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Wesley Family Services statement regarding the horrific and wrongful death of George Floyd and systemic racism.

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The events of the last few weeks are disturbing and appalling. The horrific killing of George Floyd is indescribable in its wrongness and the evil required to commit the act.  That came just weeks after the ruthless and senseless murder of Ahmaud Arbery.

We know racism is wrong and systemic racism should have no place in our communities. We know that treating people as though they are not valuable or they are something less than we are, is wrong.  For WFS, we believe our mission to empower children, adults and families by providing transformational care provides us an unwavering foundation.  It provides an anchor to hold on to no matter the turbulence, disruption and challenges of current circumstances.  Our focus to provide empowerment to all we are privileged to serve, and for those doing the serving, that mission has been the backbone of this organization for over 100 years.  However, we have seen the tragedy when empowerment is taken away so unfairly and with great injustice.  There is so much listening and work to be done.

In thinking about the days ahead, it is important that we acknowledge that these acts and the taking of life, this disempowering of people, is not acceptable at Wesley Family Services.  We must ensure that processes are in place where discussion, reflection, expression of emotion, the processing of grief, and all the other things that come with these situations can happen.

The core values of WFS have great absolute truths to them that provide guidance and direction. When being led by our mission and values, we will provide inspiration for each other, for those we serve, and for our communities at this desperate time.

The first value is the idea of transformation. That positive life-change can happen when the right support is in place.  But at the root and core of transformation is the concept that every person has a gift, something unique to them that no one has ever had or ever will have in the same way.  Every person has something special. It follows then that we would be motivated to support their empowerment to see how their gift and uniqueness will enhance their quality of life.  We would want to treat them with dignity, respect and love because they have a special gift.

The second is the value of empathy. We must be skilled and passionate about listening.  At the base of this value is the undeniable truth that every person is valuable.  Every person is valuable because they are. Knowing all are valuable compels us to listen honestly and humbly – It doesn’t matter their position, appearance or circumstances in life.

The third value is a commitment to excellence. At the root of excellence is to do what is in somebody else’s best interest.  Oftentimes this requires putting our interest second to their interest.  For those entrusted to our care comes the weighty responsibility to serve with excellence by first asking the question what is the best interest of the child, adult and family we are privileged to serve.

The next value is innovation.  Inherent in this value is a commitment to humbly and genuinely acknowledge that another person’s idea is valuable.  At WFS we describe it this way:  In order to be innovative – there’s a person with idea “A” and a person with the idea “B.”  And when they come together to innovate, they often have different approaches and ideas.  Each one’s (A’s and B’s) first responsibility is to acknowledge the other and affirm that their point of view is worth being heard and has value. It needs to be predetermined by both A and B that by coming together they will create something better, “C!”  And that needs to come from both A and B, not just A, and not just B.

The first four values in culmination and practice create the fifth, inspiration.  There could not be a more critical time to provide inspiration to each other, to those we serve and to our communities.

These values must stand in the midst of the most difficult of life and community circumstances.  The truths supporting them have provided WFS perspective and context for serving hundreds of thousands of clients, knowing they all have a unique gift, are valuable, are deserving of serving their best interest and require our innovation by together creating something better.

ParentWISE Ice Cream Blast canceled for crowd safety concerns

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This article was originally published by the Tribune-Review.

By Shirley McMarlin | Wednesday, June 10, 2020, 11:00 a.m.

The annual ParentWISE Ice Cream Blast has been canceled. Here, kids enjoy treats at the 2019 event at Kirk S. Nevin Arena at Lynch Field in Greensburg.

The popular ParentWISE Ice Cream Blast has been canceled.

The 25th annual fundraiser was scheduled for July 18 at Kirk S. Nevin Arena at Lynch Field in Greensburg.

“In the interest of keeping our friends, families and guests safe, we felt strongly that we could not host an event that brought over 800 people together in the (arena),” said Julie Cawoski, director of family and community support programs for Wesley Family Services.

The event has been rescheduled for July 17, 2021.

The Ice Cream Blast is sponsored by Dairy Queen and the City of Greensburg. Proceeds benefit classes and services for families, caregivers, children and teens offered by ParentWISE, a program of Wesley Family Services.

Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley at 724-836-5750, smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter.

 

South Hills man partners with local restaurant to battle food insecurity

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This article was originally published by the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle.

