The Face of Meals on Wheels

Written by: Kate Snyder, Development and Donor Communications Coordinator


I rode along on a Meals on Wheels route for the first time this week, accompanying veteran volunteers Flo and Bernard. Flo drives the route and organizes the meals, and Bernard navigates and makes the actual deliveries.

It finally really hit me that most of our clients aren’t just the elderly. They are the poor elderly. Some pay a token sum for their meals (about $25 dollars a week for seven days of meals, two meals a day), but many can’t even afford that. I knew those numbers as an objective fact, but experienced them on a more emotional level as we drove.

The neighborhood we delivered in is a rough one, often featured on the evening news. Bernard pointed out local landmarks – “that’s where the fire was last year that killed those kids” or “over there is where that shooting last week was.” The houses themselves told a story of poverty and neglect. Battered cars parked along streets pocked with deep potholes. Rusted fences, boarded up windows, and sagging porches. Once beautiful homes, now peeling and graffitied and tired.

But in the midst of the decay, there were the inevitable marks of human occupation, signs of lives not just endured but enjoyed. A tattered American flag in a window. Wind chimes swaying gently on a porch. A well-tended rose bush growing defiantly among the weeds.

Most of the clients that I met matched their surroundings – old, tired, but with grateful smiles to greet the arrival of their meals. Most were shy about meeting me, hesitant to have their pictures taken (although most relented after being assured that they looked just fine).

“Oh, I’m not dressed for that!”

“Let me just freshen up a bit.”

“Well, now, you caught me in my bathrobe! Can’t take a picture like that.”

For some of these men and women, that brief interaction as the meal is delivered and pleasantries exchanged might be their only human contact of the day. I got the impression that they treasure it. That it’s every bit as important to them as the food we brought.

A New Way to Feed the Homeless

Written by: Kate Snyder, Development and Donor Communications Coordinator

At EECM, we try hard to pay attention to the needs of our clients and adapt our services to meet as many of those needs as possible. This often means slowly expanding programs, refining them and making them better and better with time.

Take meals at the Men's Emergency Shelter. Every night of the year, local groups prepare and serve dinner to the men staying at the shelter. Depending on the group, dinner can be anything from spaghetti and meatballs to fried chicken to Korean specialties. Breakfast most days is less elaborate -- cold cereal mainly. But over time, Saturday breakfast at the shelter has expanded and taken on a more delicious flavor.

Our dinner schedule became so full (the calendar to serve an evening meal is often full several months in advance!) that we began to encourage groups to provide a hot breakfast on Saturday mornings. Now, several Saturdays a month, the men in our shelter get to enjoy pancakes, breakfast casseroles, and other tasty morning treats.

Now, the Shelter meal program is evolving once more to include passing out bagged lunches on Sundays.

Why just Sundays, you ask? EECM's Soup Kitchen serves lunch Monday through Friday and another kitchen in the area is open on Saturdays. That just leaves Sunday as a vacancy in meals for the homeless in this community.

We're trying to fill that void. Interested groups can now sign up to prepare sack lunches that staff will distribute as men leave the Shelter on Sunday mornings. Ideally, the lunches will include a sandwich, piece of fruit, beverage, and "snack" (like pretzels or chips or a dessert).

Does this sound like a project you'd like to undertake? Contact EECM's Volunteer Coordinator, Emily Huck at 412.361.5549 ext. 403 for more details. And thanks!

Hunger and the Economy

Written by: Kate Snyder, Development and Donor Communications Coordinator

We all know the US economy is in a slump (or at least if you don't know, you are probably living the austere life of a hermit somewhere in the Australian outback and are not reading this blog). And I think we all have an intuitive sense that a bad economy can hit hardest those who already have the least.

Here's a brief article from the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) highlighting exactly that point. The article observes that 1.5 million MORE people utilized food stamps in March of 2008 than in March of 2007. Wow.

