Newsletter

October 2025 Edition

Struggle is a part of life. However, all struggles are not equal. At Macedonia FACE we know that every little bit helps and benefits such as SNAP go a long way in helping ease the strain on household budgets. The current federal shut down and the subsequent announcement of disruption of SNAP benefits will impact over 50,000 children. Allegheny County residents received $31 million in monthly SNAP benefits to purchase food items at local grocers.

While FACE cannot fill the void caused by the SNAP disruption, we can provide some aid. We are actively working to support families with supplemental support through grocery store gift cards and nonperishable food boxes. As a grantee and provider, United Way depends on organizations such as ours to be responsive within our communities. To that end, we will do our best to do our part. 

As we prepare for what’s next, Just Harvest will continue to document the harm this disruption has on people. If you have people who are impacted by SNAP who would like to share their story or just have questions about SNAP, you can send them to the Just Harvest SNAP Helpline at (412) 431-8960, option 3. There is also a survey on their website www.justharvest.org.

You may also refer people to contact 2-1-1 for additional aid in addressing household food needs.

Recognition of Retirement

Tinisha Hunt with Liz Hyatt

In September, FACE had the joy of celebrating the retirement of long time employee Liz Hyatt. For the past 12 years Liz has supported critical programming in our adult case management unit serving people living with HIV and most recently at the senior center. Her creativity, kindness and spark at the Active for Life Senior Center have contributed to the family atmosphere. A heartfelt luncheon brought together participants, staff (past and present!), and collaborators to honor her amazing contributions. 


But we didn’t get to miss her too long, because she promised to be back- as a participant. She lived up to her word. We are grateful for her continued presence and as a part of the FACE family!


Our Active for Life Senior Center operates Monday through Friday from 8am- 2pm. For more information on how to get involved, please contact Rachael Webster at rwebster@macedoniaface.org.

Happy Transitions

Rachel Webb

Macedonia FACE is grateful to be an investor in people and a place where our staff can grow. Recently, our FACT Supervisor, Rachel Webb made a leap into the next phase of her career. Rachel says that she “grew up” at FACE, learning what it means to serve community. Known for her gift of building team spirit and her dedication to quality programming, Rachel now steps into an exciting new role at a private practice with a freshly earned master’s degree and licensure in hand. 


Being intentional about succession planning, Macedonia FACE was able to promote from within, naming Deja Hardaway as the FACT Supervisor. Deja worked closely with Rachel ensuring fidelity to the conference and teaming model and supporting families throughout Allegheny County. As a leader among her peers, Deja holds a certification for the DHS FAST 2.0 and is experienced in training and mentoring staff. We are grateful to have Deja leading our team and carrying out our mission. 

Deja Hardaway

Blooming Health Survey

Blooming Health is an AI-Powered Outreach tool which allows organizations to send voice calls, texts and emails to program participants based on their preferred frequency and mode of communication. Blooming Health works with Area Agencies on Aging across the country to assist them in reaching and engaging seniors. 
https://gobloominghealth.com/area-agencies-on-aging-2


Macedonia FACE’s Active for Life Senior Center is utilizing this new technology to survey area seniors in an effort to tailor and focus the services and support we deliver. Using the social determinants of health model, seniors are asked about their status across important life factors such as housing, health, safety, finance, emotional wellbeing, and social supports. While some seniors may participate in one of Face’s services, such as the Senior Center, they may benefit from other opportunities such as home delivered meals. The results of the surveys will provide the opportunity to better serve each individual senior and assist us in making connections for the seniors to other community resources. If you or someone you know is interested in taking the survey, please contact Justin LeWinter at jlewinter@macedoniaface.org or call 412-281-2573.

Volunteers from Bausch and Lomb Donate Time and Goods for FACE’s Meals on Wheels Consumers.

FACE was pleased to have the opportunity to host employees from Bausch and Lomb who volunteered to support the home delivered Meals on Wheels program for seniors. The Bausch and Lomb team brought supplies and packed bags to gift the seniors in the program. The volunteers added notes of encouragement and care to the bags they prepared. This is how we deliver hope!


FACE is always eager to join with companies and individuals with a heart to be of service to the community. If you belong to a company that encourages volunteer service, FACE and the communities we serve could benefit from your time and talent. Please contact us for more information at 412-281-2573 or info@macedoniaface.org.

Family Success

Amanda and her family were referred to FACE through the Allegheny County Department of Human Services. She and her children were struggling with economic hardship stemming from the loss of her income during the COVID-19 pandemic. Amanda had fallen behind on rent payments and the family was in danger of eviction. While Amanda had been trying to increase her employment income, she did not have reliable childcare. She was also concerned about meeting the educational needs of her 6-year-old child who was diagnosed with autism. FACE was able to help Amanda secure stable childcare, enabling her to increase her employment income. Combining her savings, with financial support from FACE left a gap in what was needed to resolve the back rent. FACE was able to connect Amanda to our community partner at Footbridge for Families where she received support to complete the back payments. In addition to assisting the family in resolving the crisis of potential eviction through stable childcare and rental supports, FACE was able to connect Amanda to educational resources for her child with special needs. Amanda says, “I feel like I can breathe for the first time in months. We are living like a family again.” 

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