Our Work

Late in the evening on November 18, 2008, an electrical fire destroyed the Bea Gaddy Family Center in Baltimore. By the next morning, the Oasis Foundation of Washington DC had already stepped in to offer support to this vital urban community refuge.

The Bea Gaddy Family Center, founded by the late Bea Gaddy, has served more than one million homeless women and children in the city of Baltimore. In addition to family services, her home became a distribution point for food and clothing for the poor.  Starting in 1981, Gaddy held her first Thanksgiving dinner which fed 39 people. This event has grown from this humble starting point, and now counts 2,000 volunteers serving 20k+ people each year.

Unfortunately, this fire comes a little more than a week before the well-known "Thanks for Giving Dinner." To assist in the rebuilding process, the Oasis Foundation has contributed $10,000 and is partnering with local vendors to provide meals for the dinner.