Taylor, who has been at the helm since 2004, said The Door has a second location in the Erie area and he would like to open more.

“Before I retire, I would like to open three more, including one in Altoona,” he said, adding that he is looking at locations and property.

“I know there is a definite need. There are other locations where this kind of ministry would be welcome,” Taylor said.

The Door was founded by George Palmer of Tipton through FrontLine Ministries and has been focused on helping youth since it opened in September 1998.

Handprints of generations of kids adorn a trio of doors in the facility's kitchen. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

Palmer came up with the idea after seeing kids hanging out on the old railroad bridge in the middle of town.

“George was studying youth culture to see how to reach those kids,” Taylor said, noting studies showed that many kids went home to an empty house and unsafe family conditions.

“Hanging out on the corner was better than going home,” Taylor said. “(George) wanted a home for them to go to to be safe. He wanted to create a safe family-like environment.”

The Bellwood-Antis Community Trust worked with Palmer to develop the concepts for The Door and put the plan into action, said Hazel Bilka, who served as the trust’s executive director until 2022.

In the beginning, the Trust purchased the building for The Door at 521 Main St., helped create ties in the community and its members donated their time and supported it financially, Bilka said.

Skyler Goss, 12, of Bellwood brings in donated food at The Door Executive Director Dave Taylor sorts in the kitchen. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

Taylor and his wife, Angela, came to The Door in 2002 to help Palmer, and Taylor became executive director in 2004.

Before joining The Door, Taylor, who is also a pastor, worked with at-risk youth in Buffalo, Chicago and downtown Altoona.

Taylor said he had volunteered with The Door’s summer camp program before Palmer approached him and his wife.

“He thought we would be the perfect mom and dad for The Door,” Taylor said of Palmer’s idea.

“I took a leap of faith and joined the team,” he said. “I had no idea I would be here for the next 22 years and probably will be until I retire.”

The Door has changed with the times and now provides after-school activities, including sports, computers, homework help, snacks and meals, along with caring supervision

When he came onboard, Taylor said the “kids just hung out.”

He felt there wasn’t enough for the youth to do and they needed a better place to play.

“We added a basketball court, professional grade beach volleyball court, and a computer technology center,” he said.

The changes helped address some behavior issues and turned The Door from a hang out into “a substitute family experience.”

Evening meals for the kids were also added, which aligns with The Door’s mission, something Taylor calls the Three Fs — food, family and faith.

“We feel every kid needs to be fed, be part of a family and needs to find faith,” Taylor said.

The Door is open from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday year round for junior high and high school kids, and Friday nights see the lowest turnout, he said. On average, The Door sees about 25 kids a day, and has had its ups and downs, Taylor said, noting as many as 60 kids have stopped in at one time.

Being a nonprofit organization, The Door’s annual budget of $250,000 comes from donations — about 75% from individuals and 25% from area churches.

The funding has allowed The Door to improve year over year from its humble beginnings into a program that is like a home to many.

“The quality of what we have been able to offer is like night and day. I try to give these kids the best,” Taylor said. “I want a poor kid to have the best, that is what I want to give them. I want it to be a home and want to make it as good as we can make it.”

Bilka said The Door has had a huge impact on the kids.

“Before The Door, unless kids were involved in school sports, there was nothing to entertain them and keep them out of trouble,” she said. Now with a variety of supervised after-school activities, there is something for everyone.

During the school year, The Door focuses on providing monthly field trips. The kids have “homework check cards,” where they earn points toward a field trip by doing their homework and other tasks, such as raking leaves for the library, helping with the food trucks and recycling aluminum cans.

In explaining the food trucks, Taylor said since COVID-19, The Door has become a food distributor for Walmart and other businesses.

“We have donated $4 million in Blair County. We donate to all food pantries and ministries in Blair County that we can,” he said.

Taylor said the mission of The Door remains focused on the kids and he feels fortunate to have a role in their upbringing.

His time at The Door has been “the heart of my life,” he said.

“I was born to do this. God found a perfect fit for me. I love to make meals, create games and mentor young people. … God still finds a way for me to preach every Sunday,” Taylor said.

Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.