2 Greensburg area churches prep for food outreach on Dec. 10, Christmas Day

Donations of money, time, transportation — and cakes — will come together Dec. 25 to provide holiday ham meals for hundreds of Greensburg residents.

Continuing a tradition of about two decades, volunteers will be needed beginning Dec. 23 at First Presbyterian Church of Greensburg to prepare free dinners for pickup or delivery on Christmas Day.

“Last year, we had 15 volunteers on the 23rd,” said Scott Sucke, ruling elder and mission committee chair at the church. Completing the three-day effort “on the morning of the 25th and through the day, we had anywhere from 35 to 40 volunteers. We had people delivering meals as well as working in the kitchen.”

A change in the meal’s format has allowed First Presbyterian to expand the number of people it serves on Christmas.

“We have always offered the delivery option,” said Sucke. “In the past, when we had a sit-down meal, because of the space, we were limited to 75 to 80 people at most. Now, doing pickups, we’re able to accommodate more people.”

Last year, the church provided more than 650 Christmas Day dinners. Sucke plans to serve as many as 700 this year.

Many of those served last year will receive dinners again this year. Sucke said the church also gets referrals from local organizations including the Blackburn Center, which operates a shelter for victims of domestic violence.

People also can call the church by Dec. 23, at 724-832-0150, to reserve a meal.

This season, inflation has put an extra strain on the food budgets of many local households. “We have definitely seen an uptick in people calling for reservations,” Sucke said.

First Presbyterian also got the word out about its Christmas meals through the Westmoreland County Food Bank and at an annual free Thanksgiving meal served by another Greensburg house of worship, Otterbein United Methodist Church.

Christmas meal deliveries, limited to the Greensburg area, include those to residents at facilities such as the Pershing Square apartments for the elderly and disabled.

“These are some of our community members who may not be able to get out to pickup a meal,” Sucke said.

The meals include starch, vegetable and fruit sides, along with bread or rolls — funded through monetary donations from the church congregation and the public. For dessert, the church seeks donations of cakes.

“People are very generous, and that’s good,” said Sucke.

Church of the Brethren offers food

In another charitable effort, on Dec. 10, Greensburg Church of the Brethren in Southwest Greensburg will provide 250 boxes of food to help those in need stock their pantries in time for Christmas. That food will be distributed by the church’s Disciples’ Hands ministry on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 8 a.m.

The drive-up distribution will take place on the parking lot side of the church at 554 Stanton St.

“The food boxes will be given on the honor system to anyone that needs it. No questions asked,” said Julie Ruane, administrative assistant at the Church of the Brethren. “Everything is so tight with budgets now, and the Disciples’ Hands ministry wants to help.”

Monthly distributions continue

In a separate effort, the ministry also distributes monthly food boxes to about 30 recipients through a partnership with a food bank in Cranberry.

A request for a monthly food box from the Church of the Brethren, for oneself or someone else in need, can be made by emailing handsdisciples@gmail.com or by calling 724-834-2130.

First Presbyterian also provides monthly food to local residents in need through its Second Sunday Supper program.

Sucke said that program had been serving about 350 recipients on the second Sunday of each month, but that number jumped to a little more than 400 in November. The church has partnered with the Westmoreland County Food Bank to keep the Second Sunday meals coming.

“They’re supplementing a lot of the food and materials for us,” Sucke said of the food bank. “That has been a great partnership that has allowed us to have more flexibility.”

Donations, volunteers needed

Separate headings at the top of the First Presbyterian Church website, firstpresbyteriangreensburg.com, can be selected by those wanting to donate to either the Christmas Day or Second Sunday meal programs. The website also allows people to volunteer or contribute a cake for the Dec. 25 dinner.