 Serving the downtown community
Walk-in ministry – our food pantry
Need help? For emergency food, please call the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank "Get Help" line at 412-460-FOOD, ext 456 (412-460-3663 ext 456) 
During the June 7-11 Help week, pantry administrator Rena Thomas provided the following to each of the households served: 3 cans assorted soups, 2 lbs spaghetti noodles, 2 lb macaroni noodles, 2 lrg cans spaghetti sauce, 2 cans corn, 1 can mixed vegetables, 1 can peas, 3 cans green beans, 1 can white potatoes, 2 cans spinach, 6 cans fruits, 2 46 oz bottles juice, 2 lbs of cheese, 1 jar peanut butter, 2 lbs dried beans, 2 cans baked beans, 4 cans tuna, 1 can beef stew, 1 pound breakfast sausage, 1 lb bacon, 1 2 lb pack beef, 1 2 lb pack chicken or pork chops, 1 bag bagels and Danish, 2 large boxes cold cereal, 1 lb margarine, 4 qts skim milk, 3 cans milk, 1 bag powdered milk, 4 rolls toilet paper, 2 50 oz detergent. Distributed to residents of Wood Street Commons who have no cooking facilities: 6 cans fruit, 1 jar peanut butter, 2 lb lunch meat, 2 cans beef stew, 1 lb sliced cheese, 2 cans chicken, milk - powdered or 1% - boxed, 6 bottles 16 oz juice, 2 boxes cereal, 1 bag bagels and Danish,1 box cheese cracker snacks, and as many Nutri-System Microwave meals cups and dinners as wanted. As always, other items were given in response to special requests. The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank has asked Smithfield to participate in an "Extra Help for Families with Children" program from June through September. This program reaches families that don't often visit a food bank. Qualified families who have children under 18 years of age and meet the monthly household income guide lines received a box containing ground beef, a whole chicken, chicken drumsticks, turkey sausage, and hotdogs; a box containing dish washing liquid, laundry detergent, bar soap, toothpaste, tooth brush, deodorant, baby shampoo, cleaning agent, baby wipes, and trash bags, and a box containing aluminum foil, facial tissues, bath tissue, food storage bags, paper plates, and paper towels – all in addition to the items received through the regular distribution. Under the able direction and unswerving commitment of Rena Thomas, our congregation’s business administrator, Smithfield Church stocks the food pantry and hosts the Walk-in Ministry every fifth week on a rotating basis with other churches in the Downtown Ministerium. During the June 2010 "Help Week Distribution," at Smithfield Church, 98 individuals (20 of whom were first-time clients) representing 66 "families" were served. Of individuals served:
37% were 60+ years old 33% were 35-59 years old 70% were non-Hispanic Black 18% were non-Hispanic White 9% were Asian/Pacific Islander 73% lived alone 55% received Food Stamps 35% not eligible for Food Stamps 7 individuals employed full-time 5 employed part-time, 4 looking for work 32 not working or unable to work because of disabilities 16 retired 58% of those coming for assistance are registered voters The Ministerium's primary area of service is Downtown Pittsburgh: Wood Street Commons (shelter/individual rooms), three rent subsidized apartment buildings (Penn Avenue, Fifth Avenue, and Liberty Avenue, and the YMCA shelter on W. North Avenue). Rena regularly refers clients to agencies that can address their needs. In June some clients were referred to Home Area Pantry, Jubilee Kitchen (for clothing), and the Urban League (rent and utilities assistance). Rena also helps people receive assistance from the "On-Site Pharmacy," a free service of the Program for Health Care to Underserved Populations available through the Division of General Internal Medicine at Montefiore Hospital as well as the "Gift of Sight" program offered by Lenscrafters and Home Area Pantry. In 2009, a total of 703 individuals representing 611 (up from 535) "families" were served through the pantry. 405 (58%) were 60 or older, 246 (35%) were 35-59 years old, and 57% were women. 44% had disabilities and 23% lived alone. 46% were non-Hispanic Black, 36% non-Hispanic white, and 17% were Asian or Pacific Islanders. 102 individuals were new to the Smithfield pantry. 52% were eligible for food stamps. 74% were registered to vote. 2% were homeless.  In all of 2009 we purchased 28,532 pounds of food from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank at a cash cost to us of $1,115. In 2009 we received $13,533 from donations and grants in support of our food pantry, with $3551 contributed by the Allegheny County Bar Foundation. "We do what we can to ensure that the people who come through our doors receive the help needed to enhance their lives," Rena says. People often ask, "Can we contribute food and supplies for the Smithfield Church food pantry." The pantry is stocked with packaged food, frozen foods, health and beauty supplies, and household cleaning products purchased from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Rena orders the supplies she anticipates will be needed for the month, basing her decisions on what is on hand, what is likely to be wanted by those coming to the pantry, and the storage space available. The Food Bank's pricing means that she can get the supplies at the lowest cost possible. The answer then to the question is, "We welcome and very much appreciate cash donations." Donations to the ministry can be made directly to Smithfield Church and designated for the Walk-in Ministry. Another way to support the Smithfield Walk-in Ministry, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, and food banks across the state of Pennsylvania is to volunteer with GPCFB, keep informed of the issues, and register to receive the GPCFB's monthly e-mailed newsletter. Since taking on the administration of this vital ministry in 2001 and through December 2008, Rena has acquired $41,181 in grant monies and donations to help support it. In 2008, of the $5984.22 in donations received only $500 (8%) came from FEMA. To date in 2009, she has received grants and donations totaling $12,933.56. "Kudos to Rena!" for her work in helping Smithfield respond to the very real day-to-day needs of our downtown Pittsburgh neighbors. [The Walk-in Ministry is a program of the Downtown Ministerium. Participating members are the five downtown Pittsburgh churches: Smithfield United Church of Christ, First Lutheran Church, First Presbyterian Church, St. Mary of Mercy Roman Catholic Church, and Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. Donations in support of the Ministerium's help week program should be addressed to the Downtown Ministerium, c/o First Lutheran Church, 615 Grant St, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.] Severe Weather Emergency Shelter (SWES) Curious about how the shelter operates and who it serves? See this Q and A. Quoting from the Allegheny County Bureau of Hunger and Homeless: SWES will be in operation between the hours of 7:00 p.m. through 7:00 a.m. when the following conditions exist between November 15 and March 15:
Between November 2009 and March 2010, the shelter was fully operational for a record 62 nights, up from 58 in the winter of 2008-09. It served up to 130 people nightly. Altogether, there were 3,466 visits, up from 2,048 the previous winter. "The Severe Weather Emergency Shelter (SWES) program is operated by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, Office of Community Services, in conjunction with Mercy Hospital's Operation Safety-Net. During periods of excessively severe weather conditions, SWES provides shelter to the homeless population who normally live on the streets and do not utilize one of the 12 existing emergency shelters. SWES provides food, clothing, counseling, and warmth for homeless individuals. . . . "Operation Safety Net provides physical health care services to homeless consumers at the shelter. Mental health services and referrals are provided on site by a psychiatric nurse and social worker from the Bethlehem Haven's 902 Clinic. There is often a psychiatrist on site as well. The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank provides nutritious food throughout the winter season. Mercy Hospital's Operation Safety Net coordinates staffing at the shelter which includes outreach workers and volunteers. "The 11,500 square feet of space in the basement of the church comprises a kitchen area, showers, restrooms and a gym floor for the purpose of providing severe weather emergency shelter for adult homeless men and women. The downtown Pittsburgh location also has a private entrance and a central location making it accessible for police and fire departments and outreach workers from other homeless shelters to bring in individuals." The Smithfield-based Severe Weather Emergency Shelter should raise our collective consciousness about the seriousness of homelessness in the city of Pittsburgh and in Allegheny County. Annually in January the Allegheny County Department of Human Services does a point-in-time survey to get an approximate accounting of individuals receiving homeless services from the region's public and private sources. On the day of recording in January 2010, 1,588 adults and 875 children (the number of children up from 631 in January 2009), a total of 2,463 people (up from 2242 in January 2009), were recorded as receiving services from the hospitals, soup kitchens, day programs, street outreach, shelters, transitional housing of various types, and permanent housing that address the needs of the homeless.
It is important to understand the approximateness of these numbers: not because they are too high, but because there is no way to account for all those whose living arrangements define them as homeless. Particularly under-counted are children who are defined by law as homeless/unstably housed, but who are, for example, "doubling up" with relatives or living in cars, camp grounds, abandoned buildings, motels, and public or private places not designed as regular sleeping accommodations for people. (When it comes to children and youths, the terms unstably housed and homeless means they "lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.") Festivals  Every year Smithfield United Church of Christ offers a mid-day June Strawberry Festival and a September Apple Festival (both on Strawberry Way, weather permitting), and a December German Christmas Markt (in the Social Hall). All welcome shoppers, passers-by, and area business folks for an inexpensive meal and a time to step aside from the busy-ness of the day. Meeting place A number of community organizations use the Smithfield UCC's facilities. Among them are:
If your group is looking for a downtown meeting space, call us at 412-281-1811. A place of respite and "extravagant hospitality" . . . for thirty-three young women and men of Bike & Build bicycling from Boston to Santa Barbara and stopping in towns and cities along their route to work on the construction of affordable housing. This is the third year in a row that the church has opened its doors to a Bike & Build team and provided a welcome-to-Pittsburgh meal the first night of a 2-night stay. They arrived on day 15 of 68, having pedaled 82 miles to get here from Johnstown and 685 of the 3,809 miles to Santa Barbara. See the photo story.
7/14/10 Copyright © 2000-2010, Smithfield United Church of Christ. All rights reserved. |
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– through you and me!