‘Fulfilling our mission’ OCAB assists thousands of low-income families

It’s the OCAB Community Action Agency Inc. “OCAB” is an acronym for Orangeburg, Calhoun, Allendale, and Bamberg counties.

Executive Director Calvin Wright gave his annual “State of the Agency” overview during the board of directors’ annual meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 24.

“I believe our best days are ahead of us as we continue to do the things we are called to do, fulfilling our mission,” Wright said. “The financial position of the agency has improved.”

Boosting OCAB’s income in 2023 were U.S. Department of Agriculture loans and grants totaling more than $1 million, a Department of Social Services health and safety grant for $550,000, and an ABC Quality Improvement Grant for $221,000.

Among the agency’s activities is distributing federal money from the Low-Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program to help pay for electricity, propane, fuel oil, and wood.

“We served 9,160 families last year and we spent $1,873,137.74,” Wright said. Both of those numbers were higher than in the previous year. “We spent all of the client assistance money by the second week in November,” he said.

“About 1,000 people have applied for assistance with energy (bills) already this year,” Wright said.

Applications are accepted online at www.ocabcaa.org and via drop boxes in Orangeburg, Bowman, Denmark, St. Matthews, and other sites throughout the agency’s four-county service area.

OCAB’s Head Start and Early Head Start programs for preschoolers served 432 children and their families in the first half of the 2023-2024 school year. Applications are still being accepted.

Wright announced that Head Start now has a bilingual staff person, a native of Mexico who speaks both Spanish and English. He added that Head Start still has job vacancies and invites inquiries from “competent and committed” potential employees.

OCAB also has a program for teenagers. “Our Youth Development Leadership Prevention Program maintained 20 peer educators for the 2023 program year,” Wright said.

Through monthly online conference calls, “they have engaged in activities centered on character and leadership development as well as risky behavior avoidance … and other life skills,” Wright said. “We also assisted them in applying for college, jobs, and economic management.”

OCAB also served 81 older adults through its Senior Companion program in 2023.

“We brought on seven new senior companions last year,” Wright said. “Two of our companions have been with the program for 20 years.” They received special recognition at the annual Senior Companions program banquet.

OCAB is partnering with Edisto Fork United Methodist Church and a local pharmacy in a project to administer COVID-19 and/or influenza vaccines to 221 people. They reached 135 as of Dec. 31, 2023, and more clinics are scheduled.

OCAB also offers a limited amount of rent or mortgage payment assistance to people who are facing imminent eviction.

The preferred ways to make initial contact with OCAB and learn more about its programs and services are to visit www.ocabcaa.org or to call 803-536-1027.

OCAB, like all recipients of state and federal money, must meet financial accountability standards.

“The Office of Economic Opportunity conducted a monitoring report of fiscal services and we were compliant in all areas,” Wright said.

Likewise, no findings – i.e. problems – were reported in an immunization audit or a separate USDA audit.

The results of the Head Start audit are pending but “all indications are that things went well,” Wright said.

In addition, the agency as a whole underwent an annual audit and “received an unmodified audit opinion – a clean audit – again,” Wright said.

Wright reported that the agency accepted the Orangeburg County Council’s offer to purchase a building and 10 acres of land at 908 Willington Drive near Orangeburg.

“That will help with our bottom line,” he said. “It should free up some funds to do some things we’ve been wanting to do.”

The board also re-elected its officers: Anthony Jarvis, chair; Linton Davis, vice chair; Vertelle Pondexter-Jamison, secretary; and Lee Harley-Fitts, treasurer.

The board usually meets quarterly, but Wright anticipates that a special meeting will be called in February. Meetings are held in the agency’s central office at 1822 Joe S. Jeffords Hwy. Contact Karen Clinton, executive secretary, at kclinton@ocabcaa.org or 803-536-1027 for more information.