Know about the heroes from City Mission who fought out hunger

Dan Smith and Denny Kennedy in City Mission kitchen

In December, when Governor Wolf announced a second round of restrictions on indoor dining for restaurants, DanSmith, the President and CEO at Equipment & Controls Inc. in Lawrence, PA, had an idea.

“It started with a conversation at the kitchen table,” Smith explained. “I saw two big problems. You have local restaurant owners who have been in the community for years and have battled through COVID since March. They probably just ordered all this inventory for the holidays and now they’re forced to shutdown. And then you also have people in the community who can’t afford to eat. And I just thought, if we could get the right people involved and put the funding in the right place, maybe we could put a dent in both of these problems.”

Smith called his long-time friend, City Mission’s Chief Financial Officer, Denny Kennedy. They had worked together years ago when Kennedy was the CFO at Smith’s company.

When Smith and Kennedy brought the idea to City Mission’s President/CEO Dean Gartland, his first thought was, “what a tremendous idea. This can be a win-win for everyone involved. We started working right away to make this idea a reality.”

“Really, all I had was an idea,” said Smith. “All the credit goes to the folks who went out and made it happen. I couldn’t believe how fast it all came together and how passionate everyone at the Mission was to get this going.”

Smith made an initial donation to City Mission, and the Heroes Fighting Hunger program was born. City Mission used the funds to purchase meals from local restaurants for the homeless residents living on their campus. So far, the program has supported 15 local restaurants and provided over 7500 total meals for City Mission residents throughout the months of January, February, and now into March.

City Mission Kitchen Supervisor, Anthony Cheverine, prepares lunch provided by Mission BBQ in Robinson.

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“This is just a massive win-win for restaurants struggling with lowered revenue due to COVID-19, and for our residents here at the Mission as well,” said City Mission’s Chief Development Officer, Dr. Sally Mounts, who joined the program early on and quickly jumped into action.

Mounts reached out to generous donors in the community, and using Smith’s initial donation as a matching gift, was able to raise even more money for the cause. Major donors to the new program include: Brian and Karen Shanahan, Mike and Kathy Makripodis, Jon Halpern of Pineapple Payments, and others.

“We’re all struggling to get to the other side of this terrible pandemic,” added Mounts. “Anything that unites us in this effort is a bonus for the whole community. And since so much of our ministry centers around food and shelter, it helped us provide a real bright spot for our residents.”

City Mission typically relies on food donations to keep costs low and financial donations to provide meals for the residents who depend on them for food and shelter every day. But the generous donations received as part of this project, enabled the Mission to spend more per meal this month, which helped not only to support local restaurants but also to offer their residents more upscale meals and a greater variety of options.

City Mission’s Food Services Manager, Judy Sandy, came on board to organize the project, contact the restaurants, and put together a meal schedule. “It’s exciting,” she said. “It’s good for the restaurants and for our residents.”

“The variety of the meals is incredible," she added. "It’s like they’re getting to eat out every day. These are places they can’t typically go, and these restaurants are actually coming to us. And the residents are so grateful. When they come in and see the food it’s like they’re thinking, ‘is this really for me? Do people really care this much about me?’ It makes me cry to even think about it.”

Lisa Aprea and Nancy Ogburn of Chicco Baccello drop off 100 lunches at City Mission

Chicco Baccello, a small coffeehouse, bakery, and deli in Washington, was one of the first restaurants the Mission approached with this idea. Every Tuesday in the month of March, Chicco Baccello is providing lunch for the residents at City Mission by making deli sandwiches made with the highest-quality meats and cheeses along with side dishes like macaroni salad made in-house.

“We’re in close proximity to City Mission,” said Lisa Aprea, one of the owners at Chicco Baccello. “We have regulars who stop in that work at the Mission. We’ve participated in their Sweet Sunday event in the past, and we participated again this year. So they know our coffee, our food.”

In the beginning, the pandemic hit their business pretty hard. Aprea explained, “We knew we had to adapt. We had to be willing to change the way we did things or we weren’t going to make it. We made online orders available and offered curbside pickup. And our community has been extremely supportive.”

