Holiday helpers
WASHINGTON – Officials at the Washington City Mission have been doing all they can to provide peace and comfort this Thanksgiving despite fractured resources.
A June fire seriously damaged the mission’s building and destroyed its kitchen. Chief Executive Oficer Dean Gartland said the organization is trying hard to help families in need despite logistical challenges. The homeless men served by the charity are being housed temporarily in trailers near its Hidden Treasures thrift store, several blocks away from the Wheeling Street building, and the organization has been relying on volunteers to cook meals for the men, who are using the Masonic Lodge near the mission as a temporary cafeteria.
“Last Friday, we served 95 families in Ellsworth with groceries and meal items. Now, some were showing up expecting a turkey, but we didn’t have the facility space or means to do that, so we handed out gift cards,” Gartland said.
The mission is leaning on the Masonic Lodge and Washington High School to supply the homeless and people in need with its traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings on Thanksgiving.
“We’re serving out of the kitchen of the Masonic Lodge on Wheeling Street,” Gartland said. “We’ll have breakfast, and then open it up to non-residents (of the City Mission) from 10 to 10:30 a.m. so walk-ins can eat. Then the walk-in for the Thanksgiving dinner is from 5 to 5:30 p.m.”
Washington High School food service employees are roasting and slicing up 10 turkeys for the occasion.
“School board member John Campbell called me and said he had 10 turkeys; we have the ovens, we have the space, so why not? We’re here to do what we can,” said food service director Mark Mason.
The Bible Chapel of South Hills and Red Cross are also assisting with food dispersal, Gartland said. The mission will serve about 90 residents, and can expect to serve up to 70 walk-ins.
The mission is also facing challenges in sheltering the homeless who are not residents on extremely cold nights.
“We used to be able to take them in the chapel, but with that being renovated, we’ve figured out a temporary way to house those in dire need of shelter. We’ll be using the building right next to our church as a cold weather shelter, but we won’t be able to house as many. So we’ll be looking to other solutions if we get beyond a dozen who need shelter for a more long-term period of time,” Gartland said.
The director of development, Dr. Sally Mounts, said despite the ongoing challenges, the Washington County community continues to step up.
“We’ve been so widely dispersed because of the fire. We used to have a vibrant community on Wheeling Street. And we’ll get back to that, but what we’re seeing is a vibrant community surround us. Because of their help, we’re continuing to feed, clothe and shelter the homeless so they can get back on their feed.
“It’s a painful reminder around Thanksgiving to realize that they’ve been dealt a life blow, so we try to make Thanksgiving very special just to remind everyone that they’re very much cared about in this community. It tells an incredible story about where we live,” Mounts said.