By David Rullo | June 1, 2020, 2:58 p.m.

Scratch Food & Beverage has converted into a pay-what-you-can restaurant complete with a small market of household needs. Photo courtesy of Don Mahaney.

Long before the COVID-19 outbreak, Evan Dreyer was “agitated about food insecurity.”

“I’ve never gone to bed hungry, except maybe on Yom Kippur and Tisha B’Av,” explained the South Hills resident, “and this is something I view as an American disgrace.”

When the effects of the pandemic began to be felt in Pittsburgh, Mahaney became concerned “that people who were food insecure would have to compromise themselves in some way to get their daily needs met.” So, Mahaney transformed Scratch into a pay-what-you-can restaurant and opened a small market, also operating with a pay-what-you-can model for “everyday household needs.”

“We started working with the Greater Pittsburgh Restaurant Workers Mutual Aid Group and the Allegheny YMCA to get food to people who have no means,” Mahaney explained. “Then we partnered with a couple of other organizations including Wesley Family Services, helping to service seniors and get them groceries.”

When Dreyer learned about what Mahaney was doing, he decided to help with Scratch’s mission and set up a GoFundMe page to collect donations.

“I’m not really much of a fundraiser,” Dreyer said. “I would rather have dental work without anesthesia than call people and ask them for money, but this is something I believe in and figured I would give it a shot.”

Dreyer reached out to his friends and acquaintances. “I contacted everyone in my email contacts, most of the folks in my professional circle and whoever was on my Facebook page.”

The campaign raised more than $2,000 and, through Dreyer’s own matching contributions, now totals almost $4000 in donations. That money is going directly to Scratch Food & Beverage and the meals it is providing to the community.

Mahaney said the impetus to use Scratch as a vehicle to help those in need happened before he closed his doors on March 13.

“I saw what happened in Italy and what was beginning to happen in New York,” he said, adding that it was his understanding of the food distribution chain that made him say, “Oh God, we need to do something, and we need to do it quickly.”

Because farmers don’t grow food for local populations, but instead grow one crop for big contracts, when those contracts are gone, farmers are unable to distribute food elsewhere, according to Mahaney.
“Now, dairy farmers are dumping milk on the ground and taking pigs and chickens to slaughter with no market afterwards,” he said. “That does a lot to the cost of those foods.”

Mahaney’s goal is to do more than just provide food for those in need.

“I don’t want to go back to where we were,” he said. “I want people to have a strong and visceral tie to their local food growers. That drives the cost down.”

Scratch distributes more than 2,000 meals a week throughout Allegheny County, according to Mahaney. About half of the meals, which are delicatessen style sandwiches that come pre-packaged but unassembled, are paid for through donations.

Mahaney anticipates opening his restaurant at some point now that Allegheny County has moved into Governor Tom Wolf’s green phase, but he does not expect to see “full dining rooms in the near future. There is just no way that we’re ever going to be seeing our dining room space filled with people until it’s utterly safe for that to happen. So, we need to make a lot of modifications here.”

Dreyer is affiliated with three South Hills congregations: Beth El Congregation of the South Hills, The Carnegie Shul and Chabad of the South Hills. He believes it is his Jewish faith that has informed his belief in helping those in need.

“Would I be this passionate if I were Catholic? Probably,” he said. “But I happen to be an observant Jew, and this Is part of me.” PJC

David Rullo can be reached at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Episode 10: The counselor and teacher finding hope and growth in kids

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This article was originally published by Pittsburgh Public Source.

By Jourdan Hicks and Andy Kubis | May 26, 2020

Courtesy photo. (Photo illustration by Natasha Vicens/PublicSource)

More than two months into quarantine, it remains unclear when or how children will return to classrooms. How will they be evaluated? Would they be prepared to pick it up and start working on math and spelling? How would they cope with ‘time lost’ and be able to reconnect with their classmates and teachers? On this episode, a Wesley Family Services school counselor and a Pittsburgh Montessori teacher give us a glimpse into their students’ lives now and how the adults are feeling about it, too.

JOURDAN HICKS: The first week of May was Children’s Mental Health Awareness week. And school social workers across the country made videos for their students to remind them that these are weird times. And it’s OK to have big feelings.

CLIP: “Hello Chipman scholars. This is Mrs. Davis. This is Children’s Mental Health Awareness week and each day this week we’ll be sharing a coping skill that you can use if you find you are in a mood that is not one of your best moods. And we all have those moods….”

