Joe Walsh grew up in Spring City, PA, where The Whitehall Apartments is located, and he knew that the borough would always be home – that he would always find peace in this community.

Joe served in the United States Army from 2011-2012 as a Bradley Fighting Vehicle driver stationed at Camp Hovey in South Korea. As a key member of the Army’s infantry, he operated and performed basic maintenance on the armored vehicle during missions.

Joe candidly said, “I needed money and had nothing else to do” about his decision to enlist. He graduated from high school and tried college, but it was not for him. He chose the Army as his next best option, though it proved to be a challenge.

“It was a hard experience,” Joe said of his time in the Army. “It was physically hard. It was mentally hard. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. It breaks up your body. It was very stressful. I was depressed. I wouldn’t sleep.”

When he returned home from Korea, Joe needed time to heal from the toll his military experience had taken on his mental health. He sought peace through spiritual classes, meditation and professional support back at home in Spring City.

“When I got out of the military, my mom wanted me to stay close by,” said Joe.

Joe worked as a security guard at Vanguard Group in Malvern, PA for six years. When his employment ended and he needed a place to live, he moved in with his mother until she passed away and later stayed with his father before he moved to Florida.

Without options for housing locally, Joe contacted the Coatesville Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VA). For six months, he was in transitional housing with the VA, as permanent housing options were full. The VA assisted Joe in qualifying for a HUD-VASH (Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing) voucher, which enabled him to live at The Whitehall Apartments.

In April 2019, Joe moved into The Whitehall Apartments. “I thought it was nice, I liked it. They have a computer room here. I used to do a lot of research on the computer.”

Joe is an avid reader who spends his time connecting with his neighbors and supporting them. He has built a bond with Resident Services Coordinator Antoinette Martin and seeks out opportunities to assist her in her day-to-day and with programs to support the residents. He also takes advantage of the food pantry at the housing community regularly, and he enjoys events and trips sponsored by the Resident Services program, such as the Fish Rodeo and holiday parties.

“When I first moved here, I was helping so many of the residents,” said Joe. “The activities are nice. It breaks the day up.”

Joe has gained a lot from his relationship with the staff at The Whitehall Apartments and at Coatesville VA. “Everyone is really helpful. Everyone is really nice. They are resourceful. If you need something, they will tell you what you need to do. They will tell you where you need to go. I am very respectful and appreciative of the help I have received from the VA and here.”

When he was asked what home means to him, Joe answered, “just love. When I go to sleep at night, I feel that. I don’t know where I would be if I wasn’t here; I have no idea. I’m happy I came here.”

Caring for Friends, based in Philadelphia, PA and founded in 1974 as Aids for Friends, is a new partner of The Whitehall Apartments, but the impact of the partnership has already been significant.

“It began when the founder, Rita Ungaro-Schiavone, started to prepare meals for one of her neighbors who was lonely and didn't have a lot of meals,” said Neci Devore, Homebound Meals Coordinator at Caring for Friends. “[Rita] started expanding the program because she felt that there was a need. So, she reached out to a lot of the churches and organizations, and it kind of became a movement of churches preparing meals,” said Neci.

Caring for Friends holds dear to the belief that no one should be hungry or alone in a world of caring people. The commitment to serve that many takes a lot of heart and dedication and through that the reach of the organization has grown. Rosemarie McElwee, Executive Director at Caring for Friends, shared that Neci’s homebound meals program now serves nearly 1,100 people.

Neci referenced the mental and emotional scale of the toll that hunger has on people. “I think we find that seniors, when they're by themselves or they're alone and they're not getting a lot of meals feel lonely,” said Neci. “Having someone come every two weeks really means a lot to a lot of them.”

The partnership with The Whitehall Apartments began when Resident Services Coordinator Antoinette Martin was looking for more opportunities to offer the veteran residents, apart from its Food Pantry. She reached out to another church who referred her to Caring for Friends.

“It's the same whether it's a veteran or a senior; they need help,” said Neci. “Some of them can't stand long enough to prepare meals. They need some support, and they need people that can spend a little time with them.”

From there, Antoinette and Neci worked on finding a church that could help accommodate the delivery of the meals. The final piece of the puzzle was adding St. Norbert Parish in Paoli, PA.

“For over twenty years we have been involved with Caring for Friends,” said Marsha Mendez, a volunteer at St. Norbert Parish.

The team prepares the bags at St. Norbert’s Parish, which usually takes an hour to an hour and a half to complete. The drivers, Marsha included, travel 12 miles to The Whitehall Apartments and hand the bags to Antoinette, who then brings them to the residents. The delivery is every other Tuesday. That date is very intentional because, “if we don’t, then (on day 15) Wednesday they don’t have food, that’s why the delivery date stays the same,” said Marsha.

