In the second installment of our two-part series, we invite you once again to experience A Day in the Life at Anchor House captured by Denise Bard, our Board Secretary, Co-Chair of the Communications Workgroup, and a former Shelter resident.
A Day in the Life at Anchor House highlights collaboration. Last month’s installment featured Andrea Wormley from our Coordinated Entry Assessment System (CEAS) Program. This month you will meet Anna Zablocka, a Street Outreach Program (SOP) Case Manager who often works closely with Andrea and the CEAS team. As Anna explained, “There are a lot of kids who need support. We help them to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Every day at Anchor House is strengthened by collaborations with our community partners. To connect youth with services, Anchor House continuously builds and fosters relationships with community partners like Calvary Christian Fellowship Ministries in Ewing that offers, among many services, weekly distributions through their Hearts Matter Food Pantry. It is a unique and successful partnership, as Anna and other members of the Anchor House team volunteer at the pantry on a regular basis, and our youth benefit by receiving food designated for Anchor House from the pantry.
As part of her Day in the Life experience, Denise joined Anna and Andrea at the Hearts Matter Food Pantry, where she met Miss Vergie and saw firsthand how she runs the pantry with remarkable compassion and heart.
Read Denise’s firsthand account below of A Day in the Life at Anchor House.
Meet Anna
During these challenging times, youth and young adults need someone they can count on. Someone who sees them, believes in them, and reminds them of their value and strength. Someone like Andrea, who I introduced you to last month in the first installment in this series, and someone like Anna.
Anna has been a part of Anchor House for a year and a half, serving as a Case Manager with our Street Outreach Program (SOP). Andrea played an instrumental role in training Anna when she started at Anchor House, and Anna has been collaborating more and more with Andrea and CEAS in an effort to reach more youth on the streets. Our SOP Case Managers meet youth 14-21 who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of experiencing homelessness. To demonstrate what the SOP team is facing, there has been a 136% increase in homelessness over the last five years in Mercer County. The most recent Mercer County Point-in-Time Count, in which agencies like Anchor House and staff like Andrea and Anna collect information annually on people experiencing homelessness while distributing essential items to them, showed that 26% of those experiencing homelessness were under 18. As a SOP Case Manager, Anna helps youth find food, safety and shelter to help create a more stable future.
When asked why she chose to work at Anchor House, Anna said it is because she “likes to help others.” Anna further explained, “There are a lot of kids who need support. We focus on the kids and school. We help them to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
The Street Outreach Program is about more than meeting immediate needs. It’s about helping youth feel empowered. And when Anna talks about her work, it is clear how hard it can be but how meaningful it is to her. It means showing up, again and again, for young people who may not have anyone else to count on.
Anna ended with “If you have a desire to help others, this is the perfect job.”
Collaboration with Calvary Christian Fellowship Ministries
Anchor House has always believed that helping youth and young adults in crisis requires more than just one organization doing the work – it takes a community. We are fortunate to be surrounded by members in our community that share our commitment to making a difference in the lives of young people. One of those community partners is Calvary Christian Fellowship Ministries and their Hearts Matter Food Pantry.
Calvary Christian Fellowship Ministries has supported Anchor House through food donations for our young adults and families. Since many of the young adults who come to Anchor House have experienced homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless, having the Hearts Matter Food Pantry nearby helps to provide essential support during a time when stability means everything.
I had the opportunity to spend a day following both Anna and Andrea and see this partnership in action. On that day, we visited the Hearts Matter Food Pantry, where Anna volunteers her time every other Wednesday. Alongside the pantry team, she helps fill and distribute food bags to community members in need.
When we arrived, we were greeted by Miss Vergie (pictured on the far right next to me with Anna and Andrea to my left), who leads the pantry with compassion and heart. We listened and learned about the powerful ways Calvary supports families and young adults across the area.
“Our partnership with Anchor House has been a true blessing” said Pastor David A. Cox of Calvary Christian Fellowship Ministries. “Together, we have been able to meet not only the physical needs of families but also nurture hope, dignity, and community. Hearts Matter Food Pantry is honored to serve alongside an organization so deeply committed to the well-being of our youth and families.”
“At Anchor House, we know we cannot do this work alone,” said Kim McNear, Anchor House Executive Director. “We are fortunate to have community partners like Calvary Christian Fellowship Ministries and the Hearts Matter Food Pantry. This collaboration benefits both organizations: our youth get the food they need, and the pantry benefits from the extra hands our team provides. That’s the heart of community and the true meaning of collaboration.”
As a community, we come together to address the needs of at-risk youth and young adults. When we hear of families or young adults struggling to meet basic needs, we know we can turn to Calvary and the Hearts Matter Food Pantry for help. This shared commitment ensures that no young person faces hardship alone.
Together, Anchor House and Calvary Christian Fellowship Ministries are proof that when a community unites around compassion, hope grows and lives change.
If you feel called to make a difference in the lives of youth and young adults, visit our website to learn more about career opportunities at Anchor House or find other ways you can get involved at Anchor House. Together, we can help them see the light at the end of the tunnel.
