The RCS Thrift Store

Religious Community Services

RCS is one organization providing people with food, shelter, safety, and clothing through four programs. Our mission at RCS is to feed the hungry, help homeless families return to self-sufficiency, and empower survivors of domestic violence. You are currently visiting the RCS Food Bank blog-site and we can be contacted by calling 727-443-4031. Make yourself at home and browse through the site for upcoming events or tips on how to help those in need. If you are seeking one of the other programs available through RCS, please click on the picture below to go to the RCS Web-Site.

The RCS Story

In 1967, fifteen local congregations of varying faiths and ethnicities came together to provide help and hope to people in need. Pinellas County grew, and with it grew the demand and the need for a helping hand. Eager to lend that helping hand, those congregations found themselves with fewer resources to serve a growing population. Determined to make a difference, these leaders studied the needs of the community and pooled their resources to provide efficient, secular services to the people of Pinellas County. Together, they founded RCS.

As Pinellas County continued to grow, so did RCS, expanding and diversifying to meet the needs of the community. Results showed that the services RCS provided made a difference, and many more congregations and volunteers joined the efforts, each one wanting to build a better community. RCS focused on serving individuals and families with dignity, helping them along the path to self-sufficiency.

That focus remains strong today as RCS directs resources to people facing hunger, homelessness, domestic violence and basic needs. RCS has evolved into a cooperative of professional staff members, integral volunteers and partnering faith congregations delivering reliable services to those most vulnerable in Pinellas County. RCS continues to use research, communication and best practices to be a premier community based agency providing help and hope to people in need.

Previously Posted

USDA Non-Discrimination Statement (updated 9/17/2013)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or if all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.)

If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632, 9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at program.intake@usda.gov.

USDA (TEFAP)/RCS Food Bank Subsites (66)

Adult Home Care Villa
Arlington Arbor
Barbee Towers
Beacon House
Beaming Hope Church
Beacon Street Ministry
Benedict Haven
Bethel Metro Food Pantry
Burlington Tower
Christian Outreach Center
Christian Recovery Center
Church and Community Outreach
Clear Bay Terrace
Clearview United Methodist Church
Community Action Stops Abuse
Crystal Lake Apartments
Daystar Life Center
Free Clinic Women's Center
Freedom Village I
Freedom Village III
Green Chapel
Greenview Manor Apartments
Guiding Light
Heritage Presbyterian Apartments
High point Care Center
Homeless Emergency Project
Lutheran Apartments
Mercy Keepers Food Pantry
MLF Towers
Mustard Seed Inn/Turning Point
New Hope Missionary Baptist
Oak Ridge
One Universe Ministry
Operation Hope
Operation PAR
Palm Harbor Community Activity Center
Palm Lake Village
Pasadena Community Church
Pentecostal Lighthouse Church
Praise Cathedral
Rainbow Village
Ralph Richards
The RCS Food Bank
The Haven of RCS
St. Giles Food Pantry
St. Jerome's Food Pantry
St. Timothy Lutheran Church
St. Vincent de Paul - Clearwater
St. Vincent de Paul - St. Pete
Salvation Army (Clearwater)
Salvation Army (St. Pete)
Salvation Army (Adult Rehab)
Shepherd Center Tarpon Springs
Solid Rock Hands Up Ministry
Storehouse of America
Suncoast Haven of Rest Mission
Sunrise Community
Taking It To The Streets
Tarpon Springs manor
Trinity House
UNO Food Pantry
Viridian Apartments
We Help
Wellington Care Center
Wesley United Methodist Church
Westcare Residential Community
World Outreach International

RCS, Inc. Makes It Three In A Row

Thank you to the Tampa Bay Times and it’s staff in presenting our local area communities with the Top 75 places to work in Tampa Bay region. RCS was honored by making it three years in a row. Religious Community Services was first established in 1967 by local area congregations coming together to help provide relief to what they saw as a growing concern in how we assist those less fortunate. RCS is one organization providing people with food, shelter, safety and clothing through four programs: The RCS Food Bank, The Haven of RCS, The RCS Grace House, and the RCS Thrift Store. Thank you and “great work” to all those who staff and volunteer at each of these programs and for everything to you do and give. Please visit the below link to read about RCS and all the other great places to work and volunteer in the Tampa Bay region. http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2012/reports/best-places-to-work-in-Tampa-Bay/

Wish List For RCS Food Bank Food Drives

RCS FOOD BANK
HUNGRY FOR YOUR HELP

The need for food is escalating in our community

With a 100% increase in people coming to Religious Community Services because of hunger, we do not have enough food to meet the growing demand

RCS FOOD DRIVE

WISH LIST

Canned Fruit
Peanut Butter
Spaghetti & Spaghetti Sauce
Canned Vegetables
Baby Food (levels 1&3) And Formula (12 oz Powdered
Good Start most needed)

ITEMS SUCH AS PEANUT BUTTER AND CANNED ITEMS SHOULD BE PURCHASED IN THE REGULAR STANDARD SIZE

700 Druid Road, Clearwater, FL 33756
727-443-4031

**Food Collection bins available upon request.

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The RCS Agency History

In the summer of 1967, an action meeting of the Clearwater Ministerial Alliance took place to see if there were compelling reasons for local congregations to work together for community service and change. This Social Action Committee met together for several hours each month, and finally decided to ask that laity be involved. In January 1968 they formed Religious Community Services with the support of 15 Interfaith congregations.

