The interior of the Jenkintown United Methodist Church annex (328 Summit Avenue) recently received a facelift courtesy of Christine Troyer, a nurse at UPenn, a former PHRN for Second Alarmer’s Association and Rescue Squad of Montgomery County, and a freelance singer. 

The annex of the building is rented out to tenants, some of which include the Jenkintown Food Cupboard, Balancing Bodyworks, LLC, and JUMP Preschool. Balancing Bodyworks’ owner and licensed practitioner Kathryn “Kat” Wolfe, LMT, a Huntingdon Valley native and Abington Senior High School graduate, told Glenside Local that space has become “a bit of a community hub.”

“The building is used for all sorts of things. There’s a clothing drop off location, and a local girl scout recently put up a Little Free Library next to a bench I put out,” she said. “The businesses are all very friendly with each other.”

Troyer served as a volunteer muralist for the temporarily vacant buildings on the 400 block of West Avenue in August 2024. She and Wolfe came to know each other through friend circles.

“I’d seen murals she’s done before. I had thought about putting in a mural on that wall for years, and it occurred to me that she’d be best person to ask. She was all about it, and after two years of planning, we got the go-ahead. It finally happened,” Wolfe said.

Troyer said it took approximately 12 hours to complete with assistance from Anne Troyer and Diana Gulyanskaya.

“The mural is something I was happy to participate in to help support another woman in business as well as the Jenkintown Food Cupboard,” she said. “I’m hoping that the space feel more welcoming, both for the patrons of the businesses in that building and the folks from the food pantry.”

Samples from the project:

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Photos: Kat Wolfe