“The meals are convenient; they fill me up and are as close to home cooking you can get,” said Ken Heatwole, a resident of The Whitehall Apartments.

The dedication to making sure the meals never run out is very touching and shows how much Caring for Friends and St. Norbert's Parish value the people who are receiving the meals. So are the extra special snack bags that they add in with the meals, which include different snack and breakfast items.  

The partnership has been going strong for several months, and the number of residents being assisted at The Whitehall Apartments has increased. “When we started the program on July 7th, we started with 4 individuals at The Whitehall Apartments and now we are up to 10,” said Marsha.

That increase paints a picture of the hard work that is being done with Caring for Friends and St. Norbert Parish. This work takes a special group of people to accomplish and the volunteers at St. Norbert Parish are the right ones for the job!

“I've had quite a few more residents sign up for the bags, so much so that I may need to start making two trips when the deliveries come,” said Antoinette. “It makes me happy knowing they are getting home-cooked, thought-out meals. I think this is a great opportunity for our residents and I'm grateful for all the workers and volunteers to make this happen for them.”

"The meals are great. I don't have to cook or clean. The food is good, and the variety of food is great,” said Rickie Watson, a resident of The Whitehall Apartments.

When asked about working with Antoinette at The Whitehall Apartments, Marsha said “‘Antoinette is very nice to work with and she’s been a pleasure to coordinate with.” Neci also said, “She's great. She keeps us informed. We try to keep her informed when we find out new things. Between her, Marsha and I, we have a three-person chain of emails.”

“Caring for Friends has been a wonderful opportunity for our residents,” said Antoinette. “You can tell the volunteers put a lot of thought and effort into the meals since they all seem to be homemade. I know a handful of our residents don't know how to cook or have a hard time cooking due to health issues, so programs like Caring for Friends are imperative to them.”

Thank you to Caring for Friends and St. Nobert’s Parish for the love, care and thoughtfulness that you provide to our residents at The Whitehall Apartments. You show that there is no gesture too small to make a difference in the lives of others. We are truly thankful and appreciate both of your partnerships, and we look forward to many great things ahead!

On September 2nd, The Whitehall Apartments celebrated Labor Day with an Ice Cream Social. True U Crew, a non-profit dedicated to helping those in need, came to help serve our residents as they made sundaes with many different toppings to choose from and floats with orange soda or root beer. One resident’s birthday was the day before, so his neighbor placed a candle in his ice cream for everyone to sing “Happy Birthday”. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday! 

On September 9th, the Resident Services team hosted an NFL Kick-off party for residents to celebrate the start of the football season. Residents enjoyed lunch, participated in raffles and watched highlights from last season. Raffle baskets were full of snacks and drinks for residents to enjoy while watching football this season. Items were donated by Provive Wellness, long-time community partner Lou Beccaria, Phoenixville Federal Bank and Trust, ComFor Care and Owen J Roberts Elementary School’s Lion Cubs. 

Donations from community members and partners like you help us provide essential services so that veterans and their family members living at The Whitehall Apartments have the resources they need to live full, healthy and independent lives. You can help provide essential services, like health education and screening programs, an onsite food pantry, therapeutic supports, transportation, recreational programs and community events. Your support means so much!

If you would like to make an in-kind donation or support our residents by providing services, please contact Antoinette Martin at amartin@columbuspm.org.

Did you know The Whitehall Apartments has an onsite food pantry, with a refrigerator and freezer? Your donations help us keep the pantry stocked with foods our residents enjoy. We are always looking for the following items for the pantry:

• Fruits and vegetables: Fresh, frozen, dried or canned (in water or juice rather than syrup) Note: items with pull-tab cans are preferred when possible.
• Whole grains: bread, low sugar cereals, rice (brown or white), grains such as quinoa, oats, barley, pastas (including gluten-free) crackers, granola bars and popcorn.
• Proteins: refrigerated, frozen, canned or vacuum packaged meats, such as beef, chicken, tuna, salmon or sardines.
• Vegetarian and vegan-friendly protein: refrigerated, frozen, canned or dried beans; nuts and seeds, as well as nut butters such as peanut, almond and sunflower.
• Ready-to-eat meals: Refrigerated, frozen, canned items such as meal trays, soups, stews or pastas. Note: items with pull-tab can are preferred when possible.
• Beverages: milk, water, fruit juice, vegetable juice, tea and coffee.

100% percent of your food donations will help to feed your neighbors and community members! Consider the positive impact a pantry donation to The Whitehall Apartments could have!

Items can be purchased directly from our Whitehall Apartments Wish List by clicking the button above, or you can contact Antoinette Martin at amartin@columbuspm.org to arrange for delivery or pick up. Thank you for your consideration.

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