The Rural Outreach Center (ROC) ran its annual Winter Prep Program on Nov. 16, providing new winter coats and boots to children living in rural poverty in our community. More than 280 children in The ROC’s service area received coats and boots this year.
Winter Prep is generously funded through the East Hill Foundation, which provided $16,920 in grant funding in 2024. Their continued support ensures that rural children have the warm winter clothing they need while waiting for their buses, to play outside at recess, and to enjoy these WNY winters.
The ROC is proud to partner with a local business, Zimmer Footwear in Arcade, to order all boots. The ROC also partners with another nonprofit organization, Operation Warm, to order the winter coats. These partnerships allow The ROC to buy high-quality items at an affordable price, ensuring that The ROC is providing items that will withstand several winters of use and that as many children as possible can be reached.
This year, The ROC provided the Winter Prep Program to children in the East Aurora, Iroquois, Holland, Pioneer, Franklinville and Fillmore school districts. The ROC also provided the Winter Prep Program to children whose families receive services at the Bread of Life Outreach Center in Colden.
The Rural Outreach Center serves families and individuals living in rural poverty in southern Western New York. Their mission is to transform lives by breaking the cycle of rural poverty in our region by accompanying people to self-sufficiency. They provide a wide range of services including counseling, play therapy, care coordination, job readiness and financial literacy. By addressing needs in a holistic manner, The ROC is able to support families and individuals as they work to break the generational cycle of rural poverty and improve their own futures and the futures of their children.
The ROC, located at 730 Olean Road in East Aurora, assists, empowers and elevates the impoverished rural populations in southern Erie County and surrounding areas. The organization’s staff and volunteers serve with compassion, empathy and respect for all people. For children, The ROC’s goal is to break the cycle of multi-generational poverty by providing counseling, play therapy, educational opportunities and growth experiences. For more information on the good work being done every day by The Rural Outreach Center, please visit http://theroc.co or call (716) 240-2220. You can also follow the organization on Facebook for frequent updates.
