Hear from Debbie Baumiller, Senior Center Coordinator at NAMS (Northern Area Multi-Services Center), about their important work and relationship with us!
What does your organization do?
Northern Area Multi Service helps people! We have several departments that focus on different groups of people and their needs. I live and work in the Community Services department, which is comprised of the NAMS Senior Centers and Meals on Wheels programs in the North and North East of Allegheny County.
What is your role at NAMS?
Together, I (left) and Elise Mears (right) oversee NAMS’ four Senior Centers, and personally run the Sharpsburg Senior Center, now called the Body & Soul Health and Wellness Center. I try my best to provide services and programming to seniors (and other people!) that need it, regardless of income.
What is your organization’s biggest challenge in terms of supporting food insecure individuals and families?
Probably resources. 412 Food Rescue has been a huge blessing to us, because we’re uniquely positioned to be able to identify needs on individual and community levels. However, until 412 Food Rescue came into our lives, we were always scrambling to distribute too-few resources to too-many people. Now, there’s still a need. Sharpsburg is still a food desert. But the tens of thousands of pounds we’ve been able to take in and distribute certainly didn’t hurt!
What has been your favorite delivery since your partnership with us?
Every deliver is like Christmas to us! We never know what we’re getting, so even as we watch the door on Big Green go up we’re already planning recommended recipes and trying to figure out who could get the most use out of it of all the people we support. Working with 412 Food Rescue has improved the quality of health and life for many of our consumers, and we look forward to continuing our great partnership.
If you could give someone one reason to volunteer with 412 Food Rescue, what would it be?
Not only would they be helping fulfill a dire need in their community, but when you volunteer with 412, you get to meet like-minded and love-filled people and personally see the good you’re helping to accomplish. It can’t get better than that!
