Almost a year after Arch Street Center was awarded the Level Up and Launch grant by United Way of Lancaster County, the center is using the funding to provide nutritious meals for its clients.
Arch Street Center provides services for “members,” and people with mental disabilities who are referred to the center by a mental health professional. The center offers “social rehabilitation,” as opposed to the clinical approach taken by many other mental health providers. The center operates as a day program. The center is a “drop in” system. About 40 to 60 out of the over 300 total members show up daily.
Arch Street submitted a proposal for the Level Up and Launch Grant due to the rising cost in food, that made its meal program unsustainable. Since, many of the organization’s members are food-insecure, or unable to access consistent nutritious meals, the grant would allow them to not only continue to provide meals for members but expand and improve upon the program.
At a mid-year presentation in January, Susanne Materia, the Director of Development at Arch Street Center, described how the funding has benefited the center. Arch street was able to hire Cat, a chef, to make meals for its members, have a stocked pantry, and had funding for unexpected problems, such as the dishwasher’s water heater breaking down.
In February, Materia, explained the dishwasher still lacks hot water, but the organization was able to update its cutting boards and storage to “restaurant quality. “Cat updated the organization’s bowls and plates to better represent portion sizes and easier to carry. The organization has started a partnership with a food distributor to obtain fresh produce and plant-based protein for the members.
“Our members are always extremely grateful.” said Materia. She told a story about a member who, after every lunch, thanks the chef and kitchen staff, and provides a positive “history adjective” relating to the meal. The consensus among the members is that the quality of food has gone up. Future plans for Arch Street Center’s kitchen include updating major kitchen appliances and improving kitchen efficiency.
“We’re so grateful that this is something we were able to partake in,” Materia concluded, “Meals are not the focus of what we do, but it is a huge bonus for our members to be able to have access to healthy and nutritious meals when they’re here.”
(Editors Notes: This article was written by One United Intern Jamie Hughes. Hughes, a Lancaster resident who currently attends Millersville University, he got his start in journalism by joining the university newspaper “The Snapper.” Hughes has a personal fascination with the history of the Lancaster area as well as the natural beauty of the county. He frequently visits locations around the county to photograph natural scenery as well as locations in Lancaster City.)
