About the Nonprofit
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Operation Northern Comfort is an organization of community volunteers empowering and giving hope to those in need.
In 2005 after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, Operation Southern Comfort (OSC) was formed. 50 trips were taken to the ravaged parts of Louisiana and Mississippi to rehabilitate, rebuild and repair homes – and lives. 2200 volunteers, including 1200 students, participated in the 9-day events – traveling the 1400 miles on the weekend, working for 5 days, and returning (1400 miles again!) the following weekend. OSC built 4 homes and worked on over 200 more; planted 13000 trees, donated 3 trailers full of school supplies, books, clothing, musical instruments, and brought hope to thousands of Gulf Coast residents.
In 2012 it became apparent that there were people in CNY that could use help. That is how Operation Northern Comfort was born. We fix bathrooms, enlarge doors, build ramps – whatever we can physically do, we do. In 2014 we built a home after a fire destroyed one – our first house built in CNY. As we grew we partnered with Arise of Central New York, Tiny Homes for Good, North Area Meals on Wheels, Eastern Farm Workers Association, and other nonprofit and social work organizations to serve those in need.
In 2023 we will make trip number 63 to provide disaster cleanup and rebuilding services after Hurricane Ian. It is our intention to make four trips in 2023 to the Fort Meyers area to help people in need rebuild their lives after the devastation that occurred in September of this year.
ONC also serves people in need right here in Central New York. In October 2020, we set a goal to build 500 Desks4Kids. We have far surpassed that goal and currently, we have built and delivered over 1,300 Desks4Kids and 300 Bookshelves4Kids, for free to children in need. We have found the need is ongoing and we are promoting literacy and education.
ONC continues to help individuals with accessibility challenges by constructing ramps, installing lifts, widening doorways, and installing grab bars. In addition, we provided labor and materials for a number of special projects, such as building shelves for a food pantry, building dog ramps for the Humane Society, and purchasing school supplies for children.
Anyone can send in a request for help; those requests are forwarded to the jobs committee, which will contact the requester and review the project. Any request received is considered.
