Thanksgiving Resources Masterpost - UPDATED 11/4

As we officially enter the government shutdown and many families are faced with the loss of SNAP benefits for the foreseeable future, many people in our communities are stepping up to make sure no one goes hungry, especially as we rapidly approach the holiday season. To make it easier for those in need of assistance, I've compiled a list of any organizations offering assistance for Thanksgiving in particular, such as food drives, giveaways, etc. 

Businesses/organizations are listed alphabetically by county, with links to more information when available. Screenshots of social-media posts will also be posted (click the "x" next to a listing) as available to ensure this information reaches as many people as possible, including those who may not have social-media accounts.

 A separate post listing resources available on a more regular basis can be found here. Both posts will be updated regularly as long as needed.

Beaver County

Fayette County

• Connellsville Eagles Hall (x) - free community Thanksgiving dinner, open to all, no income requirements, Saturday, Nov. 15, 12-3 p.m.

Washington County 

• Kilkeary's Auto Body - Thanksgiving food drive ongoing now to support Community Circle Food Pantry 
• Wiencek's Dairy Bar (x) - free Thanksgiving dinner, open to any who wish to attend, Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2-6 p.m. 

Food and Assistance Masterpost - UPDATED 11/9

As the government shutdown continues, many in our communities are about to lose their SNAP benefits and are left wondering how to keep their families fed, with no sign of relief to come anytime soon. Fortunately, many of our local business owners are stepping up and offering free meals, hosting food drives, and more to ensure no one goes hungry, especially as we inch closer and closer to the holiday season. 

To help people find out and keep track of where they can get help, I've compiled the list below, including businesses in surrounding counties, organized by county and listed alphabetically, with a brief overview of what is being offered. Business names will link back to their original posts, if applicable, but because not everyone has social media, the small "x" next to each one will also link to screenshots of the posts so all the necessary information can be accessed quickly and easily here, no social-media logins required. All offers begin Saturday, Nov. 1, unless otherwise noted.

This list will be updated as additional information becomes available. If you know of any business or resources not included, please reach out and I will add them as soon as I can. I will be making a separate post for food drives, dinners, etc. specific to Thanksgiving.

Past events, such as food drives, will be represented by a strikethrough, as opposed to deleting them entirely. 

In the interest of protecting privacy, I will not be sharing food drives, pantries, etc. being held by individuals out of their homes. 

You can also find a list of local food pantries here, as well as a list of resources from PA Career Link here. Washington County Commissioner Larry Maggi has also compiled this list.

Take care of each other.

Allegheny County

• Catholic Community of Bloomfield Food Pantry - distribution occurs the third Saturday of each month from 7-10 a.m. for residents in the 15224 zip code
• East End Cooperative Ministry (EECM) - food pantry open Monday through Friday, 8:30-10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m, also serving free hot lunch in their dining Monday through Friday, noon-1 p.m.
• St. Mary Magdalene Parish Food Pantry - open every second and fourth Wednesday, 9-11 a.m., offers delivery for residents in Pittsburgh's East End 
• Madeleine Bakery and Bistro (x) - free loaf of sourdough bread, with documentation of benefits 
• Mount Ararat Commnity Activity Center Food Bank - operates every second Saturday, 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. 
• South Hills Interfaith Ministry (x) - food pantry distribution, click here for the full list of dates and locations
• Squirrel Hill Food Pantry - open weekdays, click here for operating hours 
• Three Rivers Film Festival - free film screenings with EBT/SNAP card 

Beaver County 

• Annie Lee's Southern Kitchen - collecting donations of money and non-perishable items

Fayette County

•  Coffee at Crawford (x, x) - collecting donations of money and non-perishable food items, each donation allows you to nominate someone to win a $40 Thanksgiving meal from Aldi
• DiMarco's (x) - free chicken and biscuit dinner, available for pickup once a week with EBT card and ID
• Fat Angelo's Cardale Location (x) - one free large cheese pizza,  available for pickup once a week with EBT card. 10% off additional orders throughout the week.
• Fat Angelo's Lemont Furnace location (x) - one free large pizza, available for pickup once a week with EBT card and additional info. You can donate to this initiative by rounding up when you place an order.
• O.A.K. Pizza (x) - free pizza for the youth and elderly daily from 4-6 p.m., beginning Friday, Nov. 7. You can also donate to support this initiative. 

