UCOM is a great organization because the people who keep it going truly have a heart to help our neighbors in need. Services and programs are thoughtfully planned and executed to have a greater impact on our clients. Volunteers are the glue that holds it all together, and all help is appreciated. The staff at the Emergency Services Center, where our office and the food pantry is located, is outstanding in the commitment and dedication they show each and every day. God bless this organization and the many people who serve and are served by UCOM!
I have served as a board member and volunteer at UCOM for 4 years. From the moment I got involved, I could tell UCOM was a special organization. What makes UCOM unique is the amount of volunteers who pour their heart and soul into its mission. Each week there are 40-50 volunteers helping in the food pantry, and another 120 volunteers as drivers for their Meals-On-Wheels partnership with Aging True. Additionally, Sara Mitchell has been an extraordinary leader who has brought stability and a renewed vision of how UCOM can expand its reach and deepen its impact. In short, UCOM is a thriving non-profit with exceptional leadership and a strong volunteer base that makes a tangible impact on the local community. I am grateful to be a friend, volunteer, and partner with their work in Jacksonville, FL.
UCOM Jacksonville has been helping neighbors in need since 1979. They are determined that people living on the Southside of Jacksonville will not face hunger alone. Through the food pantry and Meals on Wheels delivery they have been helping neighbors.
I have been a board member and volunteer for nearly five years and can vouch for the excellence of the programs and the fact that donations are used to provide such programs in the best financial means possible.
Since retirement, my husband and I have been able to volunteer each Tuesday at United Community Outreach Ministry (UCOM UrbanServ Inc.). UCOM has been in existence since 1979 working so no one faces hunger alone.
We help provide emergency relief to our fellow residents facing food insecurity by bagging donated food for our clients and taking the food to their car. I've learned that food insecurity hits across all ethnic lines and age ranges in our city. I have been blessed to listen to people as they tell me their story while I take their food to their cars or help them put the bags in "their buggy" so they can walk home.
UCOM also approaches food insecurity by providing at least one hot meal a day to those who are home bound in its Meals on Wheels program. I have been able to help with this program. I also serve on the Board of Directors at UCOM and am in charge of the CNA Scholarship Program. This is a great way to help individuals raise their earning potential and break their cycle of crisis.
There are so many things in the world that make me sad and that I can not control. I look forward to my UCOM work because it is one area where I can help make a difference in people's lives. I would highly recommend looking us up! I believe you'd be impressed with how well the organization is run.
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I am honored to be a Board Member and volunteer for UCOM UrbanServe, Inc. I have witnessed the effects of food insecurity and hunger issues in our community and have been blessed to witness the positive effect getting a bag of food has on our clients. We have clients who come to the pantry in the middle of crisis, clients we see on a regular basis and the homeless who receive a bag lunch. Clients are currently able to come to the pantry once a month and volunteers have developed a relationship with many of them. We not only feed their bellies, but feed their emotional health by our interactions with them. We have some clients who, once they get on their feet, contribute to the pantry. We have two paid staff positions, the rest are volunteers. Your contributions to this organization will be used to make a difference in our community.
UCOM serves a vital need in our community. They make the most out of all their donations and really know how to stretch their resources as they serve others. They use community volunteers to lower their operating expenses to a minimum and I am honored to work with them and support them.
I have volunteered at UCOM for ten years and been on the board fo the past three years.
During this time the demand at the food bank has increased threefold and the demand
for meals on wheels as also increased. For the last three years we have also operated a
summer lunch program to serve the school children in our community. Last summer we
gave out over 6,000 lunches in 12 weeks. While we have been able to meet the ever increasing
demands your help is needed to support the important work of feeding the hungry and aged.
UCOM is a local nonprofit with 3 ministries...a food pantry which feeds thousands of people during a calendar year, the largest Aging True Meals on Wheels delivery site in Jacksonville, and a scholarship program to pay tuition for students who want to become Certified Nursing Assistants. Support comes from the community and from several faith based communities. My husband and I have been volunteers for a number of years. We find this to be rewarding and inspirational as we relate to other Volunteers and clients.
I have had experiences as a volunteer at UCOM UrbanServ during the summer. One summer, I helped in the food pantry. Homeless citizens would stop by to get food, and would be provided with hygiene bags. Families could get a bag of groceries with all of the food groups represented. Children of school age were provided lunches every day of the week. All were taken care of and left looking relieved or happy. UCOM also runs a program called Meals on Wheels, delivering a hot meal to local senior citizens daily. I was a substitute driver a year ago. These seniors are so appreciative for the warm meal and just to see a friendly face. UCOM does a wonderful service to the community, and there are warm, compassionate people there to greet a person in need who has come for help.