We serve men and women who are poor, vulnerable and homeless. Many are mentally ill, struggle with one or more addictions and live in uninhabitable areas with no running water. During the pandemic, many other churches, non-profits and governmental agencies closed their doors for long periods of time. Our doors remained open every day! We meet the critical needs of our Neighbors every day, by providing shelter; food; clothing; shoes/boots; toiletries; gift cards for groceries and other items critical for daily survival; third party payments to rent/utility companies to prevent eviction or slipping back into homelessness; bus tickets for Pittsburgh Regional Transit and Greyhound; and other critical resources. With love, we are present with our Neighbors through our Shepherd's Heart Veterans' Home and Drop-In Center/Outreach and their frequent knocks on our front door in desperation asking for help as they face life's challenges that threaten their survival. Important Facts about Shepherd's Heart Fellowship: • 68% of Shepherd's Heart beneficiaries are African-American, while 29% are white. • 40% of the men we we serve are age 65+, while 34% of the women we serve are 65+ • Several of our staff members are Veterans and have faced the challenges that many of America's brave military men and women have faced when they return from active duty. Because of their training and leadership, Shepherd's Heart values discipline, hard work, teamwork and a commitment to excellence. Critical Needs donations will be used for filling part-time critical positions at SHF for Shepherd's Heart Veteran's Home, Drop-In Center, and our Office as needed; and will support our Emergency Funds for (1) Veterans and (2) other vulnerable Neighbors who are struggling with rent/mortgage, utilities, transportation, food insecurity, and other critical purposes necessary for their everyday survival as they struggle to meet life's challenges. Shepherd's Heart also emphasizes helping vulnerable men and women, including Veterans, to overcome mental illnesses and addictions, from which 95% of our beneficiaries suffer. All of our services are open and include: • Our Shepherd's Heart Veteran's Home called "House of Hope," where 15 formerly homeless Veterans receive shelter, counseling, rehabilitation and more in collaboration with the Veteran's Administration. • Our Drop-In Center called "Shepherd's Place." In 2024, we are serving 30-60 vulnerable men and women five mornings per week from 7:30-11 AM; the number is primarily dependent on the weather and the time of the year. Each day, participants receive breakfast, counseling, information and referral, and encouragement. They take showers, wash their clothes, and receive additional clothing as needed. We make referrals to health care and mental health professionals as warranted, including Operation Safety Net and Health Care for the Homeless. • Our Resource Center which, provides 1,400 homeless and vulnerable men and women annually with clothing, shoes, boots, blankets, sanitizer, soap, cleaning supplies, etc. • Our Food Pantry, which operates year-round, is receiving and distributing food as fast as we can. We partner with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. We have been blessed by many individuals, restaurants, churches and companies who are giving us prepared food and cereal bars, meats, fruit, canned goods, pasta sauce and other popular items. Annually, the food pantry offers non-perishable foods to 1,800 individuals and families. • Transportation Services: We transport Veteran participants to their medical, welfare, Veteran's Administration, drug and alcohol, mental health appointments, etc. We also pick up supplies, deliver food, rescue some Neighbors in difficult situations and prepare for emergencies that may arise. • Our two Emergency Funds support (1) our military Veterans and (2) our vulnerable Neighbors with gift cards for groceries, gasoline, fast food, cleaning supplies, basic clothing needs, and much more. SHF also helps with rent, utilities, and other basic needs to help (1) prevent our Neighbors from slipping back into homelessness or (2) to provide comfort, encouragement and a Safety Net to Neighbors in crises who lack basic needs. • Our Worship Center/ Community Meeting Space provides worship on Sunday at 5:15, followed by a community meal. Presence is important to the vulnerable. We need to be with them, to pray, to worship and to break bread with them. We provide 40,000+ meals throughout our facility per year. Partnerships are vital to Shepherd's Heart Fellowship's ability to serve people who are homeless. Our principal partner is the Veteran's Administration. To carry out our mission, Shepherd's Heart collaborates with 120+ churches, 16 health-related agencies, 11 government agencies, 8 academic institutions, 25 Veterans service organizations, 21 judicatories and non-profit organizations to help those in need receive food, medical and mental health services, housing, employment and other resources needed to successfully return to independent residential stable housing. Volunteers are critical to Shepherd's Heart's ability to fulfill its mission. Each year an estimated 1,500 volunteers provide 25,000 volunteer service hours. We are grateful for our volunteers! Volunteers have prepared and served meals at our Worship Center/Community Meeting Space; delivered food, clothing, and other necessary items to us for distribution to our Neighbors; helped us with painting, office work, repairs and have provided peer mentoring, transportation and other direct services to many of our beneficiaries. Rev. Michael D. Wurschmidt is the Founder of Shepherd's Heart Fellowship and served as the Rector of Shepherd's Heart Fellowship and CEO of Shepherd's Heart Veteran's Home from 1993-2023. He is a U.S. Air Force Veteran and an ordained Anglican Priest. Pastor Mike is now a Consultant with SHF. On November 1, 2023, Scott Means became our Director of Ministries. Scott has a BSME from the University of Pittsburgh in 1994 and completed considerable coursework at Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge in 2004. Scott and his wife Peggy, who is a retired Anglican Priest and is an RN, had worked at SHF in its very beginning alongside Pastor Mike and his wife, Tina. After working as an Engineer for several years, Scott served as a Spiritual Care Specialist at the VA and as a Hospice Chaplain from 2001-2011. Scott served as the Director of our Drop-In Center until Pastor Mike's retirement on November 1, 2023. Scott's knowledge of engineering made him the perfect leader to support SHF in recovering from its fire in June 2023. We are grateful to God for His faithfulness! By His strength, we will continue to provide a haven to homeless and vulnerable men and women during these uncertain times. We appreciate your generosity through the Pittsburgh Gives Critical Needs Alert!