Work-A-Thon

Written by: Kate Snyder, Development and Donor Communications Coordinator

Each year, Trinity Christian School organizes a really cool one-day event. It's called the Work-A-Thon. The goal is to raise money for the school by volunteering at sites across Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. Students request pledges from family, friends, and neighbors for each hour that they serve during the Work-A-Thon.

This year, on May 1st, the school sent out 267 students, faculty and chaperones to more than 33 sites around the City. Together, they logged an amazing amount of volunteer hours -- more than 2,400 hours in one day! They raked leaves, spread mulch, painted, planted flowers, participated in the National Day of Prayer, began the building of a new park, worked with senior citizens and more.

As you may have suspected, East End Cooperative Ministry was the fortunate host to a team of students from Trinity. Eight students and two teachers spent the morning packing Food Pantry bags and preparing meals for Meals on Wheels. They served lunch at the Soup Kitchen and ate with our clients.

This week, we received a note from the school, with this lovely phrase: "We thank God for the blessing of serving you."

And we thank the students and teachers of Trinity Christian School for organizing this wonderful project.

Cots for the Homeless

Written by: Kate Snyder

I never cease to be amazed by how awesome our volunteers are. We have a fantastic group of individuals who regularly give their time to EECM. They all deserve serious commendation for all that they do, but some really go above and beyond.

Take Wil, a volunteer with our homeless programs. If that name sounds familiar, it's because I've mentioned him before (click here and here). Wil regularly volunteers in our Men's Emergency Shelter and, through his interactions with EECM staff, he noticed that the shelter could really use some more camping cots.

Our shelter is licensed to house 24 men. On most nights, we shelter more like 30. We try not to turn people away if it can be avoided and so we sleep the overflow guests on cots in the dining room. But they tend to break and we were running short.

But not for long -- it's Super Wil to the rescue! Wil recruited friends and family to contribute funds to purchase new cots. He found out what type we use, ordered them, and had them shipped to EECM. And just like that, we had new cots.

I cannot say enough what an amazing gift this was. Not only because the cots are great (which they are) but because Wil made it so easy for us. He did all the work -- fundraising and ordering -- because he saw a need to be met. And we appreciate him for it.

Many thanks also to everyone who contributed money for the new cots. They're perfect!

Attorneys Against Hunger

Written by: Kate Snyder

I didn't have a chance to post this article during Have a Heart for Hunger because the donation arrived in April, but I wanted to give a special shout-out to the Allegheny County Bar Association's Attorneys Against Hunger for their great support of EECM this spring.

For the past 15 years, the Attorneys Against Hunger campaign has raised money for a variety of hunger-services providers throughout Allegheny County. This year, EECM was fortunate enough to be included in their efforts, which raised a whopping $98,000.

EECM's share of the campaign was just over $5,800. Wow!

Many thanks to everyone who participated in the 2008 Attorneys Against Hunger campaign.

Stamp Out Hunger!

Written by: Kate Snyder

This coming Saturday (May 10th) is a very important day. Do you know why? Answer: Saturday is the annual National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger food drive. This is the country's largest single-day food drive. In 2007, they collected and distributed more than 70 million pounds of food. Wow.

Participation is easy. All you have to do is place a bag of non-perishable food items in a bag by your mailbox and your mail carrier will pick it up. They ask that you make sure that none of your donated items have past their expiration date and please do not donate food in glass containers.

That's it. So simple! Last year, the Pittsburgh area collected 501,000 pounds of food. The food drive is run through America's Second Harvest, a national chain of food banks. The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank is a member of Second Harvest, and East End Cooperative Ministry in turn receives a large chunk of the food for our Food Pantry from them. So by participating in Stamp Out Hunger, you'll be helping EECM.

Isn't partnership awesome?

Rebate Checks

Written by: Kate Snyder

Tra la! It's May! Flowers are blooming and spring is in the air. But this year, there's something else in the air as well. Rebate checks. In theory, a rebate check from the nice people at the IRS should be arriving on my doorstep some time in the next few weeks. Score!

If you're like me, you've got a list a mile long of possible uses for this financial windfall. You could:
Take a vacation
Pay off some of that credit card debt
Buy some snazzy new seasonal clothes
Finally put in those new windows in the basement
Invest in your retirement
Go out for several really (I mean *really*) nice dinners

But how about giving some of it to charity?

...Say what? You want me to do WHAT with my mad-money rebate check?

That's right, I'm asking you to consider donating some of your rebate check to charity. Specifically, to East End Cooperative Ministry. I know, you have bills to pay and dreams to fulfill. But the thing is, our clients do too, and they're trying to pay their bills and reach their dreams with a lot less income than most of us have. In fact, a lot of our clients have so little income that they won't be getting a rebate check.

I'm not asking for the whole $600 or however much you qualify for. But how about setting aside $50 to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, or provide a mentor to a troubled kid?

You can make a secure online donation to EECM by clicking here.

Do I hear $100?

Written by: Kate Snyder


It's that time again...EECM's annual fundraising event, A Flavor of the East End is just over a month away and the plans that have been under way since December are swinging into high gear. I got my introduction to silent auctions last year and discovered that door to door begging isn't so bad. This year we've been at it again.


It's fun to watch the lineup for the silent auction take shape. We get a lot of miscellaneous donations and then slowly they start to sort of group together and make sense. It goes something like: "Hmm...let's see. We have two kids dinosaur books compliments of Borders. Oh! And Babyland donated a rattle. And that blanket from Feathers is soft enough to be used for a little kid...I see a baby-centric basket in our future. Huzzah!"


My favorite item on the auction table is BIG, gorgeous, so-smooth-you-want-to-rub-your-cheek-against-it, carved cherry wooden bowl from a very funky shop on Walnut St. called Toad Flax (if you've never been, I suggest you go -- it's part garden shop part home decor). Sadly I fear that many other event-goers will also take a shine to it and my chances of coming out victorious after the bidding frenzy settles are slim to none. Sad for me. Good for EECM, so I can't complain.


In addition to the silent auction, we've been collecting goodies for our Mystery Boxes. What's a Mystery Box, you ask? Well, you'll have to stay tuned...

Congregational Snapshot: Saint Andrew's Episcopal

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

Welcome to the third post in our ongoing series highlighting the different ways that EECM’s Member Congregations provided support to our ministry. (Don't forget to check out the first two congregationals snapshot on East Liberty Presbyterian Church and Eastminster Presbyterian Church). Thanks to Jan Moravec, St. Andrews’ Council Representative, for providing the information for this window into St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church’s involvement with East End Cooperative Ministry!

St. Andrews is another church that was among the original 18 that founded EECM in 1970. Located in the heart of Highland Park, St. Andrews has an active community presence throughout the year – EECM is just one of their many involvements. They support “5 Talents,” a micro lending agency, the Episcopal Relief and Development Fund and the United Thank offering, a project of the Episcopal Church Women.

Every month, St. Andrew’s collects the food featured on EECM’s Food of the Month and their monthly donation usually tops 100 items. They have also claimed the fourth Friday of every month as their night at the Men’s Emergency Shelter, cooking, delivering and serving the evening meal to our shelter guests. The participating congregation members vary, but the meal is always delicious!

The members of St. Andrew’s are also generous supporters of EECM’s Have a Heart for Hunger campaign, taking up a special offering each spring in support of our Hunger Programs. In October, they take part in our Spread the Warmth Coat Drive and every Christmas, members of the congregation “adopt” EECM clients and purchase Christmas gifts for them.

Jan says that St. Andrews participates in EECM’s ministry because they are committed to Christian outreach to their more disadvantaged neighbors. They are also drawn to the interfaith component of EECM and welcome the opportunity to work in partnership with congregations of other faiths.