The Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh provides women and their children a safe place to go as an emergency shelter from domestic abuse. More than that, they provide support groups, legal advocacy, and programming for the adults and children in their care. We have the opportunity to give back to these families and to the center by providing dinner for these survivors.

Their dinner service begins at 4:30 pm, so we need to arrive on site with our ingredients to start preparing dinner at 3:30 pm. We will then serve the residents, and depending on the weather, we may have an opportunity to sit and eat with them. If the weather is nice and we can eat outside, we can eat with the residents and their families to share the meal. If we are eating inside, due to Covid restrictions, we will won’t be able to eat with them.

We will plan the menu for the meal, but the shelter suggests that whatever we plan, there are customizable options to account for different allergies, food restrictions, and preferences. For example, a taco bar with a couple of different filling options and various toppings.

Masks are required during our visit. Volunteers 16 years and older of any gender are welcome. This would be a great opportunity for a high school aged person to acquire some community service hours!

Please let Sarah know if you plan to join so we can meal plan. We need a minimum of 3 volunteers and a maximum of 8 for this opportunity.

Sarah’s hope is that we will be able to provide more meals for these women throughout the year, and there are many other opportunities for volunteering at the shelter, including organizing supplies, cleaning, and planning parties for the residents and their children. Please let Sarah know if you are interested in future opportunities for helping these survivors of domestic abuse.