Thank you for the support. This was my first time at a food and clothing pantry, and this has taken so much stress off of me!
Reach Out Lakota (ROL) was founded in 1992 when community member Sharon McGuire saw that some families in the West Chester/Liberty Township community were struggling to provide basic needs for their families. She initiated a drive to help provide holiday food and toys for these families.
She was soon contacted by a small group of women from nearby St. John’s Catholic Church whose parish had collected food but did not have a way to distribute it to those in need. These women had no idea their efforts of “neighbors helping neighbors” would lead to a pantry that would touch thousands of lives.
Since 1992, ROL has grown from a small, 1,000 square foot building to our current facility in West Chester Township that currently is 5,500 square feet. We operate as an independent food and clothing pantry, and rely heavily on the local West Chester, Liberty Township and Lakota Local School communities for financial and in-kind support.
Today, we continue to serve the ongoing needs of families struggling in our community with food and clothing insecurity. Our overarching goals include:
This organization has always been, and remains, a volunteer-operated pantry with limited paid staff. The dedicated team includes approximately 220 volunteers who donated over 15,900 hours this year. Volunteers serve nearly every day throughout the year.
