Jacksonville, Alabama · Since 1996
Helping When Life Hurts
Open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, 10AM–2PM. Food walk-ins welcome Tuesday & Thursday. Utility assistance by appointment on Mondays.
Get the Monthly Needs List →1,161
People served in 2025
63,484 lbs
Food recovered in 2025
$57,000+
Emergency utility help in 2025
30 Years
Serving Jacksonville since 1996
Who We Are
See JCOC in Action
Thirty years in Jacksonville.
What We Do
More Than a Food Bank
Thirty years of showing up. Food, utilities, baby essentials, school supplies, summer meals, and more — for qualified Jacksonville households.
Food Assistance
Shelf-stable food, fresh produce, bread, frozen meats, dairy, and donated retail items. Available Tuesday and Thursday for qualified JCOC clients. Food orders may be accessed every 30 days.
Utility Assistance
Emergency help with electric and water bills for qualified clients. By appointment on Mondays. Limited to $75 per assist, once per quarter under current program guidelines.
Little Needs
Diapers, wipes, infant formula, baby food, and period products for qualified families with young children. In partnership with Bundles of Hope. Sizes 4 and up especially needed.
School Supplies + Toyland
Annual back-to-school supply program for students in grades K–8, and Christmas assistance through Toyland for children birth through age 17. Toyland 2026: December 15–16.
Sunny Bites
Summer food distribution for families with children, every other Tuesday. Approximately 50 families served each distribution, powered by 15 volunteers per session.
Garden of Eatin'
JCOC's community garden grows fresh produce for local households. Volunteer opportunities available — planting, tending, harvesting, and distribution.
Our Story
Small House. Thirty Years. Still Here.
JCOC started in 1996 with a handshake and a belief that Jacksonville takes care of its own. We’re a small white house on Pelham Road. We don’t have a marquee sign. We’ve never run a TV ad.
What we have is Summer Jennings, who has run this entire operation for 14 years — grants, scheduling, operations, a commercial fridge full of Walmart produce, and a board of community volunteers who’ve been here almost as long. We’re part of the United Way network. We track every pound of food through Charity Tracker.
We’re not going anywhere.
2025 Impact
Where the Work Shows Up
63,484 lbs
of food recovered through retail partnerships in 2025
In 2025, JCOC recovered 63,484 pounds of food through retail partnerships with Walmart, Target, and Dollar General — food that would otherwise go to waste, redirected to local households. JCOC also provided 492 emergency utility payments totaling more than $57,000 to help families keep their lights and water on.
Every pound and every dollar is tracked through Charity Tracker. JCOC files an annual 990. Sixty-eight volunteers and 20 supporting churches make this work possible.
30
1996 → 2026: Thirty Years of Showing Up
We started with school supplies and a belief that neighbors should take care of neighbors. Thirty years later, we’re distributing thousands of pounds of food every month, running a diaper bank, planting a community garden, and still doing the same thing we always did: showing up for Jacksonville when life gets hard.
Partners
We Don’t Do This Alone
JCOC works with organizations across Jacksonville and the region.
Life at JCOC
See the Work
Follow Along
What We’re Sharing
Updates, stories, and ways to help — straight from JCOC.
July 2026
What We Need Right Now
School supply registration closes July 23. Pantry shelves need restocking. Here’s how to help this month.
URGENT — Deadline July 23
School Supply Donations
School supplies for one student cost approximately $60–$100. Donations help us serve K–8 students in Jacksonville.
- ›1-inch clear-front binders
- ›Wide-ruled composition notebooks
- ›Solid-color plastic three-prong pocket folders (green, red, purple, blue)
- ›Watercolor paint sets
- ›Red and blue two-sided plastic nap mats
- ›Washable markers
- ›Wide-ruled notebook paper
- ›Graph paper
- ›Dry-erase markers
- ›Monetary donations also accepted
July Pantry Needs
Pantry Donations
Drop off during open hours — Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- ›Jelly
- ›Ready meals / easy-preparation meals
- ›Bar soap
- ›Toothpaste
- ›Canned vegetables with pop-top lids
- ›Canned fruit with pop-top lids
Little Needs — Baby Essentials
- ›Diapers (sizes 4 and up especially needed)
- ›Baby wipes
- ›Infant formula
- ›Baby food
- ›Period products
For Donors
Get the Monthly Needs List
Every month, we send out a list of exactly what JCOC needs most right now. No guessing — just go buy it and bring it in.
We send one email a month. No spam, no selling your address.
Questions
Common Questions
Who can get help from JCOC?
Qualified households in JCOC's service area — including Jacksonville residents, Pleasant Valley residents, JSU students living in Jacksonville, and eligible members of our supporting churches. Most programs require completing a JCOC client application. Call us or come in during open hours and we'll walk you through it.
What do I need to bring for food assistance?
First-time clients complete a JCOC application. You'll need photo ID for yourself and any adults 18 and older in your household, Social Security cards for all household members, proof of your current address, and documentation of household income. We'll explain each step when you arrive.
When are you open?
Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Food assistance is available Tuesday and Thursday. Utility assistance is by appointment only on Mondays. Call ahead for your first visit.
Is JCOC a religious organization?
We were founded by the Jacksonville Ministerial Association, but we serve everyone regardless of faith, background, or situation. Food is food.
How can I donate?
Online through PayPal (recurring giving is available), in person during open hours, or by dropping off items from our monthly needs list. The needs list is the most direct way to give what we actually need — sign up below.
What's most needed right now?
In July: jelly, ready meals, bar soap, toothpaste, and pop-top canned vegetables and fruit. Sign up for our monthly needs list and we'll send you the exact items every month.
Do you serve JSU students?
Yes. JSU students residing in Jacksonville are eligible under JCOC's current service policies. If you're a student and you need help, come in during open hours.
Jacksonville Christian Outreach Center (JCOC) is a nonprofit emergency assistance organization in Jacksonville, Alabama, founded in 1996 and celebrating 30 years of service in 2026. JCOC provides food assistance, emergency utility bill assistance, Little Needs (diapers, wipes, and baby essentials), school supplies for K–8 students, Christmas assistance through Toyland, summer food distribution through Sunny Bites, retail food recovery in partnership with Walmart, Target, and Dollar General, a community garden called Garden of Eatin’, and Blessing Box access. The center is open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Food assistance is available Tuesday and Thursday for qualified clients who have completed the JCOC application process. Utility assistance is by appointment on Mondays, limited to $75 per assist and once per quarter. In 2025, JCOC served 1,161 individuals across 466 households, recovered 63,484 pounds of food, and provided more than $57,000 in emergency utility assistance through 492 payments. JCOC is a United Way of East Central Alabama partner, Community Food Bank of Central Alabama partner, uses Charity Tracker for program tracking, and is supported by 20 area churches and 68 volunteers. The center is located at 206 Francis St. W., Jacksonville, AL 36265.