When Chuck arrived at Pennsylvania Adult and Teen Challenge (PAATC) he was a shadow of the man he once was. Standing 6’3” but weighing only 196 pounds, his frail body bore the marks of years of addiction, grief, and abandonment. His skin was covered in sores, his ankles were swollen and his face was a canvas of scabs and mosquito bites.
Chuck had been homeless for years after spiraling into drug abuse after the heartbreaking loss of his first marriage. He slept in the woods or the streets with just a blanket to shield him from the elements.
Scrounging for food on the streets or begging for expired food at convenience stores, Chuck often didn’t eat for days. He became malnourished and broken, his life as empty of hope as his body was of sustenance.
With jail time looming in the background, Chuck decided to go to PAATC in Pittsburgh.
Within those first few days at PAATC, something remarkable happened. For the first time in years, Chuck was able to sit down to a home-cooked meal—a simple yet profound experience that began to restore not just his body but his spirit.
The warmth of the food, the security of having a place to lay his head, and the sense of community among the staff and residents provided Chuck with stability he hadn’t known since he was a child.
He finally felt safe, cared for, and loved by staff. It was the start of what became Chuck’s first steps toward a new life and a renewed foundation in Christ.
Chuck was determined to complete the Long-Term Discipleship program no matter what. For the first time in a long time, he had something he could focus on—something other than survival.
That’s why your support of PAATC is so vital. It costs just $2.66 to provide a warm meal to someone like Chuck, a meal prepared by our nutrition-focused culinary team.
Chuck had been homeless for years, living between the local woods and the streets, spiraling into addiction and struggling just to survive. He was malnourished and broken, both in body and spirit. But the first step in his journey to recovery started at our table, with a home-cooked meal that began to nourish him in ways far beyond the physical.
We are committed to serving men and women who, like Chuck, need not only a meal but a second chance to escape substance abuse. In the coming months, our culinary team is preparing to serve over 42,000 meals—meals filled with warmth, tradition, and hope.
And it all starts with your faithful support.
