Grassroots nonprofits feed those in need each week at Greensburg, Jeannette churches

A special service takes place Thursday evenings at Otterbein United Methodist Church in Greensburg.

People who drive or walk to the church are collectively served with more than 200 free meals to go — through the efforts of a local nonprofit, with support from businesses, volunteers and donors.

“We do it every Thursday except Thanksgiving,” said Deb Thackrah of Greensburg, founder and executive director of Feeding the Spirit. “We have probably 15 to 20 volunteers who help with the meals. We have a group that handles the walk-up meals and a group that handles the drive-thru.”

James Moon of Greensburg was among those who walked to the church Thursday to pick up a bagged chicken Alfredo meal from the volunteers.

“I just love them,” he said as he extended his visit to share funny riddles with the Feeding the Spirit crew. “They have an excellent service.”

The free meal program for those in need began 12 years ago, with recipients sitting down in the church to partake of a dinner. When the covid-19 pandemic fueled concerns about large indoor gatherings, the meal distribution moved temporarily outdoors, to Greensburg’s St. Clair Park on Saturdays.

Now back at Otterbein, the program is sticking with a pickup and drive-thru format.

“For now, we want to keep it this way, so that everybody can get a meal,” said Thackrah. “We are serving double the people this way,” compared with the seating that was available indoors.

“In the past year or so, we’ve seen new faces,” she said. “There are more families in need.”

Feeding the Spirit grew from an effort to help those in Greensburg who had no place to spend the night.

“I was running on the Five Star Trail with a friend at 4:30 or 5 in the morning, and we started seeing people sleeping on the benches,” Thackrah recalled. “I thought, ‘That’s not right.’ We started carrying $5 bills and slipping them under their backpacks.”

Considering another way to help, Thackrah decided to “find a place where people can go for a hot, free meal, and they don’t have to be judged.”

Otterbein offered the location, with local restaurants taking turns donating the meals. When the growing number of recipients rose to 100, Thackrah realized it was time to start paying the restaurants. Businesses and individuals have responded by sponsoring the cost.

During the first year of the pandemic, the meal program received support in the form of a $5,000 grant from the Ohio River Valley Covid-19 Response Fund of the Community Foundation of the Alleghenies, secured through Penn Township nonprofit Protect PT.

Grants from other foundations and partnering with the United Way also help the nonprofit continue its mission.

No reservations or income qualifications are needed to receive a meal.

“People show up, and we always have enough,” said Thackrah.

In addition to meals, Feeding the Spirit accepts donations of pet food and laundry and paper products to include in distributions. Thackrah noted those needed items can’t be purchased through the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for low-income families.

Feeding the Spirit also partners with the Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank, handing out 60 or more diapers per week, Thackrah said.

“When you see the impact of what you’re doing, it’s fulfilling,” said Judy Knapp of Ligonier, who has volunteered with Feeding the Spirit since it began and is now vice president of the group’s board. “It sort of gets under your skin, in a good way.”

Fellow volunteers have included local college students and members of other churches in the community, Knapp said, noting, “We’ve been blessed with the most wonderful people.”

“If you can volunteer for an hour, that’s great,” said Dominick Domasky, Greensburg resident and board president of Feeding the Spirit. “If you can donate something, that’s great. It all helps move the cause forward.”

Jeannette meal ministry

Thursdays witness a similar outpouring of support for those in need at First Baptist Church in Jeannette. There, meals are prepared and served weekly by the nonprofit ministry Living Hope Outreach.

On a typical Thursday, about 40 sit-down meals are cooked and served at the church, while 250 or more are either picked up by recipients or delivered to area senior housing residents, shut-ins and first responders.

“There are a lot of families that need somewhere safe they can go to have a meal,” said Mary Timberlake of Hempfield, who heads the effort with her husband, John.

For more than three years, the meals have been made possible thanks to donations from other local churches and community residents and food gleaned from restaurants.

In addition to food, Timberlake said, “We were blessed with the donation of a commercial freezer, and I just got a dishwasher donated.”

Once a month, Timberlake provides a bingo game for the meal recipients, with essential items such as toiletries awarded as prizes.

“They look forward to it,” she said. “We’re taking care of our community.”

That includes connecting meal recipients to other human services that can benefit them.

Housing help offered

Meals are just part of the help Feeding the Spirit provides, as it reaches out to residents with needs in Greensburg and in other parts of Westmoreland County.

“We saw that some of the people, at the end of the meal, had nowhere to go, so we branched out with emergency housing,” said Knapp’s husband, Rick Heil, who is treasurer of Feeding the Spirit.

The nonprofit works with several local motels to provide temporary accommodations for those unable to find shelter elsewhere.

“While we served about 10,000 meals last year, we also provided about 1,000 people with temporary housing,” said Domasky. “That’s just as big of an impact.”

Recognized by the Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce as the 2022 Not-For-Profit of the Year, Feeding the Spirit also provides rental assistance to help people in financial stress from becoming homeless.

Said Heil, “There are a number of families that are able to cover their bills, and they’re getting food. But, if some crisis arises — typically, a health crisis — then they can’t pay the rent, and it’s a slippery slope toward homelessness.”

Feeding the Spirit also conducts a twice annual clothing donation drive to help those it serves and it has helped people cover the cost for getting a photo ID.

“That’s something that, if you don’t have it, you can’t apply for an apartment or a job,” Thackrah said.

“When somebody is in need, we don’t judge how they got to that position,” said Domasky. “We just help.

“There’s always more people in need. That’s the heartbreaking thing.”

The meal distributions occur 5 to 6 p.m. in Greensburg and 5 to 6:30 p.m. in Jeannette. Visit feedspirit.org or livinghopeoutreachllc.org for more information.