Rising gas prices mean rising food prices and for families barely getting by, these increases can mean empty cupboards and bare tables.

Strawberrific

Written by: Kate Snyder, Development and Donor Communications Coordinator

Earlier this week, the clients of our Food Pantry got a special early-summer treat -- fresh strawberries. Lots of them. Thanks to the efforts of a group of students from the Kentucky Avenue School, we were able to distribute bags of freshly picked strawberries along with the usual bags of grocery staples like pasta and spaghetti.

The students of Kentucky Avenue School had volunteered several times with EECM throughout the school year. Their teachers decided that they wanted their students to make a donation that really meant something -- a donation they had worked to provide.

So, they gathered the kids and headed to a local strawberry patch to pick some fruit. The students then came to the Pantry to donate the fruits of their labor (solemnly assuring us they had only eaten the mutant berries too ugly to donate in good conscience). What a fabulous project! A great lesson and a wonderful treat for our Pantry clients.

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.

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?

Market District

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

We are always eager to have volunteer groups at EECM. They come from a variety of sources -- particularly youth groups and schools. Sometimes we even get adult volunteer groups, which is fun. Last Friday was the inaugural day of what will become an ongoing volunteer project with EECM neighbor Giant Eagle Market District.

Market District has always been an active community partner -- they support our annual fundraiser financially and also regularly donate baked goods to the Food Pantry (to the delight of all!). About a month ago, they approached us about setting up a regular volunteer opportunity for their team members.

And last Friday the first three showed up for duty! Fridays are always busy in our hunger programs so we put them to work making sandwiches and packing bags in the Food Pantry and for Meals on Wheels.

In the weeks to come, Market District hopes to expand the program and have as many as eight volunteers each Friday on a rotating basis. Carrie, a member of the Communications Committee at the store and a driving force behind the project, says they're hoping to encourage a spirit of community service amongst store team members.

Great idea, Market District! And welcome!

Heart Results

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

Egad! It just occurred to me that, here it is two weeks after the conclusion of EECM's Have a Heart for Hunger Campaign, and I haven't shared the results. So here we go...the grand total is...(drumroll please)...$76,576 as of April 15th. Wow!

Let's put that number into perspective a little bit. First, the breakdown. A total of 261 individuals, congregations, businesses, and organizations made donations ranging from $5 to more than $6,000. These donors raised $46,576, allowing us to secure an extremely generous matching gift of $30,000 from an anonymous donor, bringing the total to that fabulous number of $76,576.

(To compare: last year's campaign raised a total of $68,324).

$76,576 -- that's a lot of money. In fact, it could provide:

More than 26,000 lunches at the Soup Kitchen

Meals on Wheels service for 40 clients for one year

Emergency groceries for almost 2,000 families

Operating funds for all of EECM’s Hunger Programs for 2 months

Many thanks to everyone who participated in the 2008 Have a Heart for Hunger campaign!

February Hunger Stats

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

To give you a sense of the magnitude of the problem of hunger in our community, here are some statistics from EECM's Hunger Programs for February 2008:

Soup Kitchen -- served 1,800 meals
Food Pantry -- served 374 families
Meals on Wheels -- delivered 1,534 meals

As high as these numbers are, February is actually the slowest month for our Hunger Services. For comparison, here are some numbers from January:

Soup Kitchen -- served 2,050 meals
Food Pantry -- served 467 households
Meals on Wheels -- delivered 1,742 meals

Heart-ful Prayer

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

Today I wanted to take a minute to remind you that there is one very simple -- but very important -- way that absolutely everyone can support EECM's Have a Heart for Hunger campaign. It doesn't cost money. You don't have to collect food or make Valentines or help at the Food Pantry (although we'd love it if you did). You don't even have to leave your house.

In fact, this particular activity can be done in your pajamas while lounging on the couch.

That's right, I'm talking about the Big P -- PRAYER. At EECM, we say we're an interfaith organization and, by gum, we mean it. We want you (whoever and wherever you are) to pray for us!

