Northside Common Ministries

Excepts from a letter from a former shelter resident Thank you for everything!! This sanctuary is a blessing, a respite from stresses to let us men grow spiritually..." ".. you truly care."... "Where there is Love and Caring, There is God" To the residents: Thank you for your support and friendship. On days I was stressed or needed a friendly pick-me-up, you guys came through. I love and Thank you all!!

We are getting closer! By the end of the summer we should be starting to ramp back up to full capacity. Each man in shelter will have either an individual space/Pod or share a room with only two beds. These renovations will make a huge difference when we are faced with a difficult Flu or virus season and they will offer a totally new level of dignity to the men that our 23 bed dorm could not do. Watch for picture of the progress.

thanks friends for keeping us smiling--when you shop at Amazon and designate us as your "smile" recipient we earn cash to help pay our utility bills! If you don't already have a designated Amazon Smile recipient consider making us at NCM SMILE:) This email from Amazon notified us that Northside Common Ministries has been issued a $109.59 donation from the AmazonSmile Foundation as a result of AmazonSmile program activity between January 1 and March 31, 2021. ... Thank you, Your AmazonSmile Team

we are glad you are our neighbor....

The renovations continue. Soon enough we will be the Hilton of homeless shelters in the city. The process of creating a space that offers our residents more dignity and respect as well as a safer place during a health scare began several months ago and is quickly approaching our halfway point. Its not been easy on our staff or residents to have the work done while we continue to operate- but it will be well worth the inconvenience when we reach the end. Watch here for details in the fall about our grand unveiling.

and the winner is.... Congrats to Mike Smith who had the winning number --104--for last nights meat raffle! The raffle was such a success that we are already planning another --watch this page to see future details.

Companies across the country are doing the good and hard work to make their executive leadership and their board more reflective of the population of our nation. While others look to include Black and Brown leaders, Female leaders, LGBTQ leaders and leaders from various faith or non-faith traditions-Northside Common Ministries has been doing that from our start nearly 40 years ago. If we had a wall with pictures of our past and present executive leaders and board members you would see the diversity of our nation reflected in those faces. That's what has kept us focused on mission for our first 40 years and we are committed to that same diversity and commitment to mission for our next 40 years.

Our meat raffle is just 4 days away. One of our ticket sellers just returned 4 unsold tickets. There are two numbers on each ticket and each ticket cost $10. The drawing is based on the PA lottery three digit number on May 17th. Winner gets over $600 worth of meat or other products of your choosing at Tom Fridays Market and a gift card for a new gas grill. To secure one, two, three or all four of these tickets be the first person to email me at [email protected]. please do not respond on facebook only on email. Details of the raffle are below in a previous posting.

Happy Mothers Day! Women have been leading the way here at NCM from the day we opened the door! Join us as we celebrate the leadership and the contributions of all women today.

While the cats away! Jana our Food Pantry Coordinator took a couple well deserved days off recently and while the pantry volunteers kept the place operating they found some also well deserved play time. Our pantry door stayed open each day during the pandemic because of the dedication of these amazing volunteers. We will be closed for the month of June due to some facility construction but our customers can still access fresh produce on our usual pantry shopping days in June.

After seeing this post a few weeks ago the social service worker that connected us to this amazing young man reached out to let us know that he will graduate this year and was accepted at both The University of Pittsburgh and Slippery Rock University. When you read the full comic you will see that he and his mom were homeless for a period and when his mom got sick and died he was forced into navigating life on his own. He worked with Social Service workers and found good friends. It was far more then most sophomores in high school deal with but he was and is determined. These are the young people that change the world. www.drawntohomecomic.com

the scarf bombardier's hit again--stop by the front of the shelter for a complimentary scarf

Are you or a friend Looking for a rewarding part time job--where you get to help change lives everyday? NCM is hiring for a part time evening and weekend shelter monitor for our shelter for homeless men. Find details on the position and how to apply un der work for Goodwill at www.goodwillswpa.org look for the position of Resident Assistant at NCM

Virtual Silent Auction opened November 1 and close at November 15th---and the bids are rolling in.. Northside Common Ministries won’t be holding any in person fundraisers until at least the Spring or Summer of 2021. Our auctions at our celebrations are always popular and some corporate donors are still out there wanting to help us. We have some great gifts here that need a good home. If you see something in the list below that you would like to bid on let us know....Continue reading

The indignity of it all. I am well beyond doggie social security age and still they think its fun and cute to make me wear elf hats. #ThoughtsFrom Ann

Each night a different group of folks comes to Pleasant Valley Shelter with trays full of food for the men in residence. Folks connect with this volunteer mission for a lot of different reasons . One night every other month Bonnie Roxberry, and her family show up with pans of delicious food for the men in the shelter. Nearly 30 years ago Bonnie’s mom, Patty Trainer interviewed me for my first of several jobs at Goodwill. Patty started at Goodwill as a teacher and ended her career as the COO. Patty died in 2018- For the past few years as a way to honor her mother Bonnie and her family show up here at the shelter once every other month with trays full of food. There could not be a more fitting tribute to Patty’s legacy.

Get Ready for Giving Tuesday! Dear NCM Friends: Please don’t forget about us on Giving Tuesday, December 1st. Go to the link below for GIVE BIG PITTSBURGH. As you know, we truly appreciate your help around the holiday season as demand for our lifesaving food and shelter services rises sharply. This year even more, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit Give Big Pittsburgh on Tuesday, December 1 to join in and support Northside Common Ministries by clicking on our parent organization, Goodwill’s link and remember to email us to let us know about the donation so we can be sure to direct it to our services at NCM https://www.givebigpittsburgh.com//goodwill-of-southwester Email [email protected]

t's that time of year again--cold one day and warm the next--means that cold is on its way! If you are able to help us our with some things for the men here at the shelter in the coming weeks it would be most appreciated! As the weather changes we find a need for new or gently used Men's tee shirts sizes Medium to XXL, Men's winter gloves ( we get lots of lovely homemade scarves), Men's hoodies sizes Large to XXXL, Men's winter coats sizes medium to XXXL and men's underwear... sizes 32-48 --those we prefer to be new :) You can drop things at the shelter 24 hours a day 7 days a week or You can visit our amazon wish list if dropping things in person would be difficult for you--http://a.co/ezYxoK9 please share the request with friends and family if possible

I'm gonna stay home and play in the leaves this Thanksgiving. Stay safe and have a happy Thanksgiving #ThoughtsFromAnn

Northside Common Ministries won’t be holding any in person fundraisers until at least the Spring or Summer of 2021. Our auctions at our celebrations are always popular and some corporate donors are still out there wanting to help us. We have some great gifts here that need a good home. If you see something in the list below that you would like to bid on let us know. Simply email your bid to [email protected] before bids close at 5pm on November 15th 2020 If you make a ...Continue reading

Happy Halloween!

be one of the cool kids---everybody is doin it!