Partner Spotlight: EECM

Posted on by Shadyside Presbyterian Church
East End Cooperative Ministry (EECM)East End Cooperative Ministry

Shadyside Presbyterian Church’s Mission and Urban Ministry partners with East End Cooperative Ministry in support of its work in the Pittsburgh community.

East End Cooperative Ministry (EECM) works to change the lives of individuals and families in Pittsburgh facing the impact of poverty. Founded in 1970 by the local interfaith groups, EECM continues to grow through direct hands-on services to the hungry, homeless, elderly, and disadvantaged urban youth. EECM’s three main areas of ministry are Community Food Service, Housing/Employment Services, and Children/Youth Services.

  • Community Food Service is the most widely recognized part of EECM; Shadyside Presbyterian Church has been a long-term partner assisting to serve meals and running quarterly food drives.
  • Housing/Employment Services include:
    • An emergency homeless shelter with twenty-one beds also provides social service navigation assistance, such as connecting consumers to permanent housing, and health and social benefits.
    • A ninety-day substance use recovery program offers housing and treatment for thirty individuals referred by a treatment facility or the justice system.
    • Families Achieving Independence through Housing (FAITH) helps families impacted by physical or mental disability find affordable housing.
    • SewForward, an apprenticeship sewing program, trains individuals for a career in commercial sewing.
  • Children/Youth Services include summer camps, educational opportunities within media and the creative arts, and recreational sports for youth in their catchment area.

EECM is celebrating fifty years in providing services; learn more from our Minute for Mission during worship in February and join the festivities at EECM’s Golden Gala on May 21, 2022, at Rodef Shalom in Shadyside. Please contact the church office for details.

During the month of February, Shadyside Presbyterian Church coordinates a food collection and fundraising effort that supports EECM in conjunction with the Souper Bowl of Caring. Please read more in order to participate.