Now, this may sound daunting, but here's the great thing about personal prayer: no one will hear you (well, except God obviously, which is sort of the point). You don't have to be eloquent, articulate, theologically astute, or even particularly pious. You don't even have to speak out loud.

Just take a few minutes from your day and pray for East End Cooperative Ministry. Not sure what to pray for? Here are some ideas to get you going:

• Pray for our Food Pantry clients, that they may have enough to eat this week.
  
• Pray for our Meals on Wheels clients, that they may not feel lonely.
• Pray for our Hunger Staff, that they may provide help and comfort to our clients.
• Pray for our Volunteers, that they may stay energized and committed to their work.
• Pray for EECM as a whole, that our services may continue to meet the needs of our community.

Pray for one of these things. Pray for all of these things. Pray for something else entirely (though hopefully related to EECM).

And remember that you aren't just praying for us. You're praying with us. We pray every day for our clients and staff and volunteers and programs and...for you. That's right. We pray for you, our friends and supporters, that you will continue to partner with us in our work and that you will be blessed because of your dedication and generosity.

Brain Food

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

FEED THE BRAIN! PLEASE DONATE!

Fliers emblazoned with these bold exhortations gaily bedeck a huge stash of brown paper grocery bags, overflowing with food, over at the Food Pantry today. They are the impressive results of the Falk Middle School Service Committee’s (MSSC) annual Feed the Brain food drive.

The students of the MSSC (whom you might remember from an earlier post about their fabulous alternative gift market) support EECM’s Have a Heart for Hunger campaign each year by promoting a school-wide food drive.

To make things interesting, and to give the drive an academic spin, they focus on “brain food” – like canned tuna or macaroni and cheese (a studying necessity, as all college students know). They also collect gently used children’s books for our Bookcases for Kids project and our Food Pantry families.

It’s a wonderful project and just one more example of the creative ways our community supports EECM Hunger Programs. Thanks to everyone who participated!

What do you do with all that food?

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

During our have a heart for hunger campaign, one way that many organizations (and individuals) show their support of EECM is by hosting food drives. A large-scale food drive (like the Love Walk) can bring in over 1,000 pounds of food. That’s a lot of groceries. Which might lead you to wonder to yourself: what do they do with all that food?

Glad you asked. Food donations to EECM are mostly divided up between several programs. The bulk of the donations are distributed via the Food Pantry. Some are used in our two other hunger programs (Soup Kitchen and Meals on Wheels) and a few others are sent over to our Homeless Drop-In Center.

What we need the most of for the Food Pantry are staples. When a client comes to the pantry he or she is given two ready-packed grocery bags with pre-determined contents.

One has:

1 jar of spaghetti sauce
2 boxes of pasta
1 jar of peanut butter
1 jar of jelly
1 can of fruit
2 cans of vegetables
2 cans (or packages) of soup
2 boxes of macaroni and cheese or rice-a-roni

The other bag contains an assortment of things including cereal, cooking spices, canned tuna, and toilet paper.

The idea is that between these two bags, a family will have enough staples to eat for three days. If it’s an especially large family, we give them another bag. Families also receive a bag of mixed fresh produce (thanks to Whole Foods Market) and have the opportunity to take a loaf of bread. Please note that we have partnerships with local grocery stores to provide these items and we cannot accept perishable items from individuals or groups.

We are in constant need of the non-perishable items listed above. Some groups even do specialty food drives (like “can the fourth graders collect more boxes of macaroni and cheese than the fifth graders?”) which work out really well.

Of course, people donate other things than appear on the small list above. So what do we do with those? Well, we can use some things – like bags of rice or cans of beans – for the meals we prepare at the Soup Kitchen and for Meals on Wheels. Dave’s chili is a weekly favorite at the Soup Kitchen.

Donations of “snack” foods – like granola bars or cookies or crackers – usually end up at the Drop-In center where our homeless clients enjoy them as an afternoon snack.

