We are on a mission to make sure our neighbors in need are food secure this year. Your support is crucial! Your generosity helps us tackle the challenges posed by increasing demands amidst a decline in funding. This initiative is all about coming together to aid those who are most in need. You can join us in our mission with a gift.

Here’s a behind the scenes look at just some of our efforts this year. Your support is what makes our work possible.

Your support directly impacts our neighbors in need and helps us foster positive change in their lives. As we charge further into 2025, we need your extraordinary generosity now to gear up for the year ahead. This will allow us to meet increasing demands while managing funding challenges.

Check out some of the amazing feats we’ve pulled off this year because of our community of supporters!

• In February 2025, our food pantry supported 812 households (2,054 people), up from 632 households in February 2024.
• We partnered with six additional Food Redistribution Organizations, totaling twelve, to address food deserts in Pottstown.
• This winter, we provided heating fuel oil to 180 households and additional assistance low-income seniors.
• Most pantry recipients are families with children and the elderly. In March, for Women’s History Month, we focused on ensuring women have access to essential food and housing resources to help them thrive.

Leasing Opportunity

Women’s History Month is a meaningful reminder of the important contributions women have made to society, culture, and history. This observance highlights the celebration of women’s accomplishments while promoting the vision of a world where gender equality truly exists.

For 2025, the theme is “Moving Forward Together,” spotlighting “women educating and inspiring generations.” This theme is meant to highlight and support women who have dedicated their lives to education, mentorship, and leadership.

Recently, