2023-2024 BCF Mini-grant Winner
Glade Run Lutheran Services
2023-2024 Mini-Grant Winner
"Overnight Warming Shelter"
The Overnight Warming Center is a collaborative project between Glade Run Lutheran Services, Catholic Charities, Butler County Human Services, Butler County Housing Development, and the Center for Community Resources. The mission of the Overnight Warming Center is to identify individuals experiencing homelessness and provide those individuals with a safe, caring, and warm space during the overnight hours of the coldest months of the year while also providing support, helpful information, and referrals.
Far too many of our community members face a barrier to affordable housing. Glade Run is committed to keeping the Overnight Warming Center open and operational through March 31, 2024. This year the Warming Center opened early, on October 30th (as opposed to December 5th last year) to meet the increased demand. This has added 37 additional operational days of service to the program in 2023-2024 to increase access during the month of November.
​
The Overnight Warming Center requires a referral or voucher. Completed vouchers are to be emailed to warmingcenter@gladerun.org, CCing afeltenb@co.butler.pa.us and arose@co.butler.pa.us
For more information on the program, or to learn how you can support the Overnight Warming Center, contact Catholic Charities Diocese of Pittsburgh (Butler County) at 724-287-4011 during regular business hours. If after hours, weekends or holidays, please call Center for Community Resources 24 hour Crisis line at 1-800-292-3866.
Previous BCF Mini-grant Winners
Rise Up Rides is a collaborative project between the Alliance for Nonprofit Resources (ANR), Butler Health System and the Lighthouse Foundation. The mission of Rise Up Rides is to shrink the transportation gap that exists in our county.
Far too many of our community members face a barrier to life-critical activities, and that barrier is often transportation. Rise Up Rides will bridge that gap with trips for those in need to and from grocery shopping, employment, non-emergency medical needs, family visits, among other destinations to ensure that our neighbors are living the best lives that they can.
Rise Up Rides is developing a referral program for local human services agencies to identify those in need to guarantee that the project is as effective as possible. ANR Transport will be providing the transportation for all trips.
​
To see if you or someone you know qualifies for Rise Up Rides, please call the Information and Referral department at Center for Community Resources at 724-431-3748.
​
​
Wise Guides is a collaborative project between Butler County Community College, Aging Gracefully, and LIFE Butler County.
Wise Guides connects college students with seniors to teach them how to utilize and become comfortable with technology. The total program consists of 5 two-hour sessions scheduled over a 1-2 month period of time. Technological education will focus on the senior’s indicated area(s) of interest.
There is currently a significant generation gap in tech savviness, which can lead to a breakdown in overall communication. Retirement, COVID-19, moving to a nursing home, and other factors can create isolation among seniors. Being able to call, text, email, or video chat with family and friends is a great way to stay connected, combat depression, and build confidence. But, most of all, students and seniors have so much to learn from each other!
​
The program will launch during the Fall 2022 BC3 semester and Butler County Community College Introduction to Social Work students will be paired with seniors at local nursing homes and day programs. Wise Guides will utilize a free software program, ELDY, and provide the pair with a Lenovo tablet to be used during the sessions. At the end of the program, the seniors can choose to have ELDY loaded onto their personal devices.
​
For information on the program, or to learn how you can support this initiative, contact Karen Jack, 724-287-8711 x8378 or Lorna Gavin,724-602-9559
for more information.
The funding we received from this grant has made a positive impact on this program, We have had an increase of participants in our program since the beginning of the 2021. The past few months we had 7 attendees in August, 6 in September and 11 in October. Participants learned how to make Puerto Rican rice and chicken, Chili, Robilotto, lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs and summer sandwich salads. There will be one more class this year on November 18th 5:00 pm at Fishbone Ministries / Jacob's House.
Our participants have been able to receive various household items through their attendance. Items have included crockpots, full sets of pots and pans, baking sets and spatulas. The most valuable portion of this program has been having the opportunity to get to know the individuals in the class many of which have been consistent attendees. The funding we received through this grant allowed this program to continue reaching individuals through fellowship and cooking together.
​
They were able to discuss healthy options, substitutions, diet restrictions, and shopping efficiently. They were given recipes each week they could go home and make for their families or leftovers were provided.