Behind the Scenes at the Food Pantry

We'll be wrapping up our Heinz Endowments Spotlight this week -- but not to worry, there are still several posts to come! Today's spotlight gives a behind-the-scenes look at EECM's Food Pantry, thanks to a video of one of our volunteers.

EECM's Food Pantry is one of the busiest in Allegheny County, serving more than 450 families each month. We couldn't begin to help this many people without the support of a dedicated team of volunteers.

More than 25 volunteers each week donate more than 70 hours of their time to the Food Pantry, sorting food donations, packing bags for distribution, interviewing clients, and assisting with the actual food distribution.

In this video you'll meet Trish, one of our faithful volunteers, who will walk you through some of her regular duties at the Pantry.

EECM Hunger Programs at a Glance

Today's Heinz Endowments Spotlight shines on EECM's Hunger Programs.

East End Cooperative Ministry operates three Hunger Programs out of East Liberty Presbyterian Church. All together, EECM programs serve nearly 80,000 meals each year, including meals at our emergency housing programs.

Soup Kitchen – EECM’s Soup Kitchen provides hot, nutritious noontime meals Monday through Friday. Clients at the Soup Kitchen are also referred to other service providers, such as medical professionals and drug and alcohol treatment programs. Last year, the Soup Kitchen served 22,497 meals to an average of 87 people per day.

Food Pantry – EECM’s Food Pantry is one of the busiest in Allegheny County. We provide emergency groceries and household supplies (including dish soap, toilet paper, and diapers) – items that are not covered by food stamps. Food Pantry clients meet with a staff member or volunteer each time they use the pantry and receive on-going assistance with budgeting, applying for food stamps, and referrals to other social service agencies and entitlement programs.

The Pantry is available to anyone living within our service area (including East Liberty, Lincoln-Lemington, Larimer, Garfield, parts of Shadyside and Squirrel Hill) whose income level is at or below 150% of the national poverty level.

An average of 466 households a month used the Food Pantry last year, a 12% increase over the previous year. The fastest-growing neighborhood using Pantry services is Shadyside, an clients report that job loss is the number one factor leading them to seek help at the Pantry.

Meals on Wheels – EECM’s Meals on Wheels program delivers delicious two delicious home-cooked meals to more than eighty people each day The program helps elderly and/or homebound individuals retain their independence and provides peace of mind to their family, who know their loved one is receiving proper nutrition and has someone checking on them. Last year, EECM’s Meals on Wheels program provided 17,670 meals.

From Chaos to Peace: A Bridge Housing graduate shares his story

EECM continues to be featured "In the Spotlight" on the Heinz Endowments website. Yesterday's post shares the story of Aaron, a graduate of EECM's Bridge Housing Program.

Aaron is a graduate of EECM’s Bridge Housing program. Prior to participating in Bridge, Aaron spent six of the previous ten years in prison. Before that, he bounced in and out of hospitals, battling against schizoaffective disorder (which combines the paranoia and delusions of schizophrenia with the mania of bipolar) and alcohol and drug addiction.

“The biggest problem in my life has been a lack of consistency. My life was never stable. I lost my parents young and moved through the foster system when I was a teenager. I didn’t have any direction, so I followed the neighborhood guys into some bad choices.”

“I was arrested for a robbery when I was 21 and spent 5 years in jail. I got my head on straight in there. I got on medication and started seeing a therapist. I also worked at nurturing my spirit – I spent a lot of time praying.”

“When I got out in 2004, I really wanted to change my life. But I rushed into it and lost control. I stopped going to meetings. Stopped taking my medications. Before long, I had violated my parole and I was back in jail.”

“I was paroled again in 2006, and I had learned a lot from what I went through. My doctor didn’t want me to rush into working, but my welfare income wasn’t enough to live on.”

“I started EECM’s Bridge Housing program in September 2006. My time at Bridge allowed me to establish a foundation for my life. I went to meetings and got used to taking my medications regularly. It let me take a look at myself and what I wanted out of life.”

“The staff helped me build a support network. I became friends with other guys in EECM’s housing programs, and that helped me avoid falling back in with old friends and old ways.”

“Without EECM, I honestly don’t know where I would be. On the streets, maybe. Or in prison.”

After completing EECM’s Bridge Housing program, Aaron moved into his very first apartment. He also found the perfect job. He was hired by a human services organization to work as a Peer Specialist, providing support and life skills assistance to individuals with mental illness. He is someone for them to talk to, to turn to when they’re struggling.

Aaron says: “This is what I always wanted to do – I’m there when people need me.”

Compassionate Care

Today's EECM spotlight at the Heinz Endowments website is on the Orr Compassionate Care Center.

East End Cooperative Ministry’s Orr Compassionate Care Center is a unique and innovative emergency homeless program providing much-needed support to men and women recovering from illness or injury who are not well enough to live independently and who do not have the financial ability to pay for their care.

The Center serves a population who are negatively affected by changes in medical practice by which patients are discharged as soon as their medical issue has been resolved. Hospitals frequently do not take into account patient societal status or challenges to their living situation when making this discharge decision.

This can be a catastrophic experience for those who have no family support, no one to care for them, no funds and no place to go for assistance with basic self-care. The Orr Center plays a vital part in the network of community organizations providing care for the homeless, the elderly, and the disabled. It fills a role not met by any other providers by offering respite care which enables individuals to recuperate in a protected, caring environment, rather than return to the streets or, in the case of some, to a home alone.

In this video, EECM staff member Janice Rivers takes us on a brief, three-minute tour of the Orr Center.

