Forging Forward: Rainbow Kitchen
A group of volunteers and staff from Rainbow Kitchen’s Food Pantry Program, which serves Homestead, West Homestead, Munhall, Duquesne, Whitaker and West Mifflin. Pictured are six of the many people who participated last year. The program served a total of 887 unduplicated households in 2020, including 346 new households, and distributed more than 481,000 pounds of supplemental groceries – a 60% increase over the previous year.
Forging Forward 2021 is a series of six articles about organizations helping our region make progress on the significant issues challenging our friends and neighbors. The series is presented with the generous support of The Pittsburgh Foundation. Its next Critical Needs Alert, a day of online giving to organizations doing vital work, is on August 3: mark your calendars and plan to be part of something great!
Rainbows are the gentle reminder that when storms pass, signs of hope can appear. And at Rainbow Kitchen Community Services, we see this evidence in action. Having served communities around Pittsburgh since 1984, the organization has solidified itself as a source of aid for those in need.
Rainbow Kitchen helps low-income families and individuals by addressing hunger, child nutrition and supportive services for our most vulnerable community members. Because of the growing number of people who are experiencing poverty, food and housing insecurity as well as unemployment in part due to Covid-19, these services aren’t just important -- they are vital to the survival of our friends and neighbors.
“I’ve been at Rainbow Kitchen since 1999 so I’ve had a long-range view of the community and the organization. We were founded in the 1980s when the steel mills closed and that was catastrophic for Homestead and Steel Valley communities,” said Donna Little, executive director of the Rainbow Kitchen Community Services.
To address food insecurity, the organization has several programs including the breakfast program -- currently as grab-and-go food pantries that serve residents of Homestead, West Homestead, Munhall, Duquesne, Whitaker and West Mifflin, including low-income elderly neighbors.
Another unique program is the Kids Cafe, which was created to support low-income children experiencing hunger and food insecurity. Hot, nutritious dinners are provided Monday through Friday all year round to support our children in under-resourced communities.
“Our cornerstone is food assistance and I’m proud of our onsite food pantry that serves six local communities. Over time, We’ve developed offsite distribution programs for low income seniors in our area because many displaced steel workers are now elderly and low income and living in apartments around here,” she added.
Little had seen the impact of the Great Recession in 2008, but with Covid-19, the need is greater than ever.
“It’s been drastic. There was no warning for some who lost their jobs and with no chance of finding another one. We have to realize this pandemic isn’t over for so many who were already living on the edges,” she added.
And like many nonprofits that had to pivot during Covid-19, the needs of the community had to be balanced with that of protecting staff and volunteers as well as program participants. It was essential service providers like the Rainbow Kitchen that provided a sense of stability, support and care for the most in need.
A small organization with only three full-time staff and three part-time-staff, the Rainbow Kitchen crew found it daunting to reconfigure without volunteer support, suddenly and overnight.
“We have always been very fortunate as far as volunteers. People who often used the programs themselves would volunteer,” Little said. But when everything shut down and people were told to remain home, the organization was hit hard. She credits the resilience of her staff for making it through.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our staff and what they have accomplished and how they stepped up with courage and willingness to do whatever it took. That has made a huge difference since we were without volunteers,” Little added.
And because challenges intersect, Rainbow Kitchen recognizes how delicate the balance is that can be upended with just one crisis. When people are experiencing food insecurity, often housing, unemployment and other issues can be in play. The organization works with community members through case management to help those in need connect to services and resources that can help bring life back in balance.
Covid changed the lives of so many. People who would have never utilized services like those found at Rainbow Kitchen suddenly found themselves in uncharted territory.
“What struck me was how dependable they were,” said Cleopatra, mother of three who utilized the food pantry program and the soup kitchen. She was also able to get a free eye exam and glasses through Rainbow Kitchen. “They are so helpful. They just want to help, and we all need that support from time to time,” she added.
Renee Conte, case manager, hopes people recognize that social services are for everyone and to let go of the stigma. “It’s OK to reach out for help,” she said. “This could be any of us any given day and we will be there with a smile to help anyone,” Conte added.
Recognizing that we are stronger as a society when we work together to uplift the most marginalized and vulnerable around us, we can create a future where we don’t just survive, but we all thrive.
“These are our fellow human beings who need our help,” added Little. We rely on the kindness and generosity of others and are extremely grateful for the support we receive because it’s what makes it possible for us to help people,” she said.
Want to activate? Support Rainbow Kitchen HERE or do so as part of The Pittsburgh Foundation’s Critical Needs Day of Giving on August 3. All donations of $25 and up are eligible for a portion of $525,000 in giving incentive funds provided by the Foundation and its donors. More information here.
Story by Natalie Bencivenga
Check out other stories from our Forging Forward series: