OUR HISTORY

Ann Wagner had been volunteering for over a decade in a Paterson soup kitchen when her friend Christine Breit, another long-time volunteer, asked her a question. She asked Ann if she would help her find a way to fill a need that did not exist in Paterson at the time: a soup kitchen for women and young children.

The two women spent 18 months raising money and searching out possible locations. They finally leased a space at Paterson’s First Presbyterian Church on Main Street at Ward Street.

This was the beginning of Oasis – A Haven for Women and Children. It opened its doors on April 14, 1997. In its first five months, Oasis served 6,000 clients and gave away over 500 bags of food.

By 2007, Oasis had outgrown the church basement. We initiated a capital campaign in order to fund a new building to house our programs, which had vastly expanded in the decade since our founding.

In 2008 Oasis moved into the beautiful building at 59 Mill Street that we now occupy, where we have a much greater capacity to serve the impoverished women and children of this community.

OUR CENTER

Our center has a uniquely integrated approach to the problems of chronic hunger and poverty among the women and children of Paterson.

Under one roof at Oasis, a woman’s basic needs are met—food, clothing, education and childcare, as well as referral services, all free of charge. Women come to Oasis because we offer inclusive resources for them to become self-sufficient and attain economic independence.

Our new building has afforded us increased capacity, but the demand for Oasis programs and services outweighs our space and financial resources. Our dining room seats 140 women, yet each day we serve as many as 350 meals to women and children. Last year, we served a record-breaking 63,000-plus meals to impoverished women and children, compared to 35,000 in the previous year.

 

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