Pre-coronavirus, Suzy Zunser-Campbell spent her days surrounded by 1st and 2nd graders in a classroom. She’s a counselor at Wesley Family Service’s alternative elementary school in Upper St. Clair. The kids she works with were already dealing with a lot: trauma, anger management, anxiety, depression. And then the pandemic started. Since her school closed, Ms. Suzy – as her students call her – has been connecting with her students over Zoom, having group therapy sessions and one-on-one counseling. It’s called telehealth.

My classroom is very interesting. I love the children that are in there. I think that’s been one of the more difficult things about being in quarantine, not being around them.

The kids, they came up with this really cute little thing that they’ll say to me…we call it koala hugs. And they’ll be like, ‘I’m sending you a koala hug!’ And so they’ll even give themselves that self hug, like that pressure. So in a way, it’s really, really positive because they’re giving that positivity to themselves while they’re directing it toward me.

Before the coronavirus, we were working a lot on anger management, frustration tolerance, a lot of cognitive behavioral therapy to help the children learn different ways of controlling their body, being in control of their feelings and being comfortable with their feelings. A lot of children, I think, before second grade sometimes feel a lot of shame and guilt associated with feeling angry or feeling sad. And so really trying to empower these children so that they feel comfortable with the feelings that they’re experiencing, the sensations that they’re experiencing.

When the coronavirus started to really become known, I became pretty nervous about what was going to happen. How are we going to create a structure that’s similar to the program before? Of course, we can’t expect these families to be able to implement seven hours a day. That’s not realistic. That’s not fair. That’s not reasonable to ask them with everything that they have to put into their schedule. So we started by just implementing kind of a check-in in the morning that would go for about half an hour to an hour. And then we implemented individual sessions and then we have our group therapy in the afternoon.

The families have been absolutely amazing and we’ve also been very flexible. So if one family’s like, ‘This is a lot, what can we do?’ We’d be like, ‘OK. So instead of you doing four days of group therapy, what if we just have them attend one?’ Or, ‘Would you like me to make an even smaller group on Friday?’

It took a lot of work. I would say that the first couple weeks of doing telehealth, I felt very stressed out because I was really concerned if the families were going to buy into this form of therapy. The families have been phenomenal. I am so blessed to be able to work with so many families from so many different backgrounds that are so willing to put forth so much effort for their children’s mental health support.

And the children, for everything that’s been happening, they’re doing amazing, especially with children who really struggle with their physical and verbal aggression. They definitely are really tired of telehealth. And I really feel for them because I know how much they would rather be in the classroom, how much they’d rather be sitting with me in my office. In my office, I have a lot of toys in there, a lot of stuffed animals, board games, and it’s a lot more sessions that involve them just playing and just talking about how they’re feeling.

Sometimes when children have been through some really traumatic and difficult situations, they don’t want to talk about that. And so just being able to sit with somebody and just being able to play and talk about things that are happening in their day to day and kind of creating that safe space for them.

I was concerned about that trauma piece. Would they feel comfortable still talking about that at home? I think sometimes children feel afraid that if I share this, I might be letting my family member down because I don’t want them to think that I’m mad at them or I’m feeling upset with them. My individual sessions go really well. My children, they really look forward to that one-on-one time with me. I have a few that would rather be playing video games. But a lot of them are really excited because it’s like that time that they get to see me. It’s that special one-on-one time from another adult. And it’s a lot of positive attention, a lot of positive reinforcement, a lot of specific praise, them being able to talk about things that they did and not feeling judged or put down for if they were making some poor choices, because we’ll just talk about it and examine it and talk about, well, what could you have done differently?

We could be working more on that anger management piece. But I think the children need more of like, I can do this. I can be in a good, healthy place. And a lot of families have been reporting like the children are doing really, really well at home with managing their moods to the best of their abilities. One of the things that I’ve noticed the most, and I would like to hear more from teachers and other mental health providers about this, is children having more of that access to TV, having more access to electronics. Because I notice that they’ll almost go into a crisis because they have to stop playing their video games, because they have to stop playing a game on the computer. And I know parents are doing the best that they can.

