A Pittsburgh nonprofit is helping the community feel at home. So much so that the show Mayor of Kingstown\u00a0donated set items to them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, they’re poised to expand even more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Blessings come full circle with The Blessing Board.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“We got the transporter wheelchair, and it has been a blessing,” said Karen Kear, one of the recipients of The Blessing Board’s work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Kear, her mother-in-law needed the wheelchair after she broke her ankle. So, she came to the Shaler Township location, where volunteers kindly helped her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“You just feel at home, and you just feel loved, and encouraged,” she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That encouragement reassured Kear’s entire family.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Because people’s lives go through peaks and valleys, right? A lot of the people that we serve are coming out of homelessness; they are transitioning from being incarcerated,” said The Blessing Board’s Director of Programs, Amy Hehn. “[Also], an awful lot of domestic violence.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Since 2010, according to Hehn, the nonprofit has served more than 15,000 families and has grown to 150 volunteers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“We believe that this is the love that we are trying to show them; besides giving them material things, we’re giving them dignity,” she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Whether it’s couches, side tables, lamps, or beds, The Blessing Board is now expanding with medical equipment at its West Mifflin location.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“This is such a great way to keep things out of the landfills,” Hehn said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Since 2014, more than 9,000,000 pounds of waste have been given a second life. That also includes, according to Hehn, items donated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I think it’s wonderful,” said Kear. “And speaking of my parents, my dad had a lift chair; he also had walkers, and he had passed away. After that, we actually donated them here to The Blessing Board. So, it’s full circle.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
A full circle of blessing, helping everyone with medical needs and beyond.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Blessing Board does not ask why you’re in need. If you’re in need of medical supplies, you don’t need to call ahead; you can just check the dates and times, and walk in.\u00a0<\/p>\n