Shepherd Wellness Community

Helping people living with HIV/AIDS improve their wellness

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Home » Overview of Programs » Wellness Dinners for People Living with HIV/AIDS

Wellness Dinners for People Living with HIV/AIDS

Pandemic Updates

SWC will resume in-person dining Fridays only beginning April 8th. Full COVID-19 vaccination will be required to attend. Our regular frozen pick-up meal service will end on Thursday, March 24th. Beginning April 5-6, we will have three frozen wellness meals available per certified member each week on Tuesdays & Wednesdays only. Visit our Covid updates page for the latest info.

SWC Dinner Volunteers

Since 1987 the hallmark of Shepherd Wellness Community has been our Wellness Dinners that are open to people living with HIV/AIDS and their loved ones. Our dinners are a gateway enabling persons to connect with care at other service organizations, medical providers and social services.

SWC Wellness Dinners are often the first place a person will come to seek care after a positive HIV diagnosis or when symptoms of AIDS develop. Individuals come from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area and 11 counties of southwestern PA. Rural members, who may not want to have their HIV status disclosed in their local community, often schedule medical care in Pittsburgh at times when they can participate in our Wellness Dinners.

Members who experience loneliness and isolation find a safe and supportive community at our Wellness Dinners, and are able to form a social support network of friends.

At our dinners, SWC staff and volunteers provide members with guidance and direction, information, encouragement and support, as well as referrals for care at other agencies.

Newcomers to our Wellness Dinners are asked to complete a “Member Application Form” and “Certify for Ryan White Eligibility” to become members of SWC. As members, they are eligible to receive personal Peer Counseling Telephone Calls and our SWC newsletter, giving them immediate and personal connection to care, support and community resources.

We partner with more than 250 volunteers every year from community groups, churches, synagogues and businesses to help prepare and serve meals. This hands-on involvement helps educate the community about HIV/AIDS issues and offers a tangible way to be involved in serving those affected. Volunteers receive training in safe food preparation and handling.

Nutritious meals include appetizers, beverages, entrees, side dishes and desserts. We also prepare take-home meals to help our members supplement their nutritional requirements throughout the week.

All of our Wellness dinners are held in our Community Center in Bloomfield.

For information about upcoming Wellness Dinners, click here.

If you would like information about volunteering at one of our Wellness Dinners, click here.

If you would like to sponsor a Friday night meal, please click here for information.

  • There is no meal charge for SWC-certified members, their children under 18, or for the first loved one accompanying a certified member.
  • Additional loved ones accompany a certified member pay a meal charge of only $10. Noncertified HIV+ people pay a meal charge of only $10 (after their first visit).
  • There is no charge for programs at our center for our HIV+ members and their loved ones.

Loved ones may attend most of our programs, however, there is no change to our policy that HIV support groups are open only to HIV+ people. Some programs have adult-only content, and guests attending our outings are welcome on a self-pay basis.

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Shepherd Wellness Community

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Shepherd Wellness Community
Come visit with the Shepherd Wellness Community Staff at our booth at this event! ... See MoreSee Less

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Shepherd Wellness Community

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Shepherd Wellness Community
Hey SWC, how does your garden grow???Our members had a great time Tuesday, May 24th sprucing up around the outside of the building and planting our new herb and vegetable garden beds. We look forward to a bountiful harvest this year for our Wellness Dinners! Special thanks to Social Justice Outreach of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh for their garden grant and continued support of the Shepherd Wellness Community Garden. ... See MoreSee Less

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Shepherd Wellness Community

2 weeks ago

Shepherd Wellness Community
The Staff, Board, Members and Volunteers of Shepherd Wellness Community send out heartfelt condolences and prayers to our beloved long time staff member Phil Herrington on the loss of his beloved husband Matt. We up lift both Matt and Phil in our hearts and prayers.We are deeply saddened to announce that longtime Allies (PATF) staffer Matt Ometz has passed away after an extended illness. Through his role as the Pro-Bono Legal Network Coordinator at Allies, Matt devoted nearly 25 years to ensuring the civil and legal rights of people living with HIV/AIDS. Matt said that losing 42 friends to AIDS and being diagnosed with HIV himself led him to work with people living with HIV and AIDS. “I told a lot of my friends then that I was not going to let their voices be silenced,” he said. “So that’s kind of my motivating factor. I’m trying to keep my promise to my friends to make sure that people with HIV have a voice.”“To say that Matt was an inspiration to everyone at Allies is not hyperbole,” said Allies CEO Sean DeYoung. “Matt battled back from the brink of death more than once during his battle with AIDS, and he survived cancer. He always exuded hope, gratitude and positivity. He treated everyone with kindness and was considerate to the very end.”Matt is survived by his husband, Phil Herrington. ... See MoreSee Less

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Welcome to Shepherd Wellness Community

The Shepherd Wellness Community is the only HIV/AIDS community in western Pennsylvania. Since our founding in 1987  we have witnessed remarkable changes in the treatment of HIV and in the needs of our community.

Our founder, Fr. Lynn Edwards, said that in the 1980s our work focused on helping people die with dignity. In the 1990s, after protease inhibitor drugs became available, our mission was helping HIV-positive people live with dignity. Since 2013, our mission has been helping people living with HIV improve their wellness.

Despite the advances in medical treatment, the need for a supportive community to assist people living with HIV is greater than ever.

We are grateful to everyone through the years who has made the work of Shepherd Wellness Community possible. With your continued help, we will continue to provide a supportive, caring community with meals and wellness programs for people living with HIV.

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