Prince of Peace Center

Who are we?

Prince of Peace Center is home-away-from-home to a dedicated group of employees, community service workers, and volunteers aged 8 to 88. Our Board of Directors is comprised of men and women from a variety of businesses, churches, and other organizations throughout the Shenango Valley. We strive to work together, pooling our talents and passions, to form a community that is motivated to learn, with help from the Center, how to help itself.

As affiliate of the Erie Diocese Catholic Charities and United Way of Mercer County, we continue to seek your support to aid our neighbors as they make progress on the path to restoring their lives. The Center would not be as helpful and useful as it is without the dedication of our volunteers and the generosity of all who choose to donate to us.

What do we do?

Our purpose is to provide support and services for the economic, emotional, and spiritual needs of those in our community who require a helping hand when taking that first step toward self-sufficiency. We affirm the dignity of those we serve by responding with compassion to their basic human needs through programs that promote and encourage advocacy, education, and empowerment.

Prince of Peace offers a variety of services for the purpose of helping individuals to strengthen their connections to self, family, and community. We provide family supportive services, which include HOPE Advocacy and Project RUTH. We also offer an Emergency Assistance program, and PA WORKWEAR provides career attire assistance. In addition to these services we host a twice-weekly soup kitchen for the community, and monthly food distributions. Our Mission Thrift Store is stocked with clothing, furniture, and other items, which we provide to our community at a low cost. In line with our mission, the store does not turn away those who are in need, and supplies items at no cost to people in need.

Our services and staff members are committed to strengthening families, building community, and reducing poverty among people of all ages, faiths, races, and backgrounds. To learn about all of the programs we offer in more detail, choose the Services tab from the menu above.

Our History

Prince of Peace Center was founded in 1983 by Sister Benita Repasky. In 1993, Sister Clare Marie Beichner, SSJ, was named as the Center's second executive director, a post she held for the next twelve years. Upon her return to the order of the Sisters of St. Joseph to assume a formation position, former Development and Volunteer Director Joe Flecher was selected to follow in her footsteps, becoming the third director of the Center on June 1, 2005. For more than 27 years, the Center has both provided service and support for, and received services and support from, the community of which it is a part.

Prince of Peace Staff

General Inquiries

popc@princeofpeacecenter.org

Lisa Huffman
Project RUTH

Life Skill Educator
724-301-7084 Cell
lisa.huffman@princeofpeacecenter.org

 

 

Jennifer Flaherty
HOPE Advocacy

Case Manager
723-301-7085 Cell
 jenn.flaherty@princeofpeacecenter.org

 

Prince of Peace Board Members

Thomas Demas - President
Retired – National City Bank

Tom Roberts - Vice President
General Manager, Cottage Gardens, Inc.
 
 Maryann Weiner- Secretary
Retired Nurse, Active in Community

Richard Vetica - Treasurer
State Farm Insurance

Membership

Gayle Anderson
Universal Development

M. Brian Biggins
Human Resources, J.M.C. Steel Group
          
Debra Bowe
Retired - PA Board of Probation and Parole
     
Stella Butler
Retired, Delphi Packard

Lisa Demas Dach
Jones Apparel Group
        
John Gallagher
Physician, Primary Health Network
     
Elaine Kavanagh
Cottage Gardens, Inc.

Mary Jo Lackey
J.M.C. Steel Group

Camille MacHarg
Phillips Steel
 
Mary Maxwell
Diocese of Erie
     
Susan Piccirilli
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
 
Margaret Orchard
Stey-Nevant Public Library

Joni Murray
UPMC  Horizon

Cathy Schatzel
Sharon Regional Health System

Charlotte Stewart
Retired, Dept. of Public Welfare

Adrianne Ward
Retired Active in Community

Carolyn D'Amore
Evans, Garvey, Lackey & Ochs

Fr. Glenn Whitman
Pastor, St. Joseph R.C. Church