EECM Housing Programs at a Glance

The spotlight continues to shine on East End Cooperative Ministry over at the Heinz Endowments website. Today we're taking a look at EECM's Housing Programs.

Blogger: Paul DeWalt, Hunger and Homeless Programs Director

East End Cooperative Ministry operates six distinct housing programs that provide a continuum of care to the homeless community. All of these programs have an intensive case management component as we seek to help homeless men and women move toward independence and self-sufficiency.

Every night of the year, EECM’s Men’s Emergency Shelter provides homeless men with beds, showers, laundry facilities, hot meals and a safe haven from the street. Last year, we provided 10,883 nights of shelter to 473 different men.




In the afternoons, homeless men and women are welcome to come to EECM’s Drop-in Center for food, support, and refuge. They also meet there with service providers from the community, such as doctors, drug and alcohol treatment programs, and mental health workers.

PennFree is a 12-month scattered-site rent support program for men and women recovering from substance abuse. Last year, the program served 36 different adults, four with children.

Bridge Housing is a one-year residential program providing a safe, supportive and affordable living space for twelve homeless men who are making the transition from crisis shelter to independent living.





Safe Haven provides long-term housing and support for up to eight chronically homeless, mentally ill men who had previously been living on the streets. The program is currently operating at full capacity.

The Orr Compassionate Care Center is a 12-bed non-medical respite care facility where homeless and mentally ill adults can recuperate after being discharged from local hospitals when their physical or mental health issues temporarily prevent independent living. Last year, we provided a total of 3,246 days of care to 80 individuals.

Summer Day Camp 2009 Snapshot

Today's Heinz Endowments Spotlight features highlights from EECM's 2009 Summer Day Camp. Thanks to Dominique Dobson, our Children and Youth Education Coordinator, for putting together this Spotlight.

Every year, East End Cooperative Ministry’s Summer Day Camp provides summer fun and learning to more than 200 at-risk kids, ages 5-16. In addition to traditional “camp” activities, like swimming, sports, arts and crafts, EECM’s camp helps equip students to navigate the challenges in their lives by teaching them valuable life skills.




Each week of camp is focused around a theme, all of which support the overall theme of camp for the year. This year’s theme was “Step Up Your Game to Achieve Your Destiny!” Here’s an overview of Day Camp 2009.

Week 1 -- Faith

This week, we learned about what it means to be a child who lives by faith. The development of faith is critical for combating the community cultural feelings of apathy and hopelessness which are becoming a normative outlook among urban youth today.


Week 2 -- Courage

The theme for week two was courage. Having courage to stand for one’s values and beliefs is critical to succeed in today’s urban youth culture. Campers learned the importance of being courageous and never giving up on their destiny.

Find out the rest of our weekly themes, and discover what exciting field trips were part of Day Camp 2009.

ExtraOrdinary Commitment: An Interview with an EECM Tutor

Yesterday's Spotlight on EECM on the Heinz Endowments website focused on our ExtraOrdinary Tutoring program.

EECM’s ExtraOrdinary Tutoring program is one of our programs that helps students succeed in school. Students in kindergarten through twelfth grade are matched with volunteer tutors from the community. On average, tutors and students meet together for an hour each week – although some meet more frequently.

MaryRose has been tutoring with EECM for two years. She works with Raina, a third grader who needs help in math. They’ve been together for just over a year and continued meeting through the summer, even though the program was not “officially” operating then.

MaryRose sat down to talk with us for a few minutes about the rewards and challenges of being an EECM tutor.

Children & Youth Programs at a Glance

EECM is currently being featured "In the Spotlight" on the Heinz Endowments website. Yesterday's post provided an overview of our Children and Youth programs. Here's an excerpt for your enjoyment!

East End Cooperative Ministry’s three main areas of focus include Hunger, Housing, and Children & Youth Services. Today, we’ll take a look at our programs designed to help the young people in our community succeed.


Each year, more than 700 students participate in EECM’s In-School and After-School Outreach programs. Following age and gender-specific curricula, these programs provide academic support, violence prevention, drug and alcohol prevention, career exploration and life skills development.


EECM’s ExtraOrdinary Tutoring program provides personalized academic support to students in grades K-12. Last year 110 of our students were paired with volunteer tutors.

Every summer, 200 children and youth enjoy a wide variety fun recreational activities and learning experiences at EECM’s Summer Day Camp.


EECM’s Children & Youth Programs help our students learn to dream about their futures...

To read more, click here to visit the Heinz Endowmnts Spotlight on EECM.

Spotlight on East End Cooperative Ministry

Written by: Kate Snyder, Development and Donor Communications Coordinator

East End Cooperative Ministry is thrilled to be featured "In the Spotlight" on the Heinz Endowments website. The Heinz Endowments have generously supported several of EECM's important Children & Youth Programs, including recently funding extensive upgrades to our Children & Youth Computer Lab.

For the next two weeks, stories from EECM's programs will be showcased on the Heinz Endowments website. We'll also be featuring those stories here on the blog so be sure to stay tuned!

The spotlight kicks off with an interview with Myrna Zelenitz, our Executive Director.

"It takes perseverance and often guts to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless and otherwise support those weary and discouraged by life circumstances. East End Cooperative Ministry Executive Director Myrna Zelenitz explained to Endowments Communications Officer Carmen Lee how members of her staff exhibit those qualities every day while bringing creativity and talent to their work.

Q: What has been your organization’s biggest triumph of the past year?

A: EECM currently uses congregational facilities because we don’t have our own, and with the downturn in the economy, our client numbers have increased dramatically. Just being able to serve everybody within limited space has been a triumph.

Q: What has been the biggest trial?"

Click here to read more!