For nearly six decades, Social Concerns has provided support to families in East Palestine by providing food, medicine, utility and rent assistance year round to needy families located in the East Palestine School District. Among the support, Social Concerns holds a Christmas drive (pictured) to supply toys to village children and food to area families, thanks to volunteers and donations. (Submitted photo)
EAST PALESTINE — For 59 years, Social Concerns has provided support to struggling families in and around the East Palestine community.
Now the charity, which got its start in Evelyn Stonemetz’ kitchen in 1966, needs the community to return the favor.
“Simply put, we need donations,” Barb Lynch said. “Our donations are down and we need money to continue what Evleyn started. We rely on donations to keep this going and continue to support the community of East Palestine.”
Social Concerns began simply enough when Evelyn, a former school nurse, started collecting gloves and hats for needy students. From there and $1,000 in seed money, the initiative grew and evolved into a 501(c)3 organization that supplied 74 Thanksgiving dinners, supported 339 at Christmas and provided 222 families with Christmas food in 2024.
Today, Social Concerns provides food, medicine, utility and rent assistance year round to needy families located in the East Palestine School District. Assistance is provided once in a four-month period. Fire aid is also available. Eligibility requires only that families reside in the East Palestine School District. Relief boxes given out through the year are still based on Evelyn’s original blueprint — cans of soup, baked beans, corn and green beans, vegetables, fruit, tuna, paper products, cake mix, macaroni and cheese, Jello, cereal and soap.
The organization is funded solely through donations, nearly every penny of which benefits the community. That generosity comes from citizens, churches, organizations, businesses, clubs and schools. Memorial contributions are also made to Social Concerns and some bequeath the organization money as a final gesture of goodwill. The post office donates food annually to the group.
All-volunteer, Social Concerns pays no salaries. Its only expenses are rent – the group rents space in the basement of the Centenary Methodist Church for storage – and nominal administration fees that cover things like insurance, stamps, copies and other office supplies.
“Few people realize how much the people of East Palestine do to keep Social Concerns operating,” Lynch said.
Few people also realize just how much Social Concerns does for the community. Through Oct. 1, 2024 to Sept. 30 of this year, the group spent $3,447 on Christmas toys, $8,500 on Christmas food gift cards, $2,720 on Thanksgiving food cards and $4,583 on food and $30,990 in other support –pouring nearly $50,000 into the Bulldog community, assisting 305 families with food, 78 with utilities and 23 with rent.
However, donations totaled just $22,997 during the same time period. The year before, $26,508 in donations was collected while $55,000 was distributed village-wide.
What has kept Social Concerns on its feet over the past two years were the contributions received when the 2023 train derailment shined a national spotlight on East Palestine and its struggles of which the rail disaster exacerbated.
“After the derailment, donations poured in from all over the country,” Lynch said. “They just poured in from everywhere. Everybody wanted to help. It was amazing. It really was.”
In February 2023, the month the train derailed, $22,123 of donations — nearly the annual average – rolled in. March brought a staggering $74,834 and $29,346 followed in April. Through Sept. 30, $28,885 more was sent.
Social Concerns used $87,000 of those funds to help the community in the 12 months following the derailment – including a $12,500 contribution to the school lunch program.
But the national news cycle moves on and with it goes the attention that leads to large contributions for small organizations like Social Concerns.
“We were grateful for every dollar we received, but the donations from outside the village slowed,” Lynch said. “That was to be expected.”
And while thankful for the donations from all around the country and a few from outside of it, Lynch said Social Concerns was built on the notion that a community takes care of its own. For nearly 60 years, it was the people of East Palestine that has sustained the organization. If it is going to be around for 60 more, Lynch said, it will do so on the philanthropy of those same people.
Years ago, Social Concerns held the Stonemetz Open Golf Outing as its annual fundraiser, but it’s a big undertaking that requires a lot of volunteers, a lot of moving parts and someone to take the reins. Finding that kind of sizable help proved more and more difficult year in and year out and eventually the golf outing fell off.
Lynch said there have been talks to revive it or maybe hold a fundraising gala or some other type of benefit, but, again, sizable help would be needed.
“We would love to hold another annual fundraiser but it comes down to finding someone who is willing to do it,” Lynch said. “We need people to step up and people are more willing to give money than time. I understand. People have jobs. They have families. Life gets busy and sometimes it’s hard to find time. Time is precious, I guess.”
As much as Lynch can appreciate the value of time, she finds the gift of giving priceless. Just like Evelyn Stonemetz, Lynch has made a life of giving. A retired educator, Lynch took over as chair of the organization when Evelyn passed away 30 years ago in 1995.
Lynch still serves on the board of directors as treasurer. Sandy Wales is now the chair, Kay Westover is secretary and Steve Hill serves as legal advisor. Other current board members are Jonathan McElroy, Carol Robb, Sam Green, Doug Lammert, Mary Bingham, Mark Elick and Darla Vanni.
“We have great volunteers and East Palestine is a wonderful community,” Lynch said. “We want to continue to support our community in any way we can, but we also need support to do it.”
Monetary donations can be sent to Social Concerns, 200 Covington Drive, Apt 517, East Palestine, OH 44413. Donations can also be made through Zelle by using the email address eposocialconcerns2025@yahoo.com.
Families needing help are encouraged to call Wales at (330) 426-2045.
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