OCF’s Chief Executive Jayne Woodley contributed towards an event run by the Oxford Diocese on Wednesday about homelessness in Thames Valley. Attendees were asked to consider how the church can respond to rising numbers of rough sleepers and soaring rents and house prices.
OCF recently commissioned a team from Oxford University’s Student Consultancy to research the scope and impact of local government funding cuts on the charitable sector. OCF plans to use the findings to direct funds towards the areas of greatest need in Oxfordshire.
The new High Sheriff Jane Cranston, who picks up the baton from Sarah Taylor, will focus her time and energies on a new theme for the coming year: that of justice and fairness of opportunity.
SOFEA, a social enterprise that employs disadvantaged young people in its food redistribution centre, benefited from collaborative funding coordinated by OCF. The equipment purchased has enabled them to triple the amount of food they can pass on to local charities.