Our Helpers

What Our Helpers does

Our Helpers is a women-led nonprofit organization founded in 2014 by immigrant advocate Hodan Mohammed and headquartered at 4848 Evanswood Dr., Columbus, Ohio. It serves immigrant and refugee families in Central Ohio through a portfolio of free, in-person social services including a Community Free Store (food pantry and household supplies), Cultural Orientation & Mentorship, ESL and language programs, Job Training and Career Support, Mental Health Awareness services, Youth and Family Programs, and the Central Ohio Rapid Response Network for immigration navigation. The organization complements core programs with seasonal offerings such as Summer Camp and the "Summer of Wellness" / Love Yourself Summit for Girls, and reports cumulative outcomes including 14,247+ meals distributed, 473+ families receiving rent and utility assistance, and 175+ individuals earning mental health aid certificates.

The business model is donation-based: Our Helpers generates revenue through charitable contributions from individuals, organizations, and grant-making foundations, collected via a Givebutter donation page and direct outreach, and provides all services free of charge to beneficiaries. The organization is lean—six employees in total—and relies heavily on a volunteer network and a Board of Directors (chaired by Carl Holtman, with Laura Berger Abbas as Treasurer and Anisa Liban as Secretary) for governance and capacity. Operations are conducted in a single domestic geography (Central Ohio) with no disclosed subsidiaries, parent company, or external investment, and the operating entity is a private nonprofit organization domiciled in Ohio, USA.

The go-to-market motion is community-led: families are reached through word-of-mouth, direct outreach, and cultural trust rather than paid acquisition, and distribution occurs primarily through a physical walk-in Community Free Store (Mondays and Tuesdays, 10:00 AM–2:00 PM) and scheduled in-person programming. Current executive leadership is CEO Dr. Dorothy Hassan, who has centered mental wellness and cultural understanding in the organization's strategic direction.

Name

Our Helpers

Legal name

Our Helpers

Website

https://ourhelpers.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Our Helpers is a women-led nonprofit founded in 2014 in Columbus, Ohio, providing free wraparound social services—including a Community Free Store, ESL classes, job training, mental health support, youth programs, and immigration navigation—to immigrant and refugee families in Central Ohio, funded by donations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Services / Nonprofit Immigrant & Refugee Support

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Community Housing Services (62422), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Integration & Inclusion Services (Housing, Education, Employment) (BPADAHAI), Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK)

Keywords

• Immigrant family services
• Refugee resettlement support
• Community food pantry
• ESL adult education
• Cultural orientation mentorship

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Our Helpers generates revenue primarily through charitable donations from individuals, organizations, and grant-making foundations. The organization operates a donation page and encourages community members to contribute to support immigrant and refugee families in Central Ohio.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Our Helpers is a women-led nonprofit organization providing direct human services programs to immigrant and refugee families in Central Ohio. Its core offerings include a Community Free Store food pantry, Cultural Orientation & Mentorship, ESL & Language Programs, Job Training & Career Support, Mental Health Awareness services, Youth & Family Programs, and a Central Ohio Rapid Response Network for immigration navigation. All programs are delivered at no cost to beneficiaries and address immediate needs while building long-term stability.

Product overview

Our Helpers is a women-led nonprofit organization offering a unified portfolio of social services programs designed to support immigrant and refugee families in Central Ohio. Rather than a technology product, the organization provides direct human services including a Community Free Store (food pantry), Cultural Orientation & Mentorship, ESL & Language Programs, Job Training & Career Support, Mental Health Awareness services, Youth & Family Programs, and a Central Ohio Rapid Response Network for immigration navigation. The portfolio also includes youth development programs such as Summer of Wellness events and Summer Camp. All programs are designed to work together to address immediate needs while building long-term stability, combining practical support with empowering resources and community connection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Free Store Weekly food pantry providing dry food staples, housewares, diapers, hygiene kits, and household supplies to ensure no family goes hungry. Free service for immigrant and refugee families in Central Ohio.
• Cultural Orientation & Mentorship Orientation services covering schools, transportation, and healthcare navigation, combined with one-on-one mentorship with local volunteers and community events that foster belonging for immigrant and refugee families.
• ESL & Language Programs English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, conversation practice groups, and tutoring for daily communication and literacy to build language confidence and opportunity for immigrant and refugee adults.
• Job Training & Career Support Resume and interview coaching, skills development workshops, and connections to local employers and career programs to support pathways to stable employment for immigrant and refugee adults.
• Mental Health Awareness Culturally informed mental health awareness training, health coverage enrollment assistance, and referrals for counseling and trauma-informed services for immigrant and refugee families.
• Youth & Family Programs After-school tutoring and enrichment activities, youth leadership and mentoring programs, and parenting workshops with peer support networks for immigrant and refugee children, teens, and parents.
• Central Ohio Rapid Response Network Trusted referrals and navigation assistance for immigration processes, providing rapid support to strengthen immigrant and refugee families during critical transitions.
• Summer Camp Summer camp program providing youth with opportunities for personal growth, skill development, and community building, serving immigrant and refugee children in Central Ohio.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14,247+ meals distributed to families in need
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• International Rescue Committee (IRC): Large international humanitarian organization providing refugee resettlement and integration services in the U.S., including in Ohio. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the same immigrant-support category with substantially more resources and geographic reach.
• HIAS: International Jewish refugee service agency providing legal aid, resettlement, and integration support to refugees in the U.S. Comparable as a broader incumbent addressing similar refugee integration needs through direct service and referrals.
• Catholic Charities Columbus: Regional branch of the national Catholic Charities network providing refugee resettlement, immigration legal services, food, and housing assistance in Central Ohio. Comparable as a larger incumbent offering overlapping programs with institutional scale.

Regional players

• Refugee Services of Texas: Refugee resettlement and integration nonprofit operating in Texas. Comparable as a regional peer offering the same suite of resettlement, employment, ESL, and case-management services to a comparable population but in a different geography.
• Bethany Christian Services: Faith-based nonprofit providing refugee and foster services across multiple U.S. states. Comparable as a regional multi-site operator offering resettlement and family support programs similar to Our Helpers' portfolio.

Others

• YMCA of Central Ohio: Community-services organization offering youth programs, ESL, and immigrant integration support in Central Ohio. Comparable as an adjacent, multi-program community-services provider that overlaps on youth and language programming.
• United Way of Central Ohio: Central Ohio funder and convener of social services including refugee and immigrant support. Comparable as an ecosystem participant that both funds and coordinates overlapping nonprofit services in the same geography.

Direct peers

• US Together: Refugee resettlement and integration agency also based in Columbus, Ohio. Directly comparable because it serves the same immigrant and refugee population in Central Ohio with overlapping services including employment, English classes, and cultural orientation.
• Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services (ETSS): Columbus-based ethnic-community nonprofit serving immigrants and refugees with social services, ESL, and case management. Comparable due to same geography, beneficiary demographics, and wraparound service model.
• Community Refugee & Immigration Services (CRIS): Columbus-based nonprofit providing resettlement, employment, and case-management services to refugees and immigrants. Comparable as a fellow Central Ohio provider competing for the same beneficiary pool and donor dollars.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/our-helpers-ohio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Our Helpers