About Us

 

Making the World a Better Place For All of Us

POC 2018 Annual Fundraising Video

Our Story

Pinellas Opportunity Council, Inc. is a member of the Community Action Partnership, a network of some 1,100 private non-profit and public Community Action Agencies created under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 to combat poverty throughout the United States.

We mobilize federal, state, local and private resources to develop programs that deliver services to help individuals and families alleviate conditions of poverty, empower people to move towards economic self-sufficiency, provide opportunities for people to reach their full potential, and revitalize communities.

In addition to operating or sponsoring programs such as Family Development, Youth Services, Emergency Food & Shelter, Chore Services, and the Emergency Home Energy Assistance Program, POC has helped establish several other local organizations which address the needs of low-income or elderly people. Some of these include the Pinellas County Urban League, the Mobile Geriatric Dental Unit, Tarpon Springs and Jamestown Day Care Centers, St. Petersburg Economic Development Corporation and Gulf Coast Legal Services.

Our efforts are intended to help change people’s lives, embody the spirit of hope, improve communities, and make our area a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.

POC makes a significant impact by bringing millions of dollars into the local economy, helping thousands of residents to improve their social and economic well-being, and creating or maintaining jobs for hundreds of citizens.

POC is governed by a volunteer board of directors. One-third are elected officials or their representatives, one-third are representatives of the target population served by the agency, and one-third are representatives of business, labor, religious, welfare, education or other major interests in the community.

Vision Statement

Pinellas Opportunity Council, Inc. envisions a community in which every individual is financially self-sufficient; is empowered to help bring about positive change in their neighborhoods; and has access to resources that will enable them to reach their full potential. POC pursues this vision by forging partnerships and offering services which create hope, offer support, cultivate new skills, and provide guidance that will lead to an improved and better community in which to live.

Mission

To help alleviate conditions of poverty, revitalize local communities, and promote self-sufficiency by mobilizing resources to develop and implement programs that deliver an array of services to address various individual, family and community needs.

Core Values

  • Accountability
  • Competency
  • Excellence
  • Integrity
  • Teamwork

Community Action Promise

Community Action changes people’s lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.

Our Community Partners

Stevens Amendment

This Community Services Block Grant Program bid solicitation is supported by the Administration of Children and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of an award totaling $863,539 with 3% financed from non-governmental sources.
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