Plum church gets charitable boost to its homeless assistance project

A Plum church’s program to help the homeless has received a boost through a Tarentum-area charitable trust.

Unity Community Church, located along Unity-Trestle Road, launched its Feed the Flock Project last year through a $5,000 grant from the Ira R. Wood and Frances Wood Charitable Trust.

It was designed to help feed people in Pittsburgh and surrounding areas. About 150 meals were sent out twice a month to city organizations for six months.

The trust recently awarded the church another $12,000 grant to bolster this year’s efforts.

Barb Steving, director of community and mission, said the project started as something to help families impacted by the pandemic.

The focus changed from food to hygiene this year.

“We determined that they really needed some basic essentials, which are the hygiene kits,” she said. “We initially had wanted to reach out and help those finding themselves in crises due to covid. (Those impacted with) loss of jobs, couldn’t get services, maybe couldn’t get food, couldn’t pay their rent, couldn’t pay utilities (and) all those types of things.

”We wanted to reach out to the community in a way that we could impact them with something they really, truly needed.”

Volunteers from the church sew drawstring bags and stuff them with toothbrushes, hand sanitizers, toothpaste, soaps, ChapStick and other items.

The church partners with other groups such as Light of Life Rescue Mission and Outreached Arms of Pittsburgh to distribute about 170 kits at the end of the month.

Steving said the grant will cover about a few months worth of kits.

The church is in need of more donations, particularly ChapStick and women’s socks. The church plans to reach out to other organizations such as the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to make more kits.

“We’re here in Unity in Plum for a reason,” said Craig Henderson, church director of student ministries. “There are great needs in the Pittsburgh area, and we firmly believe we are called to love and care for our neighbors and help them out no matter if they live here in Plum or anywhere, really.

”That’s our neighborhood. That’s our community. To have the buy-in and the passion to make this happen from the congregation is something that is amazing.”

The charitable trust was established following the passing of Tarentum coal miner, entrepreneur and philanthropist Ira Wood.

He established Tour-Ed Mine and Museum in Fawn. Wood also owned Woodlawn Golf Course, also in Fawn, and owned and operated a number of coal mines throughout his life. He died in January 2006 at the age of 91. Frances Wood was his wife, who preceded him in death.

Trustee Sara Mercer said the Plum church was on a list of about 60 churches and organizations the Woods wanted to support.

“We have been particularly pleased when people send us grant requests that support the community,” Mercer said. “Ira was very concerned to support the community around him than he was sending money overseas.

“He wanted to make sure people near and dear and close were taken care of. We’re particularly pleased when we see grant requests like that, when people help provide for people in need.”