enumerate. The most rewarding experience was seeing previous clients come back to simply thank the organization for the impact it had on their lives. Oasis does not just hand out food to those in need and those who come to Oasis are not just clients, the staff and volunteers know these people by name, they are listened to, prayed for, and encouraged through the hardest of times. Since my employment, I have volunteered for Oasis’ yearly special events and I can attest to their continued efforts to reach greater needs within the community. Oasis CEO, Sharon Gill’s restless vision of helping others is contagious to all who become a part of the ever growing Oasis Compassion Agency Family.

Oasis Compassion Agency reaches out to people who are experiencing financial constraits after losing their job. One facet of help offered is job counseling and searching. Staff work one on one with clients to build a dynamic resume and learn basic computer skills to search for employment online. Computers are available for client use. Those who are enrolled in the program are treated with the dignity they deserve and come away with a renewed sense of self and hope for the future.

I have been a volunteer with Oasis Compassion Agency since November, 2006. I have watched this Agency grow from a small agency to where we are today. We have a main office, a food pantry, and a thrift store. The volunteers that work in these areas all care greatly about what they are doing for the community.

I am a volunteer donating my counseling services to clients at Oasis. Even though I am only there one morning a week, I can see the need for these services and feel I am making a difference in people's lives. Oasis is very welcoming and supportive of me as a volunteer. This agency runs very well in spite of only having 5 paid employees on the books.Each one of them even took a cut in hours (and as a result, reduced pay) when the agency wasn't able to meet their expenses late last year. The dedication of the staff and CEO, Sharon Gill, is incredible and they really care about their clients. Because this agency is an empowerment program, clients must take the initiative to help themselves while in the program and the staff supports that 100%. They are firm but kind & encourage the clients through the program. I have always felt welcome as a volunteer and a valued member of the team. I also feel that my opinion counts and this is why I keep going back every week on my day off to volunteer. This agency has a dream of expanding to open a women's center to empower women to get up and out of poverty by giving them opportunities they might not otherwise have. This agency is truly a community minded organization with it's vision set on helping those around them in the local community.

I am a volunteer at Oasis Compassion Agency. I started out volunteering because I needed community service hours for high school, but a year later, I'm still coming most saturdays. Oasis taught me so much about an invisible community... the community that sometimes even needs soap, when many people I know are busy upgrading or wasting things. Not only does the food pantry program at Oasis provide people with subsistence, the office pulls them through the hard times, helps them get training and finds them jobs that they want.

Oasis Compassion Agency, can only receive my highest recommendation, I have had the privilege to work for Oasis as a volunteer and to see first hand what this organization does day in and day out to help the need. Sharon Gill the founder and current CEO, dedication and tireless effort to help the community led her to begin the Oasis Ministry that not only feeds and clothes those in need but also helps them build new lives through skills training and counseling. She began this organization with her own money and has built it to the point where it feeds and cares for thousands of people annually. Oasis has developed a women’s ministry that not only tends to the basic needs of their members but helps develop their skills, identify their talent, and builds self confidence so that they are able to secure work and support their families. Oasis even supports them beyond their training to point of helping them secure a position that can be developed into a career or help them start their own business Oasis truly cares for people and has made a positive impact in their lives. This organization has touched the lives of thousands of people and still strives every day to do more. I have been blessed to work as a volunteer at this place.