Welcome to the web site home of St. Matthews Area Ministries!

St. Matthews Area Ministries seeks to unite the resources and people of area congregations to effectively meet community needs. Through St. MAM, area congregations collaborate and partner with government, schools, businesses, and other non-profits to meet emergency needs, to stabilize families in transitional situations, to provide a nurturing and healthy environment for children and youth, and to offer resources for the benefit of the whole community.

Making a Difference By Dan G. Lane, Executive Director

She called to say that she wanted to contribute some food to the St. MAM pantry. Six months before she was a beneficiary of the food pantry; now she wanted to support the cause that had helped her through difficult times. She showed up at St. MAM with a generous donation of groceries and infant/toddler items for the Early Essentials Pantry.

He approached the Executive Director at an ecumenical Thanksgiving service and began, "Mr. Lane, I just wanted to share with you that St. MAM saved my life. I am an alcoholic, albeit dry now for the last twenty years, but it was the Chemical Intervention program at St. MAM that literally helped to turn my life around."

She was described as essentially beyond help due to the size of her rental bill including penalties, and on the verge of eviction. Never before had she or her husband experienced such financial calamity and they had always been able to pay their bills. Suddenly he was unable to secure any work as a contract laborer and her professional working hours were cut from 40 per week to 8. Within two hours of meeting with the St. MAM Director of Family Services, the landlord had agreed to waive late fees ($600+), pledges were secured for the balance owed, and the couple was stabilized without fear of eviction.

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He is an elderly retired gentleman. Both he and his wife had recently been hospitalized and medical expenses had simply overwhelmed them. Unable to meet their bills, they went from 'getting by' to the proverbial 'robbing Peter to pay Paul'. When approached for help, St. MAM collaborated with Louisville Water to get the couple’s water bill covered, thereby freeing up cash for their necessary and expensive prescriptions. Further relief came in the form of food assistance.

Four years of age, she came to the St. MAM Child Development Center with a serious medical condition. It was soon apparent that the child was not only the victim of a very chaotic and unstable family situation, but also suffering neglect and sometimes abuse. The experience of a trained and intuitive Director led to appropriate intervention that made all the difference, coupled with the nurture and love of a caring staff.

A victim of post-traumatic stress and a Vietnam veteran, he never asked for anything more than a pair of shoes. Walking anywhere from 15-20 miles per day while carrying his equipment, he provided basic yard service and landscaping. Shoes simply do not hold up well under such grinding usage and varying weather conditions. St. MAM provides the shoes that allow this gentleman to go to work.

Radio Interview with Dan G. Lane, St. MAM E.D. For someone who may be learning about St. MAM for the first time, what would you hope they take away from this radio interview? I would hope that in the context of community life and in doing business within our communities, where we live and raise our families, that we would all understand that difficult and unexpected calamity could alter our lives and our lifestyles in the blink of an eye. When that happens, whether a medical calamity, loss of work, loss of health... whatever it may be, St. MAM is there to provide assistance and support. It may well be that St. MAM has already touched the life of your family member, your neighbor, or your friend. Read the entire interview, click here to open/download the Adobe Acrobat PDF complete version.