North Hills Community Outreach launches podcast

The operators of a charity that has helped needy families in the North Hills for the past quarter century understand that when tragedy or hard times strike, knowing where to turn for help can often be daunting for some families.

To help highlight the array of social services offered by North Hills Community Outreach, the nonprofit organization has launched a podcast that aims to “pull back the curtain on who we are and how all this works,” said Dan Wonders, NHCO’s transportation resource coordinator and founder of the online series.

The podcast, dubbed “Get to Know NHCO” is hosted by executive director Tom Baker and Erica Cochran, NHCO’s director of development and communications. In addition to showcasing the organization’s services, the podcast also highlights the volunteer opportunities available for people who want to participate in the various programs offered.

“Once Tom came on board and learned about the project, he and Erica suggested a bigger focus for the podcast that would draw in community partners and other organizations that comprise our nonprofit universe,” Wonders said. “Their chemistry was immediate, and we realized Tom and Erica made the perfect hosts.”

Some of the podcasts that already have been produced include interviews with community leaders such as Lisa Scales, president of the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food bank and 2020 Pittsburgher of the Year; Community College of Allegheny County president Quintin Bullock; and Allegheny County Port Authority CEO Katharine Kelleman.

“Combining these marquee guests with appearances from other NHCO staff, the show ties the work of these community leaders to the assistance available through the organization,” Wonders said.

Baker said the podcast has strengthened the organization’s relationships with its partners “and provided them with an important platform to share about their incredible efforts.”

“The fact that we hosted the reigning Pittsburgher of the Year started a trajectory of having some amazing Allegheny County leaders featured through the show,” Baker said. “It also enables us to showcase our incredible colleagues here at NHCO and the way they achieve our focus of helping others every single day through our 20 programs and services.”

Cochran said even though she is part of the NHCO professional team, working on the podcast “really opened my eyes to how hard our staff works every day to ensure the needs of those in the community are met.”

“If I am learning through simply recording this podcast with my colleagues, I can only hope that our listeners are really getting to know NHCO as well,” she said.

Episodes are released on the second Wednesday of each month.

The first podcast was released in March as an introduction to the program and was followed by monthly shows focused on food distribution during the covid crisis, transportation during times of financial difficulty, education assistance and community gardening.

This month’s featured guest is Carrie Nolan from Pittsburgh Job Corps Center. September’s podcast will include an interview with Mary Lee Gannon, a career coach and president of the St. Margaret Foundation.

The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Castbox and on NHCO’s website at nhco.org/podcast.