Mission Oak Cliff’s Story

History

Mission Oak Cliff began in 1948 in the heart of Cliff Temple Baptist Church staff member, Virginia Goslin. She established a food pantry in a church closet and as the years passed, the small pantry evolved to become a full-service community ministry. Many new ministries were added to the food pantry and clothing closet, including an adult English as a Second Language (ESL) program and Homeless Welcome Center.

Seventy years after Virginia filled that first food bag for a hungry neighbor, Mission Oak Cliff today provides emergency groceries from its client-choice pantry for around 5,000 families, representing more than 16,000 individuals, annually. As the homeless population in the area has increased in recent years, new ministries have been added to help both homeless adults and youth in a variety of ways. Satellite pantries located in several nearby schools address issues of child hunger and make emergency food more accessible. In 2021, Mission Oak Cliff started the MOC Counseling Center to provide free mental health services to individuals and families in our community.

The work of Mission Oak Cliff has received increasing recognition in recent months. It was honored in 2016 by the Texas Masonic Lodge with its Community Builder Award, and was named 2016 Partner Agency of the Year by the North Texas Food Bank. Common Call magazine featured the ministry’s satellite pantry program in its summer edition. Additionally in 2019, Mission Oak Cliff was honored to be a partner of The Dallas Morning News Charities which supports organizations in the Dallas area committed to benefiting the hungry and homeless. But the recognition that means the most to the staff and volunteers who serve at Mission Oak Cliff is in the comments of the people who come through their doors day by day and say, “This is where we belong. You don’t help us because we’re poor. You help because you love us.”