When City Mission approached Aprea with the idea, she was excited and grateful. “What a wonderful thing to do to bless small businesses and the residents of City Mission. And it isn’t just about the added revenue we’ll get this month -- what a blessing it is for us to make 100 sandwiches for the residents at the Mission. Our staff is excited to do it.”

Other restaurants participating in the program include: Pig& Fire, Union Grill, How Lee, Mission BBQ (Robinson Twp), the Pub at 333 (in Oakmont, PA), and others.

City Mission is planning to complete this program at the end of the month as in-dining restrictions ease and funding for the project winds down. But you can always help provide meals to those in need at the Mission. Call 724-222-8530 or visit www.citymission.org for more information.

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March 18, 2021

Gary Porter

Communications Manager

Gary has been with the mission since 2017. He writes many of our resident stories, getting to know many of them and seeing their transformations at the mission from the start.

gporter@citymission.org

Donor Spotlight

August 9, 2024

Thank you, The Buttonhole Women’s & Furniture Consignment, for your generous support of City Mission for over 8 years! The Buttonhole Women’s & Furniture Consignment is an upscale consignment store located at 180 Curry Hollow Road in Pleasant Hills, PA. The store features new and gently used women’s clothing, jewelry, accessories, home decor and furniture. The store’s owner Mindy Suhoza heard about the programs offered at City Mission through her church, Peter’s Creek Baptist Church. She wanted to help! Each month since the store opened over 8 years ago, Mindy donates items that do not sell to City Mission. The mission has a monthly pick-up at the store which helps Mindy make room for new merchandise that customers consign with her. Throughout the years, close to $50,000 worth of donations from The Buttonhole Women’s & Furniture Consignment have been received at City Mission. The generous support shown by Mindy has made an immeasurable impact on the mission and the residents we serve, and we thank her! The Buttonhole Women’s & Furniture Consignment is open Monday thru Saturday 10 am – 5 pm and Sunday noon – 3 pm.

Running For the Mission

Diana Irey Vaughan at Disney Land in Anaheim, CA

February 2, 2024

Former Washington County Commissioner and soon-to-be President/CEO of City Mission, Diana Irey Vaughan, recently ran seven races over seven days on two separate coasts for a total of 71 miles, all to raise funds in support of City Mission’s Hope for Homeless Women capital campaign. “I support Washington City Mission because I want everyone to have an opportunity to fulfill God’s calling in their life,” she explained. “Those served at the Mission, and their families, will find the support and resources they need to achieve success. I know of no other resource in our community that achieves the success rate of City Mission.” This was the sixth running event she has organized to support the Mission, and over the years, she has been able to raise $138,000. “Diana is tireless,” said City Mission Chief Development Officer, Dr. Sally Mounts. “Each year, she sets higher goals for her runs, and best of all, this year, she ran for City Mission’s new shelter for homeless women. How can you beat that?” Starting on March 1, Irey Vaughan will assume the President/CEO role for City Mission, and Dean Gartland, City Mission’s current President/CEO, will transition into a role as President Emeritus, where he will continue to raise funds for the new 50-bed shelter for homeless women, which will break ground this year. “Diana is a long-time major donor to City Mission, and an indisputable believer in the notion that God gives second chances,” Gartland, who has served the Mission for 15 years, said of his successor. “She has my fullest confidence, as a Christian and as a leader.” Washington City Mission provides food, shelter, and medical services for those in need. “The Mission provides the opportunity for a new life for the residents they serve,” said Irey Vaughan. “Families I know personally have been reunited and restored. City Mission is a beacon of hope.”

"Play Ball!"

