EASTON, Pa. — Greater Shiloh Church marked the opening Tuesday of mobile showers intended for those in need.
Thanks to the efforts of the Easton church and its congregation, 508 W. Canal St. will host the mobile showers, with three units combined, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and 3 to 7 p.m. Thursdays.
There are no requirements or registration necessary to use the showers, which are intended for those in need, including homeless people and anyone else who may not have the luxury of a simple shower.
- Greater Shiloh Church opened its three-unit mobile shower system on West Canal Street
- The showers will be open to anyone in need, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and 3-7 p.m. Thursdays, through December
- The church is asking the community for volunteers to work on Tuesdays in order to assist in their community outreach efforts
According to Pastor Jason Vanderburg, the idea for the showers came from a conversation between Pastor Phil Davis with a guest at a shelter run by the church, in which that individual noted they had not had a shower in a month.
Word got around, and a senior pastor took up the idea and asked the church, “What can we do?”
“A lot of people are down on their luck and they're looking for jobs, or they want to go back to school or something, so they want to take a shower, so they can get washed, get presentable, feel good about themselves. So, hopefully this will help them and get them to that next level, whether it be employment, whether it be a place to live, school, whatever they need to do. Hopefully, this is a start for them.”Incoming Easton City Councilmember Frank Pintabone
“And so from there was the birth of the idea to have mobile showers,” Vanderburg said. “So we're going to be operating two days a week, Tuesdays from 10 to 2, and Thursdays from 3 to 7, because we realized that many of our guests do work.
"And so it'll be an opportunity for our homeless community, for our transient [community]. You know, it's not just individuals who are housing-deprived, it can be anybody who is in need. That's why the showers exist. So we're just super-excited.”
A partnership
Guests at the showers are also offered new items including undergarments, socks, deodorant, lotions and other items for free, Vanderburg said, applauding the efforts of the congregation and Northampton County for financial donations to the program.
Thanks to a partnership with Safe Harbor Easton, the church will hopefully be able to offer services throughout the year, organizers said.
“Well, the thing about Safe Harbor, and our partnership, is that this is a five-month lease that we have for the showers, and at the end of five months, we'll be in December,” Vanderburg said. “In December, when we go to the winter months, we run the emergency shelter, Safe Harbor runs a winter warming center, and their showers that they have on site are made available. So we're literally going to have the showers, we're going to roll right into Safe Harbor season. And then we'll come back around with spring. The idea is to have year-round showers for individuals.”
Easton Planning Commission member Frank Pintabone, who is running for city council, attended Tuesday's unveiling and pitched in with the church’s efforts.
“A lot of people are down on their luck and they're looking for jobs, or they want to go back to school or something, so they want to take a shower, so they can get washed, get presentable, feel good about themselves,” said Pintabone, who lives on South Side. “So, hopefully this will help them and get them to that next level, whether it be employment, whether it be a place to live, school, whatever they need to do. Hopefully, this is a start for them.”
'They're good people'
Rory Schlamb, who recently lost his home, came out to Canal Street on Tuesday morning when he got a tip from his mother about the showers.
“I thought it was actually pretty cool that people would actually take the time to actually do this for people, especially when people have bad luck," Schlamb said. "I mean, sometimes people just have a run of bad luck. So it's nice that people are actually looking out for each other.”
Tom Sadowski said he has not had access to showers or anything of the sort on a routine basis for some time now, and was greatly appreciative of the church’s efforts.
“Shiloh is the best church around, man. They're good people. They help anybody out,” Sadowski said.
Deacon Robert Beldo said the effort took an “all hands on deck” approach, but thanks to the work done by the pastor and the congregants, he is happy to see the program take off.
“We need volunteers on Tuesdays mostly because Tuesdays is the daytime that's 10 to two, and people work, so we have to rely on seniors and retirees,” Beldo said. “But Tuesdays are going to be a challenge. Thursdays, we’re almost filled up ‘til December, with people who are going to serve every Thursday. Tuesdays we need people to come out and help us serve.”
Sharynn Porter, a member of the church and volunteer at the shower site, said she was thrilled with the community outreach and the response from those who came to use the facilities, noting how much of a difference such a small thing can make in someone’s life.
“When he came out of there, the second person that went in there, he said ‘It felt great.’ If nothing else goes right with his day today, he still felt great because he was able to take a shower. There’s nothing better than that, that took care of his day,” Porter said.
Vanderburg said seeing the mission come to life was an inspiring experience.
"You know, it is it is always very humbling. And it never gets old to see the way that people really do care," he said. "I think in the world that we live in, it can seem like the world is full of folks who couldn't care less about others. So it's always humbling. It's always warm."
He said members of the church will "embrace who they are in Christ, and continue to walk out who Christ says they are."
“So we're going to keep on walking until we can't walk anymore, and that means more events, more opportunities, more ministry, more outreach, more helping people,” Vanderburg said.