I found a really great social skills story that examines the COVID-19 and it examines how children are engaging at home and what it’s like to be doing telehealth. So I showed that to some of my children. And we talked about, ‘How do you think it makes other people feel when you’re playing video games or you’re engaged in computer games when you’re doing a zoom session?’ rather than saying, ‘Well, you shouldn’t be doing this, you shouldn’t be doing that.’ But for them to know that other children are going through this, too, and other populations of people, even, you know, teenagers, children across different age groups as well.

It is such a difficult time. I don’t think that a lot of us really thought that in May we would still be in quarantine, going into June. We’re still in quarantine and we’re still not really sure of what’s going to happen when we all return to school or what’s going to happen in the next couple of months with mental health.

I know that some of my families were expressing to me that they appreciate having that telehealth piece because it gives their children a chance to engage with other people outside the household. I felt very sad for a period of time because I just felt for these families. It was just so much that they were having to deal with. And then on top of it, having also to deal with how much effort it takes to have a child in a partial hospital or have a child in outpatient or intense outpatient — they are just going above and beyond with handling this pandemic.

And the children are handling it really well. Sometimes the children will bring up to me that they do feel sad about the virus. And we’ll just talk about what are some different activities that they can engage in. So next week, the kids want to create a bucket list with me. So we’re going to create different things that they can do during the summer while they’re in quarantine. We talked about creating a bingo chart. So if the child goes out for a 10-minute walk, you know, that’s B. And then once it’s all filled, you get bingo. And the kids were like, that’s a really good idea. We’d really like to do that.

So really trying to help them see the positive things that have come from this virus. I think that it’s absolutely amazing just to see the beauty that’s come out of telehealth and how much they continue to support each other, even though they don’t want to be doing group therapy right now. They’d rather be playing with their toys, playing their games, doing something a little bit more active. But to see them really put forth that effort. All these children, they’re phenomenal. I’m just really proud of them and how they’ve been managing everything with what’s been happening.

JOURDAN HICKS: If you need help managing your child’s anxiety related to COVID-19, Wesley Family Services is offering online mental health support groups for school-aged children. You can learn more on their website: wfspa.org. You can also call the Allegheny County warmline, staffed by mental health professionals who offer support over the phone for free. The number is 1-855-284-2494.

After this short break, we hear from a Pittsburgh Public Schools teacher about what it was like to go back into her silent classroom to pack up for the year.

Elyse Thimons teaches 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders at Pittsburgh Montessori, a public school in Friendship. Last week, she was assigned a time slot to put on her mask and go pack up her classroom for the year. For our podcast, we asked her to read her an essay she wrote about what that was like.

I walked into a room today in which time had stood still. The calendar still read March. A morning message was still written on the board.

While this was the classroom that 24 of us called home, it did not feel like home. The hum of life and the echoes of laughter were missing. The heartbeat was missing. The children were missing.

I’ve often thought of the beautiful souls that have graced this room in its 100-year lifetime. Of the discoveries made, the moments of inspiration and the obstacles overcome. How many smiles and hugs these walls have silently stood witness to. But today was different. The children were not here.

As I packed boxes, I reflected on how different it felt this time around. I was not packing for a relaxing summer after goodbye hugs had been given and end-of-year picnics had been had. I was packing alone, in a mask with unanswered questions and empty arms.

But then I reached for the small box on the top of a shelf and smiled. This was my “Happy Box,” the place where I put the little things that made me smile throughout the year. The hand-drawn shark, the sweet poem, the thank-you note from colleague-turned-best-friend.

And I smiled. Because I realized that the children are here. They are always here. They are here in the worn-down crayons. They are here in the dog-eared pages of the books. They are here in the memories. And they are here in my Happy Box.

I realized that this is not forever. The sun will rise and the soul and light will return to this room. And we will celebrate. And we will learn. And we will hug. And we will make the heart of this room beat again. The children will be here.

This podcast was produced by Andy Kubis and edited by Mila Sanina and Halle Stockton. If you have a story you’d like to share, get in touch with us. You can text a voice memo to 412-432-9669. Or email it to jourdan@publicsource.org.

Also, we’d like to ask for your support. PublicSource is an independent nonprofit newsroom in Pittsburgh. Please support local journalism and storytelling by going to a publicsource.org/donate.

COVID-19 INTERRUPTED CHILDHOOD ROUTINES – INCLUDING MENTAL HEALTH VISITS. FAMILIES TURN TO TELEHEALTH FOR CONTINUITY.

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This article was originally published in the Pittsburgh Public Source.

