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Donora Home Delivered Meals Program Partners with Step by Step, Inc. in Pleasant Hills

By Alice Harris

Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services, Inc. is always looking for volunteers to help with their Home Delivered Meals program.

Step by Step clients and staff prepare to depart SPHS in Donora to deliver 70 Home Delivered Meals in Carroll Township. Pictured (l-r) Nick Manning, Tricia Perine (staff), Tony Jablonski, Floyd Gale, and Kevveetia Coaston (staff).

Step By Step, Inc. located in Pleasant Hills provides community support services to children and adults in Pennsylvania with intellectual disabilities, behavioral health, and autism spectrum disorders. Chris Buckley, SPHS/Senior Communications Representative, who is also married to Ruth Buckley, program instructor at Step by Step, introduced his wife to Susan Badzik, Donora Senior Center Specialist, to see if the two programs could help one another.

Step by Step now sends two vans with two staff members and up to four clients to help deliver 70 meals to Carroll Township on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday each week. Step by Step also helps deliver meals to Brookline on Monday and Monongahela on Friday.

“Its been a Godsend for me,” said Badzik. “It’s a joy to work with the staff and consumers at Step by Step”.

LaVonne Robinson, Program Manager at Step by Step said that their clients really enjoy this opportunity. “The goal is to expand the individuals’ horizons and help them to become involved,” said Robinson. “State requirements mandate that clients spend on average 25 percent of their time at the program in the community if possible. It’s really good for them to be out.”

The Home Delivered Meals program is also a chance for generations to mix. The Step by Step clients get to spend time and gain respect from the older adults who receive their meals.

“For a lot of the people who receive meals, the only person they will see that day are those who deliver their meal,” said Badzik. “Step by Step clients have to spend some time with the resident and check on them while they are there, too,” she added. Recently, a group of Step by Step clients led by staff Tricia Perine arrived at a home to find that resident had fallen. They called 911 and waited for emergency medical personnel to come before leaving.

Badzik said volunteers are still needed at Donora as well as for the Home Delivered Meals at Monongahela, Charleroi, Perryopolis, Center on the Hill, and Washington Township senior centers. Anyone interested to volunteer please call 724-489-9100 (option 1). She can also be reached by email at sbadzik@sphs.org.

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