Love is at the center of what Mission: Agape hopes to accomplish
We're just 15 days from Thanksgiving, and that means we're in the final push for the 44th annual KDKA-TV Turkey Fund.
As we approach the finish line, we think it's important for you to see exactly who you're helping when you donate to the Turkey Fund.
Last week, we took you to a food pantry in Washington County. This week, we're taking you to one in the Mon Valley, where love is literally in the name of the pantry's mission.
For Harlan Tobe, Jr, Mission: Agape in White Oak isn't just a food pantry.
"It's a lifesaver. It's a lifesaver. Without this, it would be crazy," Tobe said.
He says it's a lifeline that has kept him alive for the past two years.
"I got injured severely, and do you know how long it takes to wait for temporary disability? Years! So, I wasn't making money this whole two years that I've been coming here," Tobe said.
He is just one of the countless clients Mission: Agape's volunteers see regularly.
Tobe said, "The volunteers are great. They treat me well. They help us all the way through, and they're here before us and after us."
Agape means "Love of God." It's been at the center of this mission since Kelly Doyle helped co-found it back in 2019, in her garage.
"I've always felt called to it. I think I was in fourth grade, and they asked me what I would like to do, and I said, 'I would like to show kindness and feed people,'" Doyle said.
The pantry later moved to a shared space at the White Oak post office.
Doyle said, "And then, we received what I call miracle money. Somebody sent me $155,000 through PayPal and said, 'Go buy the building.'"
The building the anonymous donor was talking about was a former Methodist church on Prescott Street, where clients now come and shop every Friday.
Mission: Agape also distributes food monthly at a location in Versailles and two locations in McKeesport. They're also now expanding into Glassport, where there currently is no food pantry.
"We serve in areas that are twice the Allegheny County average of food insecurity," Doyle said.
On top of all that, they also do home deliveries for people who physically can't make it to one of their locations.
"What we've found is that the people who are the most food insecure can't actually access food," Doyle said.
But Doyle says, make no mistake, food insecurity touches every walk of life.
"The first client that I would see is a senior citizen who's worked their whole life and can no longer make ends meet. The second client that I'm seeing is a working family, and they're just struggling. Grocery prices are astronomical," Doyle said.
It's something Tobe knows firsthand.
"Food costs so much. Just because you have a job doesn't mean you can afford to feed your family and yourself," he said.
Mission: Agape gets help from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, as well as Giant Eagle, 412 Food Rescue, and generous private donors.
But Doyle says federal funding cuts earlier this year have really taken a toll on how much help they're able to give.
"When there were budget and funding cuts, a lot of foundations stopped funding basic needs to the level that they used to because they started to fund other projects, including medical research and things like that. But we really are seeing, particularly in the Mon and Turtle Creek valleys, a real strong need for basic need services," said Doyle.
She's grateful Mission: Agape is a partner in the KDKA-TV Turkey Fund, and will be able to provide their clients with a gift card to buy a turkey at Thanksgiving, something she says wouldn't happen without your donations.
"What if you could spare $25 or $30 or $50? That would help one family have a good holiday. And in these times, where everything is so tight and everything is being cut, if we could just have one neighbor help one neighbor and that continues, we can make a big difference."
Take it from Tobe.
"When you bless other people, you get blessed. And just helping one another is just of God, you know?" he said.
It's the basic, age-old principle of "do unto others."
If you want to help Mission: Agape, through donations or volunteering, you can find more information at their website by clicking here.
And you can also help Mission: Agape's clients by donating to the KDKA-TV Turkey Fund. Go to any PNC Bank and they'll match all donations of $50 or more. You can also text "KDTURKEY" to 50155 or donate at kdka.com/turkeyfund. And we're also still accepting checks. Mail them to "PO Box Thanks, Pittsburgh, PA 15230."
From all of us at KDKA-TV, thank you!