Jan 14, 2022 3 min read

It has been said seeing is believing, and it doesn’t hurt as far as understanding.

“I grew up watching my mother put money in envelopes to pay the bills,” lifelong Bethel Park resident Diane Ford recalled. “Nowadays, we have all this technology where you don’t see that money, the actual money, and where it goes and how it’s divided up in all those different places.”

As executive director and chief executive officer of the social services nonprofit Melting Pot Ministries, she wants to help provide clients with a firmer grasp on cash flow.

“We’re focusing this year on empowerment, with families having financial literacy,” she said. “From the very basics, teaching the foundations of ownership. And that means more than just home ownership, but ownership of your life.”

Based at Nativity Church in South Park Township, Melting Pot Ministries works with more than 150 socially, culturally and economically disadvantaged South Hills youth and their families. Many are new to the United States, and the organization has hired a cultural liaison to advocate on their behalf.

“Our goal also is to make sure that our children are successful in our school systems,” Ford said. “Some of our children are in classes that they shouldn’t be in, because they’re way brighter. And so we want to make sure that they’re well-represented and that we’re doing the best job in working in collaboration with the schools.”

Cultural considerations work both ways, Ford said.

“Our mindset is, let us help them and teach them. But we can learn so much from them,” she said. “For me, it’s more of valuing and appreciating who people are and what they can bring to the table.”

For example, she noticed new residents tended to eat more healthfully compared with the typical American diet. As such, she is focusing on promoting awareness of nutritionally beneficial food choices, with plans to hire a nutritionist/chef who can help with preparing suitable meals that appeal to youngsters.

“We want to make sure that we’re good mentally, physically, financially and spiritually,” she said. “So with all those components in there, we’re ready to hire people who can help get us there.”

Melting Pot Ministries was founded in 2004 as a response to five African-American boys dropping out of one high school on the same day. Today, 93% of participants in the organization’s activities graduate from high school and go on to seek some form of higher education.

Among the services offered are after-school programs, summer camps, one-on-one coaching, tutoring and mentoring, and workshops, events and retreats for families. Ford also is looking into bringing the federal Head Start and Early Head Start programs for low-income families to the area, “so that our children are better prepared to go into the school system.”

“I feel, personally, that the better you feel about yourself,” she said, “the greater opportunity there is for you to make a difference and have an impact on the lives of yourself and your children.”

For more information, visit www.ourmpm.org.