I have worked as a volunteer for one of their projects. They are wonderful! Very organized and…read moredoing good things for Pittsburgh community in general. I really wanted to help more times.

Pleasant Valley Men's Shelter is a part of Northside Common Ministries (NCM), which is a…read morecommunity-based nonprofit that was established in 1982. The shelter houses about 25 or so homeless men. It provides each resident with a shower, dinner, and bed. Furthermore, employees of NCM provide donated clothes and toiletries, referrals for counseling, and a weekly medical clinic. I became involved with this shelter when my church was recruiting people to donate food. At 7 PM, I arrived at the shelter with my meat, vegetables, fruits, breads, desserts, and beverages. The meat and vegetables were already cooked but were in single-use aluminum pans in case they needed to be reheated in an oven. Immediately, some men met me at my vehicle and took the food into the shelter. Another man kindly thanked me for my donation. I hope that the residents and employees enjoyed the food!

Community service with gamification and a simple mission that truly hits home…read more Ever buy too much food that you just throw it away when it spoils on your counter? Yes.. we all have! Now just imagine how many restaurants, businesses, and even grocery stores have food that just can't sell and would probably sit and spoil. Welcome 412 Food Rescue! Whether you sign up to be a Food Rescue Hero or join a volunteer event setup by the organization, you can help to limit food waste and feed the hungry. Food Rescue Heroes sign up for push notifications through the app and are pinged when restaurants or grocery stores near them have donations... but just need someone to come rescue them... making volunteering like a game to come to the rescue first!! My work partnered with 412 Food Rescue for a rescue at PNC Park. We went into the bowels of the stadium and rescued excess buns from a recent homestand of games that were then taken to local food banks and put into the hands of families later that day! PNC Park orders a hot dog and bun per seat for every game. 38,000 hot dogs and in September only about 5,000 people attend.. and I doubt they all eat a hot dog! That's a lot of excess food, so we sorted through the buns to check for mold or rodents. It was such an easy volunteer opportunity and so impactful with a direct impact to the community! If you want to bring value to your community or like to find quality non-profit organizations, please partner with 412 Food Rescue!

412 is such a great organization!…read more I started volunteering about two months ago and pick up rescues when I can - have done about a handful so far! Took my sister on one and she asks when we are doing the next one. Knowing that food does not get thrown away but gets to folks who can truly use it is such a great feeling - my first rescue was a SUV full of food that would have otherwise ended up in a dumpster--- I was speechless. The app they use to is easy to use and both the folks you pick up from and deliver to have been so grateful!

Very kind and very curious very clean and neat after project was done Guys did it Mr Brock and Mr…read moreDillon Brock was sprayed everything right to the t questions and whatnot very very good

The Blessing Board, located at 880 Butler Street in Etna, is a great furniture bank and thrift…read morestore. We visited the Blessing Board a half-dozen times to donate items while cleaning out a relative's home. Donation hours are somewhat limited (at this writing, Mon-Thurs 9-3). The location is the back of the shopping center. We rang the bell, and a volunteer opened the door. The volunteers who staff The Blessing Board were friendly and helpful. In advance, we checked the website to make sure we were dropping off items they accept. Although we did not shop here, we did look around. The place looked clean, and the furniture was attractive and appeared to be in good condition. The volunteers treated us kindly. I trusted them with fragile items---although we did pack everything with some care. For a fee, the Blessing Board also picks up donations from homes. They were booked about 3-4 weeks out, so we were unable to schedule this service. It also took a couple of days for the Blessing Board to respond to the online form---crucial time, since we had to vacate a residence by a deadline. When they did respond, the Blessing Board rejected a large percentage of items we offered to donate. We wanted to help our neighbors, and keep household items out of landfills... I just wish the online donation process had worked a little better. (A different organization had a faster, easier process and a clear fee. It accepted most of our items.) NOTE: We only visited the Etna location.

Note: I changed the address in the Yelp listing since it was outdated. In case the amendment…read moredoesn't show up right away, here it is... Operation Safety Net 1518 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15219 This recent article from Barbara Ehrenreich illuminates the timely connection to the Occupy Wall Street movement and homelessness... http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175457/tomgram%3A_barbara_ehrenreich%2C_homeless_in_america/ OSN is a medical outreach that falls under the Pittsburgh Mercy Health System and was founded by Dr. Jim Withers, an internal medicine specialist, who in 1992, began a crusade to heal and rehabilitate the forgotten, indigent citizens of Pittsburgh. Withers would even go so far as to disguise himself as a homeless person after dark in order to blend into and therefore help a population that is sadly over one million in number. In what is the most affluent nation in the world, there are over one million human beings without a decent place to live. Think about that for a moment. Whether they dwell under bridges, sleep in public parks, or find shelter in abandoned buildings, the homeless are as deserving of health care as much as any of us, and remaining blind to their plight will only worsen the problem. Are you unsure about giving cash to people that are homeless, worrying that they might spend the money you drop into their cups on illicit substances? Try giving to Operation Safety Net instead... https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=c65e75 Or consider donating household and personal hygiene items to the address provided in this review instead of funds. Meanwhile, take the time to view this audio slide show on the work of Dr. Withers and the crew of streetwise ex-homeless persons who aid him in his mission... http://www.chausa.org/streetmedicine/ Remember the destitute. Remember that the cause of their situation isn't personal failure and that crowing at them to "buck up and find a job" or pushing them out of sight will do nothing.

