Jon Doemel wants to help strangers become heroes in a new Facebook group aimed at helping Oshkosh residents who are in need of assistance. 

The group, Heroes of Oshkosh, was launched on Dec. 11, 2019, and is already up to almost 8,000 members. Its premise is “neighbors helping neighbors.” People provide help with anything from homelessness, meals, clothes, connections with local services and much more. 

Doemel, a member of Most Blessed Sacrament Parish, came up with the idea during his work with the Oshkosh Kids Foundation, where they would make sure that children had food, bus passes and warm clothing. 

“We realized we had to get kids shelter and some other things first,” he recently told The Compass, the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay's newspaper. “There were more than 150 children in the Oshkosh Area School District that were defined as homeless — whether that’s sleeping in a car or on someone’s couch.”

The Board Room is an affiliated private Facebook group where representatives from local organizations can offer their resources. 

“If a mission comes up and we’re kind of stuck, we can share what’s going on with this family, how many kids they have, their income threshold, and then these agencies let us know how they can help,” said Doemel. “We’ve been able to find people free legal advice, get enrolled in pantries, get cars fixed — things they just didn’t know existed out there.” 

Moderators of the group use a “bill of needs” and ensure that they look at every post and comment to eliminate any negativity. There are no limitations on who the program can help and does not discriminate, regardless of faith. Doemel said the positive outcomes rely heavily on the participation of the family. 

“We’re willing to work with the family as hard as they’re willing to work on themselves,” explained Doemel. “We’re trying not only to help them get through the week, but how to make next year better. That’s really the goal.”