South Hills Interfaith Movement

Shim was founded in 1968 by a minister, a rabbi, and a priest who joined together to address the growing need that people in the South Hills were experiencing. Beginning as an information and referral center in South Hills village mall and offering youth programming and Interfaith activities, shim continued to adapt over the years to the ever-changing needs of the community. From connecting people to employment opportunities in the mid-1980s, to helping people who were struggling with homelessness in the early 1990s, shim grew to be the trusted human service agency serving the South Hills. In the early 2000s, thousands of bosnian refugees were resettled in the South Hills after escaping a war-torn country and seeking a new life in america. With the support from the allegheny county department of human services, shim established a family support center and expanded programming to address the needs of refugee and immigrant families. Since then, many other refugees from around the world have been resettled in the South Hills. Today, shim provides food, clothing, financial aid, education, family support, and a host of other services to people in need in pittsburgh's southern suburban neighborhoods. With 27 full-time and 10 part-time staff members, and hundreds of volunteers, shim serves more than 9,000 individuals annually. Shim's accomplishments are often measured by its ability to meet the need in the South Hills community. In the last year: shim provided over 7,000 pounds of food to 7,869 individuals shim's 12 community gardens provided 15,000 pounds of produce to shim pantries. Approximately 3,700 individuals attend pantry distributions each month, 35% of whom are children, 15% of whom are seniors, and 8% of whom are disabled. Shim served approximately 300 individuals with utility assistance, helping to award $55,000. Financial assistance programs aided 121 individuals through $97,000 in emergency grant funding.

Shim accomplishes the goal of building community by bringing together neighbors of all faiths and life experiences through Interfaith programming, community gardens, checkmates, and a very robust volunteer program. As an anchor nonprofit organization in the South Hills, shim continuously adapts and expands to provide crucial programs to neighbors in need. Shim knows that a community's strength comes from the involvement and engagement of its members. Over 300 volunteers donated 15,453 hours in 2023. Some volunteers attend family volunteer events or group volunteer events. By offering these informative experiences to children and individuals unable to commit to weekly volunteer hours, shim shares valuable information to more community members, broadening their knowledge of the suburban poverty in their neighborhoods. Since its founding 55 years ago, shim values the importance of community engagement in the development of its programs. Shim staff work closely with refugee and immigrant families to understand and assess needs, to engage parents in their children's education, and to improve program offerings. Shim's close relationships with local families allows parents to feel comfortable entrusting shim to the care of their children. Shim staff members are an integral part of the organization's success. Shim leadership is committed to hiring culturally diverse staff, especially those from within the immigrant and refugee communities being served. Staff members are trained in mental health first aid, trauma-informed care, mentorship best practices and more to ensure compassionate and informed relationship building with clients. Consistent leadership combined with generous community support powers shim's critical services. Shim is poised to provide consistent meaningful care to neighbors now and into the future.

Shim programming operates at three sites in bethel park, baldwin, and whitehall borough. While serving the greater allegheny county region, shim's programs primarily serve the communities of baldwin-whitehall, bethel park, castle shannon, dormont, greentree, mt. Lebanon, South park, and upper st. clair. Children and families, especially those who are foreign-born, are a particular focus of shim programs. Shim serves more than 300 children across all youth programs. Many children enroll at a young age and stay engaged through their high school graduation. Last year all 10 early childhood program graduates started kindergarten without needing language services. In 2023, for the eleventh consecutive year, 100% of youth mentoring seniors graduated from high school. 15 high school seniors graduated, most of whom are now enrolled in college. Shim's after school program and youth mentoring were recipients of a 2018 apost quality award in 2019 youth mentoring received the excellence in mentoring award from the mentoring partnership of southwestern pa. shim provided 1,700 backpacks with school supplies in 2023.to support kids from birth to graduation shim offers home visits, an early childhood program, after school, youth mentoring, and summer camp. Shim provides essential resources and workshops for families including nurturing parenting classes, group counseling, enriching family activities, and immigrant services and connections (isac). Women and men gain additional support through women's group, family group, men's and dad's group. Additionally, bilingual staff provide walk-in support at shim's family center. Forty-two individuals attended nurturing parenting classes and 17 dads completed the fatherhood program. Shim assisted over 300 clients through walk-in support at shim's family center.