In 1996, a group of Jacksonville ministers voted to start something small. A place where neighbors could get help without having to explain themselves. A little outreach center on Pelham Road.
They didn't know it would still be here thirty years later.
What Thirty Years Looks Like
It looks like 63,000 pounds of food distributed in a single year. It looks like a commercial refrigerator full of Walmart produce, restocked twice a week. It looks like utility bills paid before the lights went out, school supplies handed to kids in August, Christmas toys for families who couldn't afford them on their own.
It looks like Summer Jennings showing up every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday — for fourteen of those thirty years — whether it was busy or quiet.
The Small House That Stays
JCOC doesn't have a marquee sign. It's a small white house. Most people drive past it without knowing what happens inside.
What happens inside: people come in scared and leave with groceries and the knowledge that their town isn't going to let them fall.
That's been true for thirty years. It's still true today.
What's New in 2026
The 30th anniversary year has brought new additions:
- Diaper Bank — in partnership with Bundles of Hope in Birmingham, because nobody should have to choose between diapers and dinner
- Community Garden — volunteer-grown produce, free to anyone who needs it
- Expanded Sunny Bites — summer food distribution for more Jacksonville families
We're not the same organization we were in 1996. We're bigger, more connected, and more efficient. But the handshake that started all of this — the belief that Jacksonville takes care of its own — that hasn't changed.
How You Can Be Part of Year Thirty-One
Come in. Tell us what you need. We'll figure out how to help.
Or if things are going well for you right now: sign up for our monthly needs list, drop off supplies, volunteer a morning. Your town needs you too.
Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. 10AM–2PM. No appointment. No judgment.