By Meg St-Esprit | May 8, 2020

Before the pandemic, 9-year-old Landon Whitewood had a packed schedule that included Cub Scouts, swimming lessons, karate and hanging out with friends. Adopted from the foster care system as a toddler, his mothers Deb and Susan Whitewood of South Fayette have also prioritized time for trauma therapy through Three Rivers Adoption Council. He also participates in family-focused therapy and art therapy through Wesley Family Services three days a week.

When Pittsburgh began to shut down as it faced the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March, all of these activities ceased for the Whitewood family — except for therapy. They knew that it would be absolutely essential to have access to mental health services during an international crisis.

On March 15, the Pennsylvania Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services issued a memorandum urging all practitioners to switch to telehealth video appointments when possible. The office loosened requirements on HIPAA-compliant software, authorized telephone sessions where technology is not available and waived the requirement of periodic face-to-face sessions when using telehealth.

Landon’s parents reduced the number of hours of therapy per week to just two hours, delivered via telehealth.“When he’s not in crisis, he is receptive to the video. His attention span is really short, and so they work hard to engage him. It is much easier to take cues from a real person,” his mother Deb said.

Prior to the pandemic, telehealth was more common for adult patients, as therapy with children and adolescents is often play-based and interactive. Telehealth sessions due to social distancing have come with a learning curve for both families and practitioners.

A 2013 review study conducted by the Telemedicine Journal and E-health found virtual sessions to be effective across multiple settings for individuals spanning from children to geriatric patients, and improve access to care amid mitigating circumstances. A 2018 study through the University of Michigan School of Public Health corroborated these findings and noted that the majority of participants felt telehealth was vital to to continuity of care. In the past, many telehealth services weren’t covered by insurance — COVID-19 has removed that barrier.

Kori Shearer is a licensed professional counselor [LPC] with the Psychology and Learning Center in Monaca in Beaver County. She sees clients from a variety of backgrounds but specializes in teens with depression and anxiety, suicidal or self-injurious behavior, as well as LGBTQIA-related issues.

Shearer was worried at first about the ability to shift to virtual sessions, particularly for her younger clients. She has noticed, though, that these younger clients have been excited to show her their space — often their bedrooms. It has been useful for Shearer to see them in their home environments. “I give the child a choice to have their parent leave the room or remain for the session, and we bring the parent back in if needed,” she said. “This has always worked for my face-to-face sessions and it has worked well for telehealth, too.”

Shearer recommends parents and practitioners maintain as much normalcy and structure as possible for the sessions.

Similarly to Landon, 6-year-old Patton Manion of Mt. Lebanon had a packed social schedule prior to the onset of the pandemic. Routine and predictability are important to him, and the sudden loss of his school and familiar safe spaces hit him hard. His parents, Kara and Patrick Manion, are both public school teachers and are teaching remotely while also parenting Patton and his 3-year-old brother, Marlow. They knew that continuing his weekly therapy through the Center for Pediatric Neuropsychology in Mt. Lebanon would be key to managing this stressful transition. His therapist has been able to coach his parents remotely on how to help him manage the anxiety.

The pandemic reinforces the feeling for Patton that leaving the house is stressful or bad, his mother said, even if it’s for something he wants to do. His therapist is working on activities that teach him to manage emotions, matching the size of the reaction to the “size of the problem.” His parents give him tasks that he doesn’t prefer to do, such as chores, to help him work through the emotions around being asked to do something that is not his preference.

Stephanie Azarcon is a licensed clinical social worker for the Child and Family Counseling Center of Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh UPMC. Like Shearer, she had not been using telehealth prior to the pandemic. Her clients range from ages 3 to 22, and much of her work with younger children is Parent Child Interaction Therapy. This type of therapy is usually done with Azarcon coaching parents through a double-sided mirror as they interact with their child.

A virtual platform is a huge shift, but she has found the process to be effective over the last two months. She encourages parents to help set their child up for a productive session. They should review and prepare for the therapy session such as they would do on the car ride to the therapy appointment. They can discuss with their child what they want to get out of the session.

“Try to talk with them beforehand to explain the expectations of a virtual/video therapy session,” Azarcon said. “The more confined, the more focused they will be. You can still sit them on a yoga ball or let them fidget with things while doing therapy.”