In 1971, the Articles of Incorporation were voted and the word, “Inc.” was added to the name. With the influence of the lay members of RCS, rather than just identifying social problems, making a plan for solution, and then turning the program over to other organizations, RCS decided to continue various projects and operate them.

Some of the early RCS Programs included, FISH, a 24 hour, 7 day a week, service for emergency calls. At first it operated in conjunction with the Clearwater Fire Department. As time went by, it became more an organization that utilized volunteers to transport people to doctors, dentists and clinic appointments. This Program operated until 1981.

For a period of time RCS ran the Meals On Wheels Program in the county and also Project Playpen – an in-home day care alternative for low income mothers – until the county, state, and/or federal government began running these entities.

In July 1970, RCS received a grant from First National Bank to start a Lay Training and Lay Academy that trained laity to conduct ministry in secular situations. These courses, which include personal and group behavior, urban dynamics, confrontation, ethics continued until August of 1978 when the two key “trainers” could no longer participate.

Programs were attempted in the areas of Narcotics Research and Rehabilitation and Medical Indigency but they faltered. The area of Emergency Housing emerged as a target that could be struck by RCS. Initially homeless people were housed in rooms in the churches that sponsored RCS. People were fed and transported to their jobs. In 1970 RCS was allowed to use two apartments in the Ridgecrest housing project in Largo at no charge. In 1973, an abandoned church with attached school rooms was purchased in the Ridgecrest area. Families used the converted school rooms as lodging and food was brought to them daily.

All of these housing attempts had obvious flaws and challenges until in 1972 RCS was given two mobile homes by the City of Clearwater to use for homeless families. By 1977, 14 mobile homes were being leased to RCS. In 1980, the titles to these mobiles homes were given to RCS and social workers were added to the services provided in order to help clients find jobs, permanent housing and obtain any entitled social services.
The Emergency Housing Program has grown to its present state of being housed in our own complex at 1552 S. Myrtle with 14 individual apartments (one is used by the on-site manager) 11 of which have three units each and 2 which have 2. So there is housing for 37 families in buildings which we built and own out right as well as a community building for training families and supervising children and an office building.

In 1980, RCS began to tackle the problem of Domestic Violence (“Spouse Abuse” was the term at that time. After much study, by December of that year, one of the mobile homes that RCS used as a homeless shelter was made available to be used as a domestic violence shelter. In 1984, an entire house was purchased to serve as the DV shelter, named the Haven, including an adjoining building that would used as offices. Shortly after, a building next door was bought and is used for children’s activities. The shelter continued to grow through renovations and new construction and staff additions. The maximum clients that can be served is 34. The most recent $1 million dollar addition was completed in December 2001. RCS owns all of the Haven facilities outright including the Haven’s nine Transitional Housing apartments at a separate location. The Haven employs roughly 35 people to run the shelter, the outreach program and the Peacemaker Program which educates school children about domestic violence.

In 1978 RCS began studying the possibility of starting a central food pantry as many of the individual congregations had trouble maintaining their own small “food closets.” It wasn't until 1982 that the RCS Food Pantry opened for business in a vacant Winn Dixie store in downtown Clearwater. Quickly the need for more space was apparent and the Clearwater Housing Authority decided to make additions and renovations to meet those needs. With the additional space, the RCS Food Pantry could distribute government commodities and baby food and formula.

The client base at the Food Pantry has grown steadily since its inception and donations of both food and money to purchase food have increased to keep base. RCS today has 82 sponsoring congregations most of whom collect food for the pantry. The pantry was accommodated on this site by various forms of expansion for twenty years. In 2001, the city of Clearwater took over the site for their downtown renovation project and RCS moved to it’s present location at 700 Druid Rd. This space and location are ideal for the purposed of our Food Pantry. It is centrally located and accessible by bus for our clients. The owners of the present site have given us the opportunity to purchase this building and land and RCS has started a Capital Campaign to accomplish this.

In the late 1990’s RCS opened the RCS Thrift Store as a source of revenue for all of the programs and as a place that homeless families could receive the furniture, clothing and household supplies they need to become reestablished. The Thrift Store revenue and support to clients has given RCS the ability to offer a very complete array of services.

RCS