September 15, 2023

After a weeklong rain delay, the fifth annual Range Resources vs City Mission Hits for the Homeless charity softball game resumed at North Strabane Park last Wednesday. "It's so nice to see our residents go out and play a game and have fun," said City Mission President/CEO, Dean Gartland. "We just can't thank Range Resources enough for putting together this event." For the past five years, each September, Range Resources has hosted a softball game with their employees taking on City Mission residents. Leading up to the game, the Range Resources team also supplied lunch for our residents and served in our dining hall to build anticipation for the upcoming contest and build camaraderie with the City Mission team. After the game, Range Resources presented City Mission with a generous check. This past Wednesday, the two teams came to the field ready to play, resuming in the middle of the second inning with the City Mission team leading 2-1. In the bottom of the second inning, City Mission scored another run, giving them a 3-1 lead. But in the top of the third, the Range Resources’ bats came alive, knocking in five runs. This gave Range their first lead of the game, one they would never relinquish as they went on to capture a 17-12 win, making the series record between the two teams 3-2 in favor of Range and bringing the trophy back to their offices for the first time in three years. "It's really good to see the camaraderie that develops between the residents out here on the field," said City Mission's Men’s Intake Coordinator/Softball Coach, Dave Green. "We see them when they first come to us broken. And then to bring them out here and see their talents start to shine through -- it's really something special to watch." The game is a special event for the residents of City Mission. It’s something that they all look forward to and a memory they will cherish long after they leave the Mission. Each City Mission player, no matter their level of experience or athleticism, plays the game hard and plays to win. Many of them come to us in a very vulnerable state and have suffered through difficult even traumatic events recently in their lives. And at the Mission, they are doing serious and soul-searching work on themselves. This annual softball game is an important opportunity for them to let loose, have fun, and support each other. It’s hard to put into words exactly what it means to them. “I just love playing ball,” one City Mission resident said in the middle of the game. “I just feel free.” “This is what life recovery is all about,” added Green. “It teaches these guys how to live and how to have fun without drugs and alcohol. I mean, they’re having a blast.” So thank you, Range Resources, for making such a meaningful impact on our residents and for engaging with the Mission in such a thoughtful and genuine way. Your business or organization can also make an impact on your community by partnering with City Mission. Contact Corporate Relations Manager, Eric Smith, at esmith@citymission.org or visit www.citymission.org for more information.

A Legacy of Giving

The Smydo family in front of the treehouse playset they donated.

September 1, 2023

A few months ago, Dave Smydo and the Smydo family made a very generous and unique donation to City Mission. They donated a treehouse playset and a bookcase full of children’s books for the Kids’ Corner in our dining hall. “This is a great example of a donor connecting with City Mission through his passion,” said Dr. Sally Mounts, City Mission’s Chief Development Officer. “Dave has a heart for kids and a huge interest in making sure their physical and emotional needs are met. So the treehouse and the bookcase full of children’s books are a natural extension of that.”“The heart of the Smydo family for children is evident in their gifts of the treehouse, books, and shelves,” added City Mission Director of Residential Programs, Leah Dietrich. “You can see it too in Dave’s work within the community to help provide children with opportunities otherwise beyond their reach.”For a long time, City Mission has been working to create safe, fun, kid-centered spaces around campus. For the kids who live in our Women with Children Shelter, the dining hall is a central place where they eat every day and get to play with their friends and develop social skills. The Mission also hosts recovery meetings in our dining hall, and the Kids’ Corner offers a place for the children to play together safely, build friendships, and develop motor skills while their moms work on their own recovery just a few feet away. But the Kids’ Corner is also an important spot for our adult residents who have children that do not live at the Mission, because it provides an opportunity for the parents to have positive, playful, and memorable visits with their kids on our campus. “The Smydo family’s generosity will allow the children who call City Mission home and the children who visit our campus the opportunity to enjoy a space just for them,” said Dietrich. “In a difficult time where they are faced with many challenges, they can simply be kids. The expansion of the City Mission Kids’ Corner will be enjoyed for years to come.” Dave Smydo first learned about the Mission when his father, Andrew Joseph Smydo, passed away two years ago. Dave noticed that the last check his father wrote before he died was to City Mission. His father’s final act of kindness and generosity moved Dave and encouraged him to learn more about the Mission. And he wants to pass on that legacy of giving to his son, Declan. “I am grateful for the heart of Dave,” said Dietrich, “and supporters like him who have a heart for children and a desire to teach the next generation to support those in need. He is truly working to instill in his son, Declan, that same love for others.”It is a beautiful story and a very impactful donation from a big-hearted donor and his family. Thank you, Smydo family, for your compassionate gifts to our City Mission children. You can make an impact in your community, too! Visit citymission.org to learn more about how you can partner with us in our mission to bring hope to the homeless.

Giving an Unforgettable Easter

Natalie Grasso, age 7, prepares an Easter basket for a child in our Women with Children Shelter

April 6, 2023

Seven-year-old Natalie Grasso came to our 29th Annual Sweet Sunday event in February to have a great time and enjoy the delicious treats. After the event, she sat down to have a conversation with her grandmother, Cindy Fox, who had helped to make beautiful auction baskets for the Mission’s Sweet Sunday basket auction. Natalie asked her grandmother about City Mission and learned that they provide food and shelter for people who would otherwise have nowhere to live and no idea where their next meal would come from.“Kids too?” She asked her grandmother.“Yes. Kids too,” came the answer.That brief conversation inspired Natalie to give back to those in need. “She has been giving back from a very young age,” said her grandmother, Cindy Fox. “For her fourth Birthday party, she asked family members to make donations to the Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh in lieu of gifts.”With Easter coming up, Natalie was afraid maybe the Easter Bunny wouldn’t be able to find the children living at City Mission, and that maybe they wouldn’t get any Easter baskets or Easter candy for the holiday, so she decided to help the kids by providing them with beautiful Easter baskets. Natalie and her family contacted City Mission, who currently has 27 children living at their Women with Children shelter. They asked for the ages and genders of each child. Natalie mobilized her family and friends and gave up her horseback riding lessons to purchase items to fill 27 baskets for Easter, one basket specifically assembled for each child at the shelter. She and her friends assembled and wrapped the beautiful baskets, and Cindy and her husband Dr. Craig Fox delivered them to City Mission.“She asked a few friends at school to participate and the families graciously donated items and time to put 27 baskets together for the kids at City Mission,” said Cindy. “She wanted to give back for Easter to kids that are less fortunate,” Cindy explained, “and she decided City Mission would be a great cause. Natalie got together with her sister Vienna and solicited help from friends: Liam, Julianna, Brianna O’Neill, Hayley and McKenna Hindman.”Thank you, Natalie, for your compassionate heart for the hungry and the hurting. Together, City Mission along with our friends in the community, can make the world a better place, one person at a time.

A Night Out at the Movies

March 31, 2023

On Tuesday, March 28, thirty-six of our residents had a night out at the movies thanks to Matt and Missy Harding and their family, owners of Asher’s at the Airport and Escape Room South in Canonsburg. Our residents: men, women, and veterans were all smiles as they piled into the Mission vans and headed on over to AMC Theaters in Bridgeville to watch Jesus Revolution. The Hardings had rented out the entire theater for us, so our residents could spread out and relax and enjoy a night at the movies.“It was quite an experience for us,” said Missy Harding, whose husband and two sons attended the event along with the residents. “It was a real blessing. I would bet that every single City Mission resident came up to us over the course of the night and thanked us and shook our hands or gave us a hug. That’s a blessing for us to think that it impacted them that much.”The Hardings own Asher’s at theAirport, a breakfast and lunch restaurant at the Greene County Airport in Waynesburg. A few weekends ago, they had their soft opening, and generously, all of the proceeds from the opening went to us. Our House Coordinator, Doug Bush, had been wanting to take our residents to see Jesus Revolution, but there was no money in the budget to make it happen. After Asher at the Airport’s soft opening, we reached out to Missy Harding to see if she would be interested in using the money raised at the soft opening to rent out a theater for our residents. “It was such a pleasure to be able to do that for City Mission,” said Harding. “We would be happy to do it again. The homeless are always on our hearts. Everybody just needs a little bit of support to have a second chance, and that’s what the Mission gives them.”And our residents were incredibly grateful for the opportunity. One resident told the Hardings, “Thank you so much for your beautiful gift. The movie meant a lot to me. God bless you.” Another resident said, “The movie gave me peace in the midst of my trials – and hope!” Asher’s at the Airport is now open for business. Many of their dishes and desserts are made from scratch using fresh, locally-sourced products. You can find details HERE.By donating to City Mission, you can help restore our residents to independent living. Please consider giving to the Mission today. You can make a difference in the lives of those in our community who need it most. ‍