Our Story

Founded by Gary and Linda Tatu in 1993, Harvest House Buffalo began in South Buffalo, home to many individuals living paycheck-to-paycheck and on the verge of poverty. The Tatu’s renovated a boarded-up church on Seneca Street with the goal of bringing the community together to help those most in need. Local and national church groups, looking for affordable space to teach youth about their call to service, found their home-base and The Retreat Center became their first ministry.

 

The community noticed this new giving community and began dropping off children’s clothes on the front steps of the church, hoping volunteers could help families with young children, and the Baby & Children’s Ministry was formed.

 

Ten years into their service, Gary and Linda were asked to expand their mission to include services on Buffalo’s East Side, the poorest neighborhood in the city where crime was high, safety-net services were few, child poverty rates and unemployment were climbing, and predictive risk factors for dropping out of work and school included teen parenthood, substance abuse, and crime.

 

In 2003, our Founders, and a newly formed Board of Directors, accepted the gift of a building at 175 Jefferson Avenue and began to address safety-net needs with the community. They learned that many of the working poor in the community could not afford health insurance and lacked access to basic medical care. As fate would have it, a local primary care provider, Dr. David Holmes was looking for a location to bring together medical providers to offer a free health clinic. Dr. Holmes and his contingent of interfaith volunteer doctors, nurses, and medical students became the first partners in the building, opening Good Neighbors Health Care. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Patty Haberman, a local dentist, encouraged her faithful community to join the medical team, providing free dental services to individuals who could not afford dental care. More partners began joining the Harvest House care community when Gary and Linda answered a call from the community to utilize the building to address high unemployment. The New Hope Education Center was built, adding workforce development partners with the goal of providing training that could lead to living-wage jobs.

 

Today, Harvest House Buffalo continues to build on our founders' passion for service as an innovative, community-based organization with experience addressing challenges and barriers related to access to basic needs, economic self-sufficiency, and job connectivity. We have built a diverse, interfaith team that is community-led and reflects the diversity and values of our community, focusing on all 12 social determinants of health and helping to fulfill individualized life trajectories that honor our clients’ life experiences.

 

The Harvest House model adapts and pivots to address current needs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our team of staff and medical volunteers continued to provide emergency medical and dental care, becoming a hub for the community calling for the latest information about protecting themselves from the virus and then helping them secure appointments for COVID tests and vaccines. Our New Hope Education Center was able to assist nursing students learning remotely, and our Baby and Children’s Ministry provided access to clothing, food, and support services to children living in poverty. During the pandemic, many people were laid off or had to leave the workforce to stay home with children learning remotely. When the housing moratorium was lifted, we were granted COVID relief funding, allowing us to assist families as they returned to work, preventing homelessness.

 

As the community worked to heal from losses experienced during the pandemic, we experienced another major trauma when an active shooter targeted our community. The 5/14 Tops massacre devastated our community, fostering fear and great loss of East Side members and leaders. Harvest House provided ongoing support for the community, infusing trauma-informed care initiatives for clients and staff. Mental health became a priority in the area, so restorative circles, trauma education, and partnerships with trusted mental health providers began and continue today.

 

Harvest House Buffalo paints a picture of a history of hope, innovation, and revitalization of a marginalized community. Our Harvest House legacy challenges us to be good stewards of resources, working with the community to cultivate a community that cares, and striving to maintain our reputation as a trusted and safe space for our Buffalo community.