Helping those in need feel at "home" with The Blessing Board | KD Sunday Spotlight

A Pittsburgh nonprofit is helping the community feel at home. So much so that the show Mayor of Kingstown donated set items to them. 

Now, they're poised to expand even more. 

Blessings come full circle with The Blessing Board. 

"We got the transporter wheelchair, and it has been a blessing," said Karen Kear, one of the recipients of The Blessing Board's work. 

For Kear, her mother-in-law needed the wheelchair after she broke her ankle. So, she came to the Shaler Township location, where volunteers kindly helped her. 

"You just feel at home, and you just feel loved, and encouraged," she said. 

That encouragement reassured Kear's entire family. 

"Because people's lives go through peaks and valleys, right? A lot of the people that we serve are coming out of homelessness; they are transitioning from being incarcerated," said The Blessing Board's Director of Programs, Amy Hehn. "[Also], an awful lot of domestic violence." 

Since 2010, according to Hehn, the nonprofit has served more than 15,000 families and has grown to 150 volunteers. 

"We believe that this is the love that we are trying to show them; besides giving them material things, we're giving them dignity," she said. 

Whether it's couches, side tables, lamps, or beds, The Blessing Board is now expanding with medical equipment at its West Mifflin location. 

"This is such a great way to keep things out of the landfills," Hehn said. 

Since 2014, more than 9,000,000 pounds of waste have been given a second life. That also includes, according to Hehn, items donated. 

"I think it's wonderful," said Kear. "And speaking of my parents, my dad had a lift chair; he also had walkers, and he had passed away. After that, we actually donated them here to The Blessing Board. So, it's full circle." 

A full circle of blessing, helping everyone with medical needs and beyond. 

The Blessing Board does not ask why you're in need. If you're in need of medical supplies, you don't need to call ahead; you can just check the dates and times, and walk in. 

However, if you're looking for furniture, an online form must be completed, and you can do so here.