And what do we do with the really odd-ball stuff like 15 year old bottles of hot sauce or half-empty jars of peanut butter? Well…often we throw them away. That’s right. I said it. Please don’t give us gross stuff that’s been sitting in your pantry since 1972.

So there you have it. You know what we need. Now all you have to do now is go out and organize a food drive.

High School Hearts

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

As promised, here’s another example of how individuals and organizations across Pittsburgh are having a heart for hunger.

Meet the team from Quaker Valley High School. As part of a senior elective course on service learning, this group of intrepid volunteers came and lent a helping hand in our Hunger Programs last week.

They sorted food donations, packed bags for the Pantry, prepared meals for our elderly Meals on Wheels clients, and served lunch at the Soup Kitchen. This isn’t the first time that EECM has benefited from the generosity of the Quaker Valley crew. Read about their creative holiday fundraiser.

These students are full of great ideas. Be sure to check out the Summer edition of the EECM newsletter (sign up for the electronic version in the right-hand sidebar) for more stories from Quaker Valley!

Thanks to all the participating students (and their teacher)! You’ve got a huge heart for hunger.

Daisies with a Heart for Hunger

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

So here’s the situation. You want to get involved with EECM’s Have a Heart for Hunger campaign, you really do. But…you’re not sure where to begin. You’re feeling overwhelmed and a bit paralyzed, and at this rate, you’ll sit on your hands until April and miss your opportunity. It’s okay, I sympathize. Really, I do.

But the good news is – it’s really easy to Have a Heart for Hunger. Seriously. And to prove it to you, over the next few weeks, I’ll be highlighting some of the wonderful ways that people (just like you!) in our community are making a difference.

Here’s one:

A local Daisy Girl Scout Troup (these are the wee ones – ages 5 and 6) got together and produced hand-made valentines for our Meals on Wheels and Soup Kitchen clients. A little glue, some paper doilies, a few (aka "a million") stickers and presto! A very sweet little something to brighten the day of our clients in EECM’s Hunger Programs.

To further inspire you, I’ve included a few pictures of their creations.

There really is no limit to the ways that you can Have a Heart for Hunger. So go wild!

Love Walk 2008

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

The freezing cold temperatures of early February weren’t enough to deter the hundreds of young people who turned out to tromp through the streets of East Liberty on Sunday February 10th. These dedicated young people were participating in the 18th Annual Love Walk for the Poor.

The Love Walk is an annual event of the Youth and Young Adult Ministries of the Catholic Dioceses of Pittsburgh. Each year, youth groups and young adult programs from Catholic parishes around Pittsburgh join together to celebrate mass and participate in the charity walk. Mass is held at Sacred Heart Parish on Shady Ave. and then the participants hike one mile through the heart of Shadyside to the East End Cooperative Ministry Food Pantry (located in East Liberty Presbyterian Church.)

The really cool thing is, everyone carries boxes and bags of non-perishable food items that are donated to the EECM Food Pantry. By carrying their donations with them from Sacred Heart to EECM, the participants simulate what it would be like to have to carry all of your possessions with you, as our homeless clients do daily.

The 2008 Love Walk for the Poor was the most successful yet -- these dedicated young philanthropists donated more than 1,000 pounds of much-needed food to the Pantry. This event is the annual kick-off to EECM's Have a Heart for Hunger Campaign. What a great start! Thanks to everyone who participated.

Have a Heart for Hunger

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

Today is Valentine’s Day, and you know what that means…

Well, yes, it means candle-lit dinners, wide-spread public displays of affection, and outrageously over-priced roses, but what else does it mean?

That’s right – it’s time for East End Cooperative Ministry’s have a heart for hunger campaign!

Hopefully you will recall that every year between February 14th and March 31st, EECM makes a special effort to raise community awareness about, as well as funds to combat, the devastating effects of hunger on our East End community.

