OUR STORY

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    Like many big ideas, ours began by listening to people in our community.  

A local Lutheran church, Lord of Life, felt called into a neighborhood in Depew to feed hungry hearts and people.  This area, bounded by railroad tracks and heavily traveled roads, was once a vibrant community filled with employment opportunities, retail and entertainment - a great place to raise a family.  Times changed, manufacturing moved out, and residents often struggle to find better jobs to care for their families.  Despite the challenges, Depew residents choose to live here because they believe in their community, support the schools and work together for everyone's sake.

    Lord of Life began Matthew's Table, a free community dinner ministry, in April, 2017.  The 4th Tuesday of every month, the volunteers plan and prepare a dinner that is served in the Depew Senior Center.  Everyone is welcome, as all sit down to eat together.  The goal is to build relationships, to listen and engage.  It wasn't long before this monthly event became an important part of our community for the 150 people who attend. As trust deepened, residents began to share some of the challenges they face each day: no laundromat within walking distance, the need for the local food pantry to expand to serve more families, a place to gather for a cup of coffee and a chat, a clothing exchange, and access to social services and employment.  

    Civic leaders, residents, local business owners and faith leaders began to meet to brainstorm how we could harness our resources and energy to address the expressed needs of the residents of Depew.  We soon realized something was happening; a vision was birthed.  We formed and registered the Depew Community Action Team (DCAT), as a 501(C)3 nonprofit. 

    The first big challenge was finding a space to provide the services the community asked for.  After studying the possibilities, in March 2021, DCAT purchased the former Dom Polski building at 570 Gould Avenue in the heart of Depew.  The abandoned building was in need of clean up and repair, but is the perfect location for a community center to serve the area.  An army of volunteers cleaned out the entire building and Board members spread the word about the project and asked for support. Before long, donations of time, materials and money came in from businesses and residents of Depew. A local civic-minded developer stepped in to (voluntarily) manage the renovations and a retired Board member with construction experience made a commitment to do as much of the work as possible himself. We applied for grants and received some and were turned down for others. Nothing stopped us!

Now, in summer 2024, Phase 1 is complete. We have a beautiful low-cost community laundry, a gym with stage, kitchen, bathrooms and office plus bonus rooms all renovated on the main floor.  The community laundry will open on September 4 and our first big fundraiser will be help at the Depew Community Center on September 7.

Meanwhile, the work on the lower level and second floor continues. When it is finished, the community center will house a clothing exchange shop, rooms for support groups and counseling, a computer center, mental health services, access to social services and cultural programs. The second floor will house offices for use by the community.

We are grateful and excited to see where this adventure takes us. Stop in or give us a call - we can't wait to meet you!