Prior to coming to the West End Christian Community Center (WCCC), Pastor Calvin Philips had been a pastor in the region for over 15 years, and until he was hired by the Board of Directors, he had no idea the WCCC even existed. That reality highlighted what needed to be addressed immediately, and for the past seven years, he has been letting the community know what their mission is and that they are here to serve. “Your dignity is far too great a price to pay to get help, so what each of the incredible volunteers that serve here strive to ensure is the true sense of family,” said Pastor Philips. “We give a hand up and not necessarily a handout, so we become creative in finding ways to walk beside those that come through our doors not just by addressing an immediate need but by finding solutions to their problems and needs.” Pastor Philips went on to say that the WCCC works daily to establish and maintain relationships with outside agencies so that instead of just telling someone about their resources they will facilitate a direct connection.
“It boils down to this,” said Pastor Philips, “When I grew up in the tiny town of Marsh Hill, about 30 miles north of here, the family takes care of family, and the community as a whole was considered family. As I became who I am today, that community felt a strong sense of responsibility to make sure I had every chance to succeed. I am afraid that we have lost that connection with one another. When you walk through our door, you are a part of a much larger WCCC family.”
Geographically, the WCCC serves the greater Lycoming County area and is located in the Newberry section of Williamsport at 901 Diamond Street. They strive to offer a single point from which families or individuals in need can come and find either resources or a partner that will walk with them to find those resources.
The WCCC is housed in what had historically been the Newberry United Methodist Church. After the Newberry UMC congregation merged with St. John’s United Methodist Church, the then vacant structure, through the hard work and dedication of a handful of individuals, was transformed. The original outreach of St. John’s Newberry United Methodist Church was a Clothes Closet and Thrift Shop. Amazingly, the WCCC has evolved into what we see now, offering 23 different programs.
There are four cornerstone programs at the WCCC. The first is their S&K Café, which serves a restaurant quality lunch four days a week. They average 130 meals per day and now that summer has arrived, they will be serving an additional 35 children each day. These meals are available four days a week from 11:00am-12:30pm at no cost.
The next program, and largest by far, is Feeding Our Children United Serving Each with Dignity or FOCUSED. They provide school-aged children with a breakfast item, canned lunch entree, snacks, a treat, and a beverage to take home each Friday. Through this one program, they are providing over 1,200 children each week with food to help them get through the weekend. “From the program director to those that keep the area clean, all FOCUSED staff are volunteers,” said Pastor Philips. FOCUSED volunteers order, unload, store, pack, and deliver 1,200 bags weekly, totaling nearly 42,000 bags during the school year and approximately 500 during the summer for the various schools in the Williamsport School District.
The third main program is Clothes Closet & Thrift Shop. WCCC staff accept donated items and screen them to ensure that they are “gently used.” Often, they will find that the original price tags are still on them. They are then offered for sale at prices that average less than a dollar on clothing and household items that are priced well below yard sale prices. Often, the WCCC sees families that have lost everything through tragic circumstances or are just reentering the community and need the basics of life. They offer free books for the children and occasionally some toys and baby furniture. They do not accept any household furniture due to storage space issues. If a person is unable to afford even these low prices, the WCCC offers coupons that they can use in the store for some purchases, covering any cost they might have.
Last but not least is the Shoe Express, which runs the first and third Saturday of each month from 10:00 am to noon. This program serves children from infants to 17 years old who are sized and given brand-new socks and new shoes. Younger children get four pairs a year while the older children get two pairs a year. All of the shoes are purchased as new and made available for each child.
“Many feel a call to serve,” said Pastor Philips, “so if someone would like to volunteer, I can assure you that there is a place here where you can employ your gifts. I must make the fact known that the WCCC is not a church. We do not hold weekly worship services here, and we develop programs and not ministries. There are absolutely no qualifiers to receive help.” The WCCC serves a diverse community comprised of a wide range of individuals who represent a myriad of cultures. They have removed any qualifiers for their programs and base their services upon need alone. Their programming is available to all who may need assistance without restriction.
*If you have a nonprofit organization that you would like to have highlighted in my column, please reach out to me at dave.bellomo@gmail.com for consideration.