This year, the need is greater than ever. With the US economy shaky, fears about food security are on the rise. Most of our clients live paycheck to paycheck, and even slight alterations to their monthly budgets can make the difference between having enough money for groceries and going hungry.

People right here in our neighborhood don’t have enough to eat. That’s the bad news. But you can change this reality. That’s the good news.

Partner with us in our fight against hunger. Check out the EECM website, and keep your eyes on this blog, for more information about how you can have a heart for hunger.

And Happy Valentine’s Day!

Anesthetists Unite!

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

You may not be aware, but the week of January 20-25 isn’t just any old week. No, it is National Nurse Anesthetists Week. To be perfectly honest, I had never actually heard of a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) until today, but now my horizons have been broadened and I’ve officially learned my “something new” for the day.

What brought about this enlightenment? Why, the presence of more than 20 fabulous CRNAs who have been volunteering in our Hunger Programs this week as part of National Nurse Anesthetists Week.

CRNAs and students in CRNA programs across the country are participating in a variety of local community service projects as a way of celebrating the national recognition week and giving back to their communities. The University of Pittsburgh has a Nurse Anesthetists program and students in this program, as well as nurses in the city, have been donating their time to us.

Our CRNA crew has been coming every day this week in teams of about 5, arriving at 9am and staying through early afternoon. They’ve been a blessing during a busy week, cheerfully performing any and all assigned tasks and generally bringing enthusiasm and good humor with them. They also brought grocery donations to our Food Pantry and collected financial contributions from Pitt faculty, friends, and other students and nurses who were unable to come with.

Many thanks – you guys were great!

Thanksgiving Bounty

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

Well, the Thanksgiving Bounty continued (and increased) last week. Here's a quick look at just a few of the donations that rolled in in time for Thanksgiving at EECM.

A group of students from the Falk School brought in the results of a pie-baking fundraiser: $500 and more than 100 pies. They got parents and other friends to "sponsor" the pies by paying for the production of a pie that would then be donated to the Food Pantry. What an awesome idea!

The 8th graders at St. Edmund's Academy came by with hundreds of grocery items, neatly organized into boxes of complete meals -- cornbread, green beans, etc. Just add turkey!

The Hunger Busters at the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children rounded up more than 150 pounds of spaghetti.

Club One made good on their promise of a frozen flock -- they brought in 60 frozen turkeys along with enough side-dish groceries to fill up four of our HUGE plastic tubs (we're talking hundred of pounds of food here).

Thanks to all for helping to make Thanksgiving a happy holiday for all of our clients!

Full Turkey Ahead

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

Thanksgiving may be still a week away but here at EECM it’s Full Turkey Ahead and All Turkeys Go. Harvest season is a bountiful time of year and the approaching holidays bring out the charitable in everyone. The result of which is that our Food Pantry is overflowing…which is a good thing because traffic at the Pantry increases dramatically at this time of year. Ordinarily, we see around 20 to 25 families each day. Yesterday, we served 76.

One of the reasons for the extra people is that EECM is a recipient of Turkey Vouchers from Giant Eagle. The vouchers are good for a turkey, ham or chicken at Giant Eagle and we distribute them to our clients. A good-sized bird can feed a family for quite a while and the turkey vouchers are always eagerly anticipated.

But what would a turkey dinner be without the sides? Never fear – East Liberty Presbyterian Church to the rescue! Each year ELPC participates in a Thanksgiving Bag food drive for EECM. At the morning church services, they pass out brown paper grocery bags, to which they have stapled a list of Thanksgiving sides like stovetop stuffing, canned sweet potatoes, jars of gravy, and cornbread mix. The filled bags are then distributed to our clients along with their turkey vouchers and voila, a Thanksgiving Day feast. They even toss in festive holiday napkins. This year, they collected well over 100 Thanksgiving Bags.

And if all that food wasn’t enough, we’re expecting a large feathery donation on Monday – a flock of 50 frozen turkeys. All Turkeys On Deck!