East End Cooperative Ministry

East End Cooperative Ministry changes the lives of people facing the impacts of poverty.

East End Cooperative Ministry has been in operation since 1970, offering resources and support to those in need. Today, we offer support through three essential programs: Community Food Services (CFS), Housing and Employment Services (HES), and Children and Youth Services (CYS).

EECM has seen an increase in demand for several of our services as a result of the rising cost of living. Through our headquarters in East Liberty, we offer free groceries in our food pantry and free meals to the community and our shelter clients. We provide shelter to those experiencing homelessness and recovering from addiction. We offer case management services to help them transition into stable housing and employment. We also provide K-12 students with prevention education, advocacy, and exposure to arts and culture in our in-school and out-of-school-time programming.

Over the course of a year, we serve over 12,000 people. We serve over 3,500 families and 8,300 individuals in our food pantry; serve over 80,000 meals to people who are hungry; provide a safe night of rest in our shelter program over 14,000 times; and serve over 2,000 K-12 students in the Pittsburgh Public Schools system and beyond

Testimonials

Imad came to live in Pittsburgh in the 1990s from Syria after his father immigrated here and started work in the steel mills. He pursued a career in medicine until his father became ill and he could no longer afford to put himself through school. The ups and downs in Imad's life took him from med school to cleaning jobs around the city to anti-terrorism translation work for the US government after 9/11.

Now after decades in PIttsburgh, Imad is a proud US citizen. He is grateful to "the best city in the world" that helped him through thick and thin, and the food pantry that kept him afloat in times of need.

"There are no words. The love that you get before getting food helps so much."