Both Shearer and Azarcon are unsure if the state will continue to allow such flexibility to use remote services once life shifts back toward “normal,” but they both have seen a benefit in learning how to treat children remotely. Azarcon has been able to see behaviors occur in the home setting that she would not see in her office, such as conflict between siblings or oppositional and defiant behaviors. She is able to offer support to the parents in the moment instead of at a later time when discussing at the office.

Shearer added that she has had fewer missed sessions since she has been able to use telehealth. “At this point, insurance companies are covering services with the contingency that it lasts during the pandemic, so we may not be able to provide it with the same degree of availability for a bit,” Shearer said. “I think it would be fantastic to be able to provide both.”

Deb Whitewood also feels that the continuation of virtual sessions could be beneficial. It provides a way to maintain consistency even when life becomes unpredictable and serves as one more useful tool her son can have in his repertoire. “Would it be more helpful to have sessions in person? Yes,” Deb said. “But exposing him to telehealth at this stage is good; he will always have it in his backpack, so to speak.”

Meg St-Esprit is a freelance journalist based in Bellevue. She can be reached at megstesprit@gmail.com or on Twitter @MegStEsprit.

HIGHLIGHTING THE HELPERS: FEEDING SENIORS – BODY AND SOUL

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This article was originally published in The Incline.

By Colin Deppen | May 2, 2020

Deborah Trammell has been helping Allegheny County seniors for more than a decade. She’s never seen anything like this.

“They need food,” she told The Incline by phone. “It’s just a dearth of food.”

A longtime volunteer with the In Service of Seniors program, Deborah says this pandemic has upended supply lines and support systems. Demand for the program’s food delivery service has spiked. Social isolation has been compounded by social distancing and, for some seniors, new technological hurdles for medical appointments and services.

For many, this has been a crisis without the comfort of human contact. But volunteers like Deborah, a part-time real estate agent and full-time West Mifflin steelworker, remain human buoys for their senior participants, even if from afar.

“We’re only supposed to put the (food) items we deliver inside the front door or leave them on the porch. We ask (the participant) to stay in the other room, and almost all the time they want to draw you into conversation because you might be the only person they see for weeks.”Deborah added: “The hardest thing to not do now is hug somebody. Almost every time I would visit somebody or take them something before it was ‘Give me a hug’ as I left.”Another program volunteer, Carol McCord, added: “I have been making calls to 17 seniors each week to check on them and assess their needs and well-being. … Some have many family members and friends that check on them and make sure they have what they need and others are not as fortunate. … They are definitely lonely and look forward to my calls. I will let them talk as long as they want.”In Service of Seniors is a volunteer-based program from Wesley Family Services, and it provides “neighborly” support — normally this means rides to appointments, check-in calls, and accompanied shopping trips — free of charge to Allegheny County residents 60 and older. (These days the program is focused primarily on delivery and telephonic touchpoints.)

The 60-and-up demographic is at greater risk, both from COVID-19 and from the side effects of the COVID-19 lockdown.

Sarah Papperman, a team leader with In Service of Seniors, said during the pandemic the program has seen:

  • A 60 percent increase in phone intakes.
  • Food pantry deliveries increase from an average of <1 per week to an average of 16 per week.
  • Food access trips double from an average of 12.7 per week to an average of 24 per week.

Papperman said prior to the COVID-19 crisis, volunteers were visiting with an average of four participants per week by phone or in-person.

“We now have volunteers matched with 189 participants to make weekly check-in phone calls,” she added.

But the program’s volunteer numbers have also grown, with 46 added in the last month and a half.

For volunteers like Carol, who’s been with the program for over a year, the work is particularly rewarding: “You feel like you are making a contribution, and they are grateful beyond measure.”

Deborah recalled her start with the program more than 10 years ago.

“This isn’t a story I tell a lot of people, but at 57 I was baptized. And this work is my testimony. I woke up one day and said ‘What do I do with this gift?’ and I was spoken to and God said give back. That same day in the Post-Gazette there was an ad for In Service of Seniors and I called and that was it. … I’ve always loved older people. I had a bunch of aunts and uncles who lived into their 90s, and older people were just fun to be around — they were no-nonsense and I enjoyed being around them.”

Deborah continued: “Humans need humans. We have got to help each other. And if knowing a food delivery you made will keep someone going for two weeks or more … if that doesn’t bring you some joy, I don’t know what will.”

If you’re also interested in volunteering to help seniors through the In Service of Seniors program, head here.