Making the Most of the Snow

Written by: Kate Snyder, Development and Donor Communications Coordinator

As we dig out from the mountains of snow that fell in recent days, our programs are getting back to normal. We were able to keep our most essential programs up and running throughout the nasty weather, including delivering hot, home-cooked meals to our Meals on Wheels clients. Staff, friends, and amazingly loyal volunteers all pitched in to make sure that people in need were helped despite the weather.

Now, we're starting to get back to normal and some of our clients are even enjoying the winter wonderland.

One of our Case Managers at our Homeless Drop-In Center sent me this picture. Apparently, our homeless clients decided that snow sculptures were the order of the day!

Pharmacy Students Teach Healthy Lifestyles

Written by: Kate Snyder, Development and Donor Communications Coordinator

Last month, 73 students received personalized more than 150 hours of personalized tutoring in EECM's ExtraOrdinary Tutoring program. One of the reasons we're able to provide academic help to so many kids in the community is an ongoing partnership EECM enjoys with the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy.

Each semester, a cadre of Pharmacy students volunteer with our ET program, often tutoring multiple students and putting in many hours of work each week.

In addition to providing direct school-related support, the Pitt students also try to introduce their students to some principles of living a healthy lifestyle. Recently, a group of four students organized an educational event designed to address the issue of childhood obesity. They approached the problem from perspectives of nutrition and physical fitness.

The culmination of their project was a 4-hour "mini-Olympics" with various stations, including physical fitness games (ex. basketball, tossing balls), bowling, healthy snacks, and an interactive poster asking the kids what a healthy lifestyle meant to them.

Thanks to our Pitt Pharmacy volunteers for stretching beyond the classroom to provide fun, interactive learning!

Making the Most of It

Written by: Kate Snyder, Development and Donor Communications Coordinator

Joella is fighting an uphill battle. She has Stage 4 lung cancer and is in the midst of an aggressive chemotherapy treatment. But Joella is upbeat. She says, “The Lord made each cell in my body – he knows what makes them rebels and he knows how to shut them off, too!”

One side effect of Joella’s treatment is appetite suppression – she doesn’t eat as much as she used to. Joella lives on a fixed income and money is tight. But in recent months, rather than spending less money on groceries, she had a different idea. She chose to keep her grocery budget the same, but donate the excess food to East End Cooperative Ministry’s Food Pantry.

For the first couple months, Joella walked to the grocery store and then to the Food Pantry, bags of non-perishable groceries in hand. Recently, though, her stamina is less, so she called EECM to see about a ride to the store.

I had the pleasure of spending an hour with Joella, perusing the isles of Giant Eagle. She came prepared. Weekly sales flier in hand, she mapped out our route, being sure to include those items the Food Pantry needed most: canned fruits and vegetables, side dishes like Rice-a-Roni and instant potatoes, canned tuna, and pasta and sauce.

At the end of the run, she’d spent about $80 and had a whole cart full of groceries to show for her efforts. The only thing she bought for herself that trip was a carton of potato salad.

Joella’s thoughtfulness was a wonderful reminder of how generous the human spirit can be, even in the midst of adversity. Even though she is facing some very serious challenges in her own life, Joella’s focus is on helping those in need in her community. Thanks, Joella!