Nov 22, 2018 2 min read

A Thanksgiving tradition dating back more than three decades was continued Tuesday by Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services and its affiliates.

More than 150 clients and staff of supportive housing programs operated by Connect Inc., Riverside Horizons, The Care Center and Southwest Behavioral Care Inc. were served a traditional Thanksgiving dinner Tuesday. The Thanksgiving meal was served by residential staff as well as employees from other agencies of SPHS.

More than 100 were served at the meal, which was held in the mid-afternoon at Riverside Place in Charleroi.

Connect Inc. provides a full range of services for the homeless, near-homeless and low-income individuals, children and families in Washington, Greene and Westmoreland counties.

The Care Center and Southwest Behavioral Care Inc. provide mental-health substance abuse services and residential services to residents of Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

The Thanksgiving tradition began in 1987. Staff started cooking all of the food at home and bringing it in. The meal has been served each year at the Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services Inc. main offices, first in Monessen and since 2005 at Charleroi.

“Every year, it means so much to our individuals to get the support from the community to come together and celebrate the holidays with each other,” said Lyndsay Burrik, executive director of Connect Inc. “In an age of communications by social media, it’s refreshing to have people come together and have a face-to-face dinner. It’s wonderful to be able to carry on that tradition for 30 years.”