Meals on Wheels in South Park could lose its home by end of the week
SOUTH PARK, Pa. (KDKA) — Meals on Wheels in South Park has been operating out of Grace Lutheran Church on Hilldale Drive for 35 years, but the non-profit organization could lose its space at the end of this week.
Executive director Pam Mason said the church is officially closing its doors on Dec. 31 and will vote on whether Meals on Wheels or another non-profit organization will get the building.
"These people are our families we love them. So, that's what we're hoping, that we can just stay here," Mason said.
Mason said they serve around 100 people a day and serve clients throughout South Park, Pleasant Hills, Jefferson Hills, South Whitehall and South Baldwin.
"Some of them have been on for years. This is where they get their food," Mason said. "We talk to them, we give them hugs, we celebrate their birthdays, we celebrate holidays."
Mason said the organization has 200 volunteers who cook, pack and deliver the meals to clients five days a week, adding that the operation makes a huge impact on the community.
"This is a group of people that are, basically, just falling through the cracks. They're older. Some of them never come out of their homes. They're stuck there," Mason said. "We check on them every day and that's probably one of the most important things."
She said now that the church is closing, leaders are worried about being able to continue using the space in the basement for Meals on Wheels.
"We would love to stay here. We have looked all over the place and there is nothing for the size that we need with all of the food that we take in," Mason said.
She said the non-profit organization has multiple freezers and refrigerators and needs multiple rooms to store food.
"We're hoping that our legacy can go on as part of Grace Lutheran Church, that it'll stay in this community, and it'll just get better," Mason said. "I've just been asking everybody to pray."
KDKA-TV talked to a few members of the church council. They said the church is officially closing on Dec. 31 and will go up for sale. They couldn't say whether the Meals on Wheels program would be able to continue operating out of the building or not.
The vote is scheduled for Sunday.