What makes Tom Berna with Fishes and Loaves Cooperative Ministries a good neighbor?

Serving with a Servant's Heart to Nourish Communities

In the heart of Pittsburgh's Hazelwood neighborhood, a retired chemical engineer is leading a revolution in food accessibility. Tom Berna, a deacon in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, heads Fishes and Loaves Cooperative Ministries, a nonprofit organization that has been serving the underserved community since 2011. What began as a simple buying club has evolved into a multifaceted food ministry that provides emergency food boxes, meals on wheels, a free lunch program, and a monthly food pantry to those in need.

The genesis of Fishes and Loaves came from a direct request from the bishop, who asked Tom if he could establish a food ministry in Hazelwood. With his background as a chemical engineer and newfound free time in retirement, Tom was perfectly positioned to take on this challenge. The ministry's mission is straightforward yet profound: to bring healthy food at reasonable prices to neighbors who might otherwise struggle to access nutritious meals. Before services like Instacart became widespread, Fishes and Loaves pioneered a community-based shopping service, providing food lists with prices to local families, taking their orders, and delivering groceries twice monthly on the first and third Saturdays.

What makes Fishes and Loaves particularly remarkable is its operational model. Unlike many food assistance programs, they receive no government funding. The organization relies entirely on private foundations and individual donations to maintain their services, which now reach approximately 20-30 families regularly. With just two part-time employees and a dedicated team of about 30 volunteers, they've created a sustainable system that responds directly to community needs. This grassroots approach allows them to be nimble and responsive, adapting their services as the neighborhood's requirements change over time.

Tom's leadership is informed by his personal experiences with perseverance and resilience. During our conversation, he reflected on how his military training through ROTC taught him to push beyond his perceived limitations. "If I thought I couldn't do something, they showed me in fact I could, if I just pushed hard enough," Tom shared. This mindset served him well during challenging periods of graduate school and continues to influence his approach to problem-solving at Fishes and Loaves. His wife often teases him about his constant refrain of "we're going to figure this out"—but as she acknowledges, he usually does.

Perhaps most inspiring is Tom's vision for replicating this model in other communities. He mentioned that neighbors from other parts of the county have approached Fishes and Loaves to learn how they got started, with a similar program even launching on the eastern side of Philadelphia after consulting with Tom's team. His message is empowering: "If you see a need for food or a need for some service, put a few folks together and you'll probably figure it out." This simple yet powerful philosophy suggests that the solutions to food insecurity might not always require massive institutional interventions but can begin with a small group of committed neighbors identifying a need and working together to address it.

For those interested in learning more about Fishes and Loaves Cooperative Ministries or supporting their work, Tom directs listeners to their website. With his characteristic humor, he emphasizes the name—Fishes and Loaves, not Loaves and Fishes—reminding us that even in serious work, there's room for lightheartedness. As communities across the country face increasing challenges with food security, Tom Berna's ministry offers both practical assistance and an inspiring model for how local action can create meaningful change.

To learn more about Fishes and Loaves Cooperative Ministries go to:

https://fishes-and-loaves-hazelwood.org/

Fishes and Loaves Cooperative Ministries

(412) 499-4313