KD Sunday Spotlight: McKeesport families finding hope with the Mentoring Village
MCKEESPORT (KDKA) - A busy father with two jobs is finding time to help struggling families in the City of McKeesport.
In the basement of the West Side United Methodist Church in the 10th Ward of McKeesport, Jeff Anderson is helping people out of the goodness of his heart.
Anderson runs a nonprofit called the Mentoring Village, which provides food, school supplies, toys, and clothing to people who live in McKeesport. He's working on expanding the organization so they can support people across the Mon Valley, but it will take a village!
"I get stories all the time from families that come here that get food off of us and they send me a message afterward like, thank you, if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have any food for the next two days," Anderson said.
Anderson was born and raised in McKeesport. About 10 years ago, he was a manager at a pizza shop when he found his calling to make a difference in his community.
"Watching out the window seeing children and mothers going by, none of them had coats on. I called them over they were freezing cold, middle of winter, then ran over to my house got them a coat, and gave it to them. The look on their face after that, I was like blown away," Anderson said.
He started a simple coat drive and never looked back. Several years later, he formed a 501c3 nonprofit called the Mentoring Village.
West Side United Methodist Church is the organization's new home. Every Wednesday and Friday, 70 to 100 people come by for a food pantry.
Anderson doesn't want his neighbors to go hungry.
"I was in a family we weren't wealthy at all; we went to food banks. My parents took us to food banks to help us get through," he said.
He goes live on Facebook to share what's on the menu, after 412 Food Rescue brings truckloads of food and the GetGo in McKeesport donates salads, pizza, and lots of snacks.
"This is a great help, it is, this is a great help, and believe me, I'm always the first one in line," said Sherrie Kobach.
Kobach has been through a lot; she was homeless for 3 months, but she started getting back on her feet after finding the Mentoring Village.
"Actually, I was living in a garage, and I found him on Facebook," she said.
Anderson and his volunteers make Thanksgiving special for McKeesport families. They will distribute turkeys and all the fixings.
For Christmas, it's all about making kids smile! Last year, around 250 kids took home four new toys, which were donated by churches and generous people.
"The more the merrier because there's many more families out there that are asking for help that we're not able to so we wish we could but with the donations, we help as many as we can," Anderson said.
They also gave away book bags and school supplies to hundreds of children in the Mon Valley this year with help from other organizations and local businesses.
The nonprofit has also given out Halloween costumes, coats, and clothing. It also provides utility and rent assistance for people in need.
"Our list for that is a little bit backed up, but we've helped about 26 families this past year so far between rental assistance and utility assistance. A lot of that comes out of my own personal pocket," said Anderson.
When someone reaches out for help, Anderson makes time to lend a hand.
"I have my own personal life. I work two jobs, got four kids so I'm busy but doing this and hearing the stories and the smiles on these people's faces makes me want to keep doing it... the stories from some of these families we help are mind-blowing, heartbreaking and I'm so blessed to be able to help these guys," he said.
Anderson is just getting started; he's working on opening a free store in McKeesport for the whole Mon Valley.
Jeff said he couldn't do it without his volunteers, including his mom, and they always need more volunteers.
"He's a godsend, his mother, all his volunteers, they are godsends," said Kobach.
Their countless acts of kindness are bringing hope to McKeesport and with more volunteers and donations, the Mentoring Village will keep growing!
"I've noticed people are afraid to ask for help, it's sometimes embarrassing, don't be embarrassed, come on out, ask us for help," Anderson said.
Anyone interested in helping the Mentoring Village, Anderson said their Thanksgiving food drive and Christmas toy drive are their biggest events.
For the Thanksgiving drive, the nonprofit needs donations of turkeys, gravy, potatoes, corn, green beans, stuffing, and any other sides.
For the Christmas drive, they just need new toys for kids.
If you want to donate or become a volunteer, you can look for the Mentoring Village on Facebook.
You can send them a message, email them, or give them a call at (412) 656-9774.
On Wednesdays and Fridays, people who are interested in helping can also stop by at the West Side United Methodist Church on Atlantic Avenue in McKeesport.
If you would like to see an organization highlighted in KDKA's Sunday Spotlight segment, send Jessica Guay an email at jguay@kdka.com
