Cranberry Twp. man launches charity
John Owens has taken the quote “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness” to heart.
Rather than shake his head over reports of need in Butler County, the Cranberry Township resident has launched Plus 1 Ministries, a charity that hosts free meals and clothing giveaways for the less-fortunate in Butler.
His group stages a meal and a clothing distribution on the third Sunday of each month in Rotary Park at the intersection of West Cunningham and South Chestnut streets.
Plus 1 has already had four free meal events, and Owens is already planning for the next one April 15.
Owens, who is a member of Victory Family Church, 21150 Route 19, Cranberry Township, said, “I felt ready to start this ministry I felt led to by God. I get tired of watching bad news, and no one is doing anything about it.
“I feel God's calling me to be an agent of change especially in that area right there,” he said, referring to the Island neighborhood of the city.
Borrowing tables and chairs from Fishbone Ministry and bringing donated clothes to the park, Plus 1 volunteers feed and clothe those that need it.
Owens said, “We bring a hot meal and we bring donated coats, clothes, shoes and donated food items.”
“At our last event we did 30 Easter dinners in a box. It has a ham, veggies, mashed potatoes and a dessert in the box,” he said.
“For the people that are down there, all they need is some way to heat it up and water. A lot of families don't have milk in the fridge, they don't have a butter in the fridge,” he said.
Owens' wife, Kara, who works as an administrative assistant at Victory Family Church, said, “This is just something we are doing ourselves. They (the church) didn't tell us to do it, but they are behind us.”
“The congregation does see our asks on Facebook, and a lot of the donors are church members or their co-workers,” said Kara Owens.Owens said he works with the Center for Community Resources and Fishbone Ministries.He said the Center for Community Resources has put Plus 1 on its monthly meal list it gives to people in need.Which is good, because in the beginning, it was hard to get the word out, he said. Many of those who could benefit don't have social media accounts or cell phones.“Before the first event, I went up there three or four days prior and hung flyers from telephone poles,” Owens said.“The meals are outside because these people are outside. I feel really called to go where the people are. If you are in church, they would they be there? Clearly they are not. We go out to where they are,” he said.In the beginning, Owens and his volunteers were feeding 50 to 70 people. The March 18 meal drew 150, he said.Owens said people donate food, money and clothing. Meals are prepared in homes and brought to the park.Last time, Owens said he had to cook 24 pounds of dry pasta.Whoever shows up can eat and take home clothing and nonperishable food items for the future.For April 15, said Owens, “I am expecting a larger crowd By talking to other ministries in the area, I feel called to bring food for 200 people.”Owens said, “We feel called to really go down there and be an agent for good. We are not trying to get anyone to go to church.”“The word is kind of out there already. We've had people in the park waiting for us,” Owens said.Information about how to donate or volunteer with Plus 1 can be found on its Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Plus1Ministries or by calling 724-584-0777.
