Greensburg church spreads Christmas joy through meals

Carolyn Noel stood in the lobby of the Pershing Square apartment building in Greensburg, holding three bags of Christmas meals for herself and neighbors, courtesy of the First Presbyterian Church of Greensburg.

Noel was thankful for the meal delivered by church volunteers Christmas morning for people who could not make it downstairs to pick up their dinner.

“It’s sad. They are shut-ins and can’t get out,” to get the holiday meal for themselves, said Noel.

“It’s very nice of them to do this. I can’t do it,” said Pershing Square resident Mary Davis, who uses a wheelchair to get around because of a foot injury.

The Christmas Day meal has been a tradition of First Presbyterian Church for about 20 years, said Kim Stoner, church secretary. The initiative is supported by donations from First Presbyterian Church members and non-members.

Noel, Davis and about 25 of her neighbors at Pershing Square, an apartment building populated by senior citizens, were among close to 600 people who received the special Christmas Day dinner of ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans, candied carrots, fruit cocktail, rolls and cake. The meals were courtesy of a contingent of volunteers who ordered the food, cooked and delivered them.

One of the many volunteers, Sharyn Sekora of Salem, said she was available and wanted to help. She assisted in meal preparation and delivering the food.

“They needed a lot of people to make it work,” she said. “We’re providing those who don’t have a lot, with a hot meal.”

Hannah Howarth of Hempfield said she was looking forward to helping others in the community.

“We wanted to be part of it,” said Howarth, who was joined by her sisters Savannah Treasure of Hempfield and Sarah Arnaudov of Greensburg.

Scott Sucke, who oversaw the Christmas initiative, said two shifts of volunteers — 15 per shift — donated their time on Christmas Day to help serve those who did not have a meal. Another group of volunteers drove around the Greensburg-Latrobe area delivering meals to those who were unable to make it to the church.

Holly Hallman, who directed the meal deliveries, said about 125 meals were delivered to individual residences. Groups of meals were delivered to seniors in apartment buildings in the Greensburg area.

Recipients who received a meal through the church’s Second Supper program each month were notified in November of the opportunity to register for a Christmas Day meal.

Meal preparation began Thursday and Friday. Sucke said he started at 4 a.m. Christmas Day, getting the 18 hams and other food ready. Because of the covid pandemic, the meals were delivered or recipients were able to pick them up. Unlike previous years, no one was permitted to sit at a table and eat their meal in the church hall.

The church prepared about 100 more meals than this year than last year. Sucke said he believes it is the result of the covid pandemic and the recent spike in new cases.

“There is definitely a covid impact, especially to those senior (apartment) homes — Penn (Towers) and Pershing (Square),” in Greensburg who are worried about being exposed to covid, Sucke said.

Leftover food at the end of the afternoon was delivered to the Greensburg police, Mutual Aid Ambulance Service in Greensburg and set aside for the Tri-County Meals on Wheels, based in Southwest Greensburg.