Operation safety net is nothing short of ANGELS on earth! I'll tell ya a short story: "We were…read moretraveling from Michigan to aid places of need ie: homeless camps ect; We got down in the dirt with them(not intending to become homeless ourselves), although we were living in my van, we came to the 7th & Carson St. camp on the South Side of Pittsburgh, there was a terrible illness afflicting people there. We came to help, so God in the interesting ways that he works, saw fit to remove our vehicle to the car pound and we ended up homeless for over 2 months at said camp. It was the most horrifying AND the most enlightening, AMAZING experiences of my entire life! It was most humbling and OSN were definately what their name is... A SAFETY NET! I'm anemic and they brought me Iron, checked my vitals and gave comforting words just the same; I witnessed first hand how they handled those in need of medical attention and it was nothing short of pure altruism! It inspired me in my own mission to do the same as a counselor of the afflicted. Many who were there in the summer of 2017 could attest that I loved them all! Like, OSN, the care they gave to those who would otherwise be passed off as unimportant, was vital to the preservation of the human heart! I would LOVE to be a part of such a team if I ever got the chance and I value the leadership and kindness I experienced while meeting many of them! Thank you Operation Safety Net! You not only gave us aid, You gave us HOPE in humanity, and THAT my friends is worth more than rubies! God bless you ALL! In Jesus name, AMEN! Love, Key (Remember me?) * Tell Coach Jack I said hello :D * Muah!

My son absolutely loves the boys and girls club. They offer a ton of activities for children of all…read moreages. With great soccer, science and art camps. The instructors and staff members are excellent with children, super friendly. The pricing is compared to everything that the boys and girls club has to offer is fair. We will be signing up for the summer programs again this year!

This review is limited to the cookie sale held today as the highlight of the Lawrenceville cookie…read moretour. When my girlfriend and I arrived we were each given a choice of a bag Snapper's dark or milk chocolate sea salt cookies as a gift. In three different rooms were tables with various organizations selling a good variety of cookies. A few of them let you sample some of the cookies, others were buy what you see and hope for the best. Prices were extremely reasonable and I was finally able to find a gingerbread man which is my personal favorite Christmas cookie. You could find anything from traditional cookies to pizzelles as well as macaroons. In the gymnasium there was an organization selling organic banana bread for $.50 and a church giving away free cookies with an invitation to come visit them on Dec. 23rd. There is nothing special about these cookies since they are all baked by members of the various organizations. Just run of the mill and of average quality. What we did stumble upon was a man selling books about the history and tales of Lawrenceville. My husband is an avid reader so after perusing them I picked up the first one that was written. Cash only here if you wanted to buy one. They were $17.00 so I was glad I had carried extra with me to purchase one. It will make a great holiday surprise for him. There was another vendor collecting charity donations for travel. By the time we left the place was packed. Sure the cookies are nothing to hoot about but supporting an organization always brings joy to my heart at this time of year to help those in need.

The North Hills Food Bank was established in 1984, is volunteer-run, and serves hundreds of…read moreresidents who live in the following townships: West View, Ross, Ohio, Reserve, Kilbuck, McCandless, and Franklin Park. People who receive food are required to show proof of address, income, and a Social Security number. I am able to afford as much food as I want, so I dropped off a bag of food to donate. Currently, this food bank is collecting items such as juices, gravy, peanut butter, ketchup, instant mashed potatoes, spaghetti noodles, evaporated milk, pet food, toiletries, and cleaning supplies. Donated items may be dropped off during service hours, which is currently for a few hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays (check the website for updated information) or placed in plastic bins outside. I had some difficulty with finding the location. The food bank is located behind a Presbyterian church. To my review, I am attaching some photos so you know where to drive.

Dr. Joe Lagana retired in 1999 after a nearly 40-year career as a science teacher and school…read moresuperintendent. At his retirement party, he accepted no gifts for himself. Instead he asked his friends, family, peers, and colleagues to funnel their money into the creation of The Homeless Children's Education Fund. Since then, HCEF has grown from utilizing a single small room with just 3 computers to building 11 Learning Centers. In addition to that, over the past decade, HCEF has argued in favor of this act... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McKinney%E2%80%93Vento_Homeless_Assistance_Act HCEF has also distributed over 7,500 backpacks and 900 books to area children and have provided money for educational fieldtrips among many other things. Their work is by no means finished. Donate today if you believe that education is a right, that homeless children are entitled to an education regardless of their situation, and that breaking the cycle of homelessness involves ensuring that homeless children get a quality education along with everyone else.