 Washington County

• Burgettstown Food Drive - through Nov. 7. Dropoff at Kramer’s Greenhouse. Also includes pet food.
• Burgettstown Senior Center - food pantry open to any who need it
• City Mission Soup Kitchen - serving free meals daily, click here for operating hours 
• Food Helpers (x) - collecting food donations at Baxter's Arcade, Nate's Chop House, and Toscana
• Greater Washington County Food Bank - locations in Centerville and Southpointe, accepting monetary donations. Full distribution schedule can be found here.
• Nineteen North (x) - free spaghetti dinner, Dec. 11 3-8 p.m.
• PathWays - turkey dinner box giveaway, Thursday, Nov. 20 at 2 p.m.
• Peters Township Public Library (x) - accepting food donations
• Pretzels Plus - food drive ending Friday, Oct. 31. Also accepting donations through Amazon.
• Scenery Hill Community Center (x) - accepting donations of non-perishable food items on Election Day, Nov. 4
• The Scoop Dog Creamery (x) - pet food drive Nov. 1-18 at Cranberry Psychological Center, Desire to Be Well Juicery (Southpointe and Quail Acres locations), Eighty Four Agway, Guten Morgan Kennels, The Washington Winery, and VetPets of SWPA HQ.
• Vintage Secrets Antique Mall - food drive Nov. 14-23
• Washington Christian Outreach - serving lunch on weekdays, click here for operating hours 
• Washington County Democratic Committee (x) - virtual food drive benefiting LeMoyne Community Center 

Westmoreland County  

• Blackburn Center (x) - accepting donations of gift cards 
• Caffe Barista and Cutie's Coffee Company - meal distribution Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2-5 p.m. Donations also accepted.
• Cattfeinated Cat Cafe (x) - food drive though Nov. 26 

Joe Biden billboard

If your argument is that a certain presidential candidate has dementia and is therefore unfit for office and unable to serve, maybe make sure you spell "dementia" right.

This photo of an anti-Biden billboard located along Route 21--and spotted in person by my brother--is currently making the rounds on social media due to its butchering of the word "dementia." 

It reminds one of another infamous billboard misspelling.

#NeverForget

Again, editors and copywriters are important. Or even just, you know, good, old-fashioned spellcheck.

And if you're concerned about Biden's mental status, please keep in mind that he has had a stutter since he was a child and note Trump's frequent stumbles and mispronunciations. Musings from Fayettenam supports Biden for president due to his experience and policies, but no matter who you support, please exercise your right to vote. Visit VotesPA to register to vote, request a mail-in ballot, and find your polling place, as well as to find information on important deadlines like the last day to register to vote or submit your mail-in ballot.

Covid-19 resource masterpost

We may all be practicing social distancing, but that doesn't mean our communities can't support each other through an unprecedented, difficult time that's impacting just about every single one of us.

The novel coronavirus continues to spread across the country, and in an attempt to lessen the impact on health and our healthcare system, schools and businesses are closing temporarily, putting some families in difficult positions where they are unable to work, putting a strain on household finances that may already be struggling, or need help with childcare. Fortunately, businesses all over the area are stepping up to help ease these burdens as much as possible.

Below is an alphabetical list by area of all Fayette County restaurants offering free or discounted meals to children during the school closures. Any new additions will be marked in bold, and links lead to websites or social-media posts with further details.

Brownsville

• Brownsville middle school

Chalkhill

• Maywood Grill

Connellsville

• Keedy's Pizzeria

Farmington

• Bittersweet Cafe

New Salem

• New Salem Mini Mart

Uniontown

• Titlow Tavern & Grille
• UASD schools 

In addition, workers affected by closures may be eligible for benefits and are encouraged to learn more online.

If you have recently been exposed to someone who has tested positive for the virus or are experiencing symptoms--a dry cough, fever, and shortness of breath--do not go to the hospital. Call your doctor or a hospital first and they will advise you on what to do.

News station WPXI is keeping track of all updates related to the coronavirus, including closures and an up-to-date count of cases in the state. Currently, there are no confirmed cases in Fayette County, but neighboring counties Allegheny and Washington have some.

Shooting in Masontown

Four people were shot this afternoon, including the suspected shooter and a police officer, at Judge Dan Shimshock's office in Masontown this afternoon.

The identities of the most victims have not been released, but none suffered life-threatening injuries.

