The Salvation Army Mon Valley Worship and Service Center Relocates to Donora with New Name
MON VALLEY, PA (JANUARY 17, 2022) – The Salvation Army Monessen Worship and Service Center has relocated to Donora and changed its name to The Salvation Army Mon Valley Worship and Service Center to better reflect the range of communities it has always served.
The new location, housed in a former church, remains under the leadership of Captains Joel and Susan Thwaite, offering comprehensive social services, youth and senior programming, weekly Sunday worship, women's and men’s ministry programs, and more. The Salvation Army Mon Valley Worship and Service Center is now located at 800 Thompson Ave., Donora, PA 15033.
Captain Thwaite remains dedicated to serving the Monessen community and is looking forward to serving neighbors in need at the newly opened location in Donora, along with serving surrounding communities in the Mon Valley.
Until further notice, the Westmoreland County Food Pantry will continue to be held at 308 Schoonmaker Avenue in Monessen on the second Tuesday of each month. This also applies to the Tuesday Bread & Sweet Grab-and-Go program.
“We are dedicated to providing a continuity of care to those we served – and continue to serve – from the Monessen community as we continue to provide transportation for several of our families and clients receiving comprehensive social services,” Captain Thwaite said. “Our volunteer base and soldiers’ contributions will also remain, as we currently have volunteers from both the Monessen and Donora communities. Our location has changed, but our service area and mission remain the same.”
The distance to the new building from the previous location is about five minutes and the bus line is in front of the new building in Donora, ensuring easy accessibility to all.
The new building allows The Salvation Army to better serve the Mon Valley in many different capacities. The building itself – a former church – allows The Salvation Army to naturally provide seamless services despite a major move. The basement has a commercial kitchen, which will be used to prepare food for a mobile feeding truck and will allow The Salvation Army to offer on-site feeding for parishioners and in-house programming. Another space will be used as a hall for gatherings. It also has a stage that can be used as a secondary area for performances, preaching and movie nights. The building is also more easily accessible to people of all physical abilities.
“Our mobile feeding program will serve both the Donora and Monessen communities. In addition, we have a pumpkin patch community garden in Monessen, and we plan to continue to maintain that for the community until someone is found to take over that project,” Captain Thwaite said. “We know this move will better allow us to serve the Mon Valley and we look forward to doing the most good for even more people in our new location.”
Celebrating over 150 years of global service as both a church and a social service organization, The Salvation Army began in London, England in 1865. Today, it provides critical services in 132 countries worldwide. The 28-county Western Pennsylvania Division serves thousands of needy families through a wide variety of support services. To learn more about The Salvation Army in Western Pennsylvania, log on to www.wpa.salvationarmy.org. The Salvation Army … doing the most good for the most people in the most need.
Contact:
Stephanie Godward, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
The Salvation Army Western Pennsylvania Division
Email | Office: (412) 446-1642 | Cell: (412) 463-2942