East End Cooperative Ministry temporarily halts community meals program
The end of East End Cooperative Ministry's local meal program is now impacting thousands of people in need. Free lunches will no longer be served at the nonprofit.
Emily Wentworth, the associate development director with the nonprofit, said they took a lot of time to make this choice, calling it a "very difficult decision."
However, they could not financially afford to keep providing both the free food pantry and the free meals at its community kitchen, she said.
The food pantry is getting the resources from the community kitchen, while the demand is growing.
Wentworth explained to KDKA-TV that more people are turning to them as a resource, as the price of groceries gets more expensive and federal funding cuts took effect.
"Closer to 13,000 (people come to them) now since SNAP benefits were cut back in November and the government shutdown occurred," said Wentworth.
She said they need about $400,000 to run the community kitchen every year. Wenworth said the hope is that generous donations will bring the free meals back, and this is a temporary setback.
That setback affects people like Michael Turner, who is one of those who frequently uses the services at East End Cooperative Ministry for food.
He told KDKA-TV that many in the East Liberty community depend on the free meals.
"I mean, it's already hard enough to purchase food and everything, and now that they closed that down, this whole area is going to be affected," said Turner. "Now that we don't have the lunch program anymore, I really don't know what's going to happen. I really don't because so many people are struggling."
For the time being, East End Cooperative Ministry said it will continue to provide food to residents at the recovery house and emergency shelter, in addition to its continued supply at the food pantry.