The shooter has been identified as Patrick Shawn Dowdel, who had a hearing scheduled with his wife. Witnesses reported seeing a woman running across the street followed by a man, who began shooting.

Dowdel was charged last month with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, strangulation, simple assault and harassment for allegedly trying to choke his wife with a belt, according to Pittsburgh station WPXI. They also confirmed that a protection from abuse order was filed against him, but police aren't specifying who filed it or why.

The scene is contained, the shooter was killed by police, and no threat remains, but police are asking witnesses or anyone who might have information to call 724-439-7111.

Night on the Town: 'Million Dollar Quartet'

Like I said, I'm living over in Washington now. Typically, if I'm coming into Uniontown to go to the State Theatre, it's for Geibel's annual music, but their shows have been getting more and more impressive. They almost reeled me in with Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal of Rent fame in the spring, and the only reason they didn't is because I already spend tons of money on event tickets and just didn't get that one squeezed in. But they got me for Million Dollar Quartet next weekend!

(I keep making the typo "quarter" instead of "quartet," so if you notice it anywhere...)

I saw this show a few years ago when it came through Pittsburgh and I won tickets through my job, and my brother and I loved it. And I think Fayette County will love it, too. For starters, the whole thing revolves around the classic music of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins, who all famously were together one night and one night only for a recording session. It was probably the most epic jam session in music history, really, and the show is a fictional retelling of what happened that night with a little plot thrown in. It's technically a musical, but not in the big song-and-dance-number way--it's more like watching a very, very good tribute concert, so if you're not a fan of musicals, don't worry! I think you'll enjoy it. It's also short, I believe clocking in at around an hour-and-a-half long without an intermission. It's a great choice for the State Theatre to host, really, and you should go.

Tickets are also quite affordable, with the most expensive being $40 and the cheapest at $25, plus some options in between. And there are still plenty available on sale now through the theater's website.

The show is next Sunday, Sept. 23, at 7. And look, I've been in Fayette County blogging retirement for months and my two posts this week were about this and Nguyen's and no one's paying me to do this, so you know I really want to see a packed theater next Sunday night. Go have fun! I promise it's great!

Fine Dining: Nguyen's (Reborn!)

My family failed me.

See, like many, I was (am) a big fan of Nguyen's, and news of their closing was sad. In fact, I've been in a sort of Fayette County blogging retirement, and my last post was lamenting the loss of such a treat. So imagine my surprise when I found out that not only had Nguyen's reopened and I missed the news, but no one had bothered to tell me, either. I found out the way we all learn of important, life-altering news these days--on Facebook.

One of the reasons for my semi-retirement was the fact that I no longer live in nor regularly visit the Nam. I moved (a whole county over!) a few years ago, and after my husband moved in with me, I spent significantly less time in the area. Yes, we're back often enough visiting both of our families, but we're usually at one of their respective houses and that's about it. On top of that, keeping up with the news was depressing. I do intend to pop back in with news from time to time, but honestly, I forget.

While I'm living in another county, a lot of my stuff isn't. After upgrading from a mediocre one-bedroom apartment to a little house, my mom was like, "Hey, come get your shit out of my basement," except she didn't actually say that, so I ended up spending a day off doing just that. And with Nguyen's on my mind, I said, "Hey, I'd like to go there for dinner," and my parents were cool with that despite having gone days before. Another betrayal. "I want you to see how nice it is inside now," she said, rubbing salt in the wound.

It always was a nice restaurant, but she was right--the decor now is even classier, and I was glad we didn't just order take-out.

Again, everyone but me probably knows this by now, but the restaurant didn't just change the decor. The menu got an upgrade, too. A lot of things were chopped off, our waitress told me, because ingredients would go bad and get wasted faster than the dishes were being ordered, even in some cases where a dish was relatively popular. There's also more traditional Vietnamese food now, like pho, and a lot of favorites remain, particularly sushi. I always loved their cucumber rolls--it's my favorite sushi to get just about anywhere because I love cucumber and am a simple creature--so I couldn't leave without one. Narrowing down a meal was a struggle with so many great-sounding options, even with a smaller menu, but I settled on a mango drink and orange shrimp because I thought a mango drink and mango shrimp would be too much mango, except I know myself well enough to know there's no such thing as too much mango.

It was delicious as always, and I look forward to making my way back sometime for the mango shrimp. I do not, however, look forward to having to choose between it and my other UT food love, Meloni's.