PICA has four program areas.
The daily Food Pantry is open from 9:45am-11:15am, Monday-Friday, and is open to anyone in need in Providence.It serves approximately 10,000 people/year.
The Friday evening Community Meal feeds 11,000-12,000 people a year, most of whom are homeless or residents of subsidized housing. Both of these programs are located at 134 Mathewson Street in Providence.
The Resident Advocate provides supportive services, crisis intervention and homeless prevention to the most fragile, multi-issued residents of Dexter Manor, a 10 story public housing unit in downtown.
The Homeless Outreach Counselor invites the homeless in for services including help with housing, legal issues, sobriety programs, and advocacy at court. He also distributes basic needs items such as clothing, toiletries, small household items and food. This program is located at the First Universalist Church, 250 Washington Street, Providence.
We are always looking for new members.
Give us a call anytime, or just stop by.
Our doors are always open.
Call 401.454.7422 for details.
Providence Intown Churches Association
PO Box 5639
Providence, RI, 02903
mailto:diana225@verizon.net
"Planting Seeds of Hope"
Wed. May 13, 2009
Benefit Dinner and Silent Auction
Ivy Garden Restaurant, 272 Cowesst Rd, W. Warwick 6pm - Silent Auction preview and Appetizers 7pm - Dinner
Cost: $45/person or a table for $450.
The Providence Intown Churches Association, PICA, is a faith-based non-profit agency whose mission is to offer stability, justice and hope to people in need through advocacy and direct services.
PICA was formed in 1975 by the nine inner city churches to address the needs of the poor. PICA became a 501c3 non-profit in 1986.The Food Pantry has been active since 1975. The Meal site was added in the 80's, and the Resident Advocate in the 90's. Due to the increasing numbers of homeless in the downtown area, the Homeless Outreach program was added to serve those who need a holistic approach instead of an institutional one. PICA staff meets people where they are and we never give up.
From the Directors Desk…
It is such a pleasure to be able to share with you news of our programs and some of our stories. We are, in the words of one of our clients, “the awesome underground”, and our staff has been extremely busy. PICA’s ministries are many times associated with their location rather than our agency, so we suffer from a bit of identity crises! We are located in the heart of downtown Providence and server about 25000 people per year. Nestled among the luxury lofts and high end hotels is an invisible population of the poor, elderly, physically and mentally disabled, and substance abusers living in the eight units of subsidized housing and also the burgeoning homeless population.
Our four main program areas serve as a safety net for the poor and homeless of Providence. We charge no fee for our services and turn no one away. We offer hope to people who have none, and, by caring for people, help them care about themselves. We reject the “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” theory, knowing that without a support system, most people cannot thrive.
We are blessed to have such dedicated staff and volunteers. What we do is life changing, and with government cut-backs, most of which target the poor, the need for our programs will not diminish.
Peace, Diana
