Serving Our Community
The 2023 Crawfish Festival Was a Huge Success!
Thank you to all of Central New York for your tremendous support. We’ll see you next year!
We are ONC and this is our story
Operation Northern Comfort is an organization of community volunteers empowering and giving hope to those in need. Watch the videos linked below to learn more about our mission. The documentary was made possible in part by a grant through CNY Arts.
Short clips: Makeup Story | The Best of People
2022 Crawfish Festival
The Crawfish Festival raises cash enabling Operation Northern Comfort to fund its many diverse projects and financial support.
Ukrainian Aid
Money raised at the festival was donated to support St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Church’s purchase of medical supplies for the Ukraine.
All Saints Church
Volunteers celebrated completion of our rehabilitation of a home owned by All Saints Church as a residence for New Americans.
Juneteenth Book Fair
50 bookshelves were built and donated to the “Preserve The Black Child” Book Fair, in celebration of Juneteenth, 2022.
Volunteer
Interested in becoming part of our team? We can always use the help!
Donate
We put to work every dollar that is donated to our organization.
Projects
Have a look at the current projects we’re working on.
Contact Us
Have a question? We love hearing from members of our community!
Our Mission Statement
Operation Northern Comfort is an organization of community volunteers empowering and giving hope to those in need.
What is Operation Northern Comfort all about?
In 2005 after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, Operation Southern Comfort (OSC) was formed. 50 trips were taken to the ravaged parts of Louisiana and Mississippi to rehabilitate, rebuild and repair homes – and lives. 2200 volunteers, including 1200 students, participated in the 9-day events – traveling the 1400 miles on the weekend, working for 5 days, and returning (1400 miles again!) the following weekend. OSC built 4 homes and worked on over 200 more; planted 13000 trees, donated 3 trailers full of school supplies, books, clothing and musical instruments and brought hope to thousands of Gulf Coast residents.
In 2012 it became apparent that there were people in CNY that could use help. That is how Operation Northern Comfort was born. We fix bathrooms, enlarge doors, build ramps – whatever we can physically do, we do. In 2014 we built a home after a fire destroyed one – our first house build in CNY. As we grew we partnered with Arise of Central New York, Tiny Homes for Good, North Area Meals on Wheels, Eastern Farm Workers Association and other non profit and social worker organizations to serve those in need.
Anyone can send in a request for help; those requests are forwarded to the jobs committee, which will contact the requester and review the project. Any request received is considered.
Ending Racism and Promoting Diversity at ONC
Operation Northern Comfort seeks to improve the living conditions of those in need and to give hope to those who call on it, regardless of racial ethnicity, gender, religious faith or age. Likewise, it welcomes a volunteer base which is inclusive and diverse to better serve the entire community.