About Us
The Bishop Pilla Center was founded from a simple but powerful belief: communities Thrive when people have access to healthy Food, Education and Hope. Rooted in the historic legacy of St. Philomena Church, the Bishop Pilla Center exists to serve neighbors through compassion-driven programming focused on Food-as-Medicine, Education, and Hope that every person can Thrive in the community.
Founded in 1902, St. Philomena Church has served generations of families in East Cleveland and the surrounding community for more than a century. The parish became a spiritual and cultural cornerstone—a place where people gathered not only in worship, but in fellowship, celebration, and support during life’s most important moments. As the needs of the neighborhood evolved over time, so did the vision for the space itself.
Today, that legacy continues through the Bishop Pilla Center.
Named in honor of Bishop Anthony Pilla, whose leadership emphasized service, outreach, and care for the broader community—the Center represents a renewed commitment to meeting people where they are. What was once a parish campus is now being reimagined as a welcoming hub for connection, support, and opportunity.
The Bishop Pilla Center is guided by a mission that is both simple and deeply human:
Food. Education. Hope.
These three words shape everything we do.
Food.
Food-as-Medicine addresses the lack of healthy food access by serving meals that can fight off chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, and heart disease while increasing the healthy lifespan of those in the community.
Education.
Education means creating pathways forward—through literacy, mentorship, and access to resources to support the needs of the community. This will allow people in the community to Grow and Thrive.
Hope.
Hope means building something larger than a service organization. It means creating a place where people feel seen, supported, and reminded that their future matters.
Hope that better things are possible.
At its core, the Bishop Pilla Center is about people. It is about honoring the history of a sacred community space while building a future centered on Food, Education and Hope for the next generation.
