Our Community
Rainbow
Kitchen Community Services is located in Homestead, PA, in the heart of the
Steel Valley. Most
of our program participants live in Homestead, West Homestead, or
Munhall. Among the 18,000 people residing in these communities:
· 35% of families with
children live at or below poverty level
· 50% of female-headed
households with children live in poverty
· 17% of adults over
age 25 did not graduate high school
· 51% of individuals
over age 16 are employed; many of those who are employed work only part-time,
or at minimum wage jobs
· 28% of individuals
over age 21 are disabled
· almost 50% of households
rely on Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Who We Serve...
The
single parent of young
children, working part-time, unable to make ends meet;
The
unemployed and under-employed
seeking a better opportunity;
The needy senior on a low fixed income;
The
latch-key child who needs a
warm meal and a smile;
The ill or disabled person
in chronic need.
Rainbow Kitchen Community Services aids those in need during tough times.
Through supplemental food assistance,
case management, and other supportive services, we help
them get back on their feet and move again toward self-sufficiency. For the
elderly and disabled with few resources, the Kitchen keeps critically needed
food on the table.
What We Do...
Rainbow Kitchen’s Anti-Hunger Programs provide a source of nutritious supplemental food
for low-income individuals and families:
·
The
Breakfast Program provides a substantial, nutritious hot meal
each weekday morning, serving an average of 70 people per day. Most of
our breakfast participants are elderly, homeless and/or have one or more
physical or mental health problems.
·
The
Rainbow Kitchen Food Pantry serves residents of five communities
of the Steel Valley . The pantry provides a 3-5
day supply of supplemental groceries to an average of 110 low-income households
each month. The Rainbow Kitchen Food Pantry served 270 registered
households last year.
·
Rainbow
Kitchen also operates the Loving Arms Food Pantry, which serves
200 low-income elderly and disabled residents of a local subsidized apartment
complex. Participants receive a 3-5 day supply of nutritious supplemental
groceries every month.
·
Kids
Café®*,
a program of America ’s Second Harvest, is designed to
meet the needs of low-income children who are at risk of hunger. Operating in
collaboration with area programs serving at-risk youth, Kids Café provides
participating children with a hot, balanced dinner meal, Monday through Friday,
year round. Last year Kids Cafe helped meet the nutritional needs of 225
hungry children.
Case Management* services are
offered to individuals and families on both a short-term and an extended
basis. Immediate/crisis assistance and advocacy are provided as needed,
including referral to other social service agencies for additional help.
The goal of extended Case Management is to provide ongoing aid to participants
as they work towards self-sufficiency.
Rainbow Kitchen Community Services is
proud to be partnering with Carnegie Mellon University to bring Strong Women, Strong Girls to our
community. Strong Women, Strong Girls is a mentoring program for girls in
grades 3 through 5, and is designed to promote self-esteem and the development
of skills to help build success, now and throughout life.
Other Activities and
Services
Throughout the year, Rainbow Kitchen
offers a wide variety of other activities and services to enhance the
well-being and quality of life for low-income members of our community,
including:
· Winter coat and clothing
distribution
· Adopt-a-Family
holiday program; holiday gift distribution; turkey certificate distribution
· Thanksgiving,
Christmas, and New Year’s Day dinners
· Participation in
community events, particularly those targeting youth
· Volunteer Income Tax
Assistance (VITA) program
· Medical Assistance
Transportation Program screening and bus ticket distribution
· Food stamp
eligibility screening and nutrition education host site
· Host site for
educational and informational presentations by other service providers
·
Volunteer
opportunities,
and community service opportunities for youths
*
These programs are funded in part by a grant provided by the PA Dept. of
Community and Economic Development.
How Are We Supported?
Rainbow Kitchen Community Services
offers all of the above services as efficiently as possible, with the support
of volunteers; food donations; foundation, business, and community service
funding; charitable contributions, and an extremely small and dedicated
staff. We would be delighted to have you join our volunteers. We also
gratefully accept both food and financial donations, which are tax deductible.
Rainbow Kitchen Community Services is a
501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization.
Program Goals
The
volunteer experience will give the volunteer a positive and concrete understanding of the services at Rainbow
Kitchen Community Services.
Volunteers
will have the opportunity to demonstrate their
concern for their neighbors in need.
Volunteers
have the opportunity to gain work experience;
Help improve the community, and the
lives of individuals; Stay active and
involved doing something that is satisfying; Learn responsibility; and "Put faith into action...."
Volunteer Opportunities
For
all volunteer activities, dress is casual. Rainbow Kitchen will supply
any needed equipment or supplies.
Pantry Distribution:
Every 2nd and 3rd Thursday.
Time varies depending on particular volunteer activity, but range between
11:30am and 6:00pm.
Bag
packing for shut-in recipients
Registration
and assisting pantry participants in the shop-through area
Unloading
food delivery
Re-packing
fruits and vegetables
Stocking
shelves
Distribution
of panty extras
Assistance
with annual participant survey
Loving Arms Food Pantry:
Bag packing, 3rd Tuesday of the month, 10am
- 11:30am at RKCS. Pantry distribution, 3rd Wednesday
of the month, 9:30am - 11:30am at the Homestead hi-rise.
Pantry
bag packing
Assistance
with pantry distribution
Assisting
with shut-in delivery
Special Projects:
Special opportunities can be designed for groups and individuals
such as:
Preparing
bag lunches for breakfast participants
Unpacking
and storing donated and purchased food and supplies
Re-stocking
pantry shelves
Organizing
canned food, and non-food drives (toiletries, cleaning
supplies, etc.) for RKCS participants
Organizing
special occasion gift drives for RKCS participants
Organizing
winter coat drives
Assisting
with coat drive distribution
Assisting
with special holiday meals
Building maintenance; planting flowers, general cleaning, etc.
Assisting
with our quarterly newsletter mailing
Maybe you have some ideas
for special projects you would like to share with us?...
For more information, please
contact Lori Roadway at 412-464-1892.
Or go to http://www.rainbowkitchen.org/
* Please be aware that all volunteer time is scheduled in advance.