Food Podcast: A look at crisis nursery Jeremiah's Place

This week, the food podcast focuses on the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s “food justice is social justice” initiative and features Jeremiah’s Place, a crisis nursery in the Pittsburgh area.

“A crisis nursery is essentially an emergency childcare center. Pittsburgh didn’t have one till about 2014 when we opened our doors,” acting director of Jeremiah’s Place Jordan Shoneburger said.

Initially, the organization was created by physicians and childcare professionals who saw a need for temporary childcare in the community.

“(The founders) were seeing families avoiding medical care because of childcare. You can’t go to certain doctors appointments and treatments if you have children in tow,” Shoneburger said.

Since it opened, the crisis nursery has served 1,100 to 1,200 children, giving 100,000 hours of emergency childcare.

The nursery is open 24/7 and takes care of 80 to 100 children every month.

While many families lean on Jeremiah’s Place in medical situations, like when a parent goes into labor, Shoneburger said there are numerous reasons people need the support of crisis childcare.

“We work with families who are experiencing poverty, who are experiencing homelessness, fleeing domestic violence, but we also see families who you would think have independence in their lives that they wouldn’t need an agency like us, however they do,” Shoneburger said. “They might be new in town and they may not have relatives or a safe babysitter.”

Shoneburger said the organization understands families are experiencing hardship and make sure no family has to pack a bag before dropping off their child.

“We’ve had some families who are experiencing food insecurity, so we provide snack bags to children after every visit that we’ve been receiving from United Way,” Shoneburger said. “We’ve also been providing grocery bags to families over the past year.”

He added that the organization provides meals for children during their stay along with other items like, pajamas, wipes and formula.

For more information on crisis childcare or ways to provide support, visit Jeremiah’s Place online.

Listen: The food podcast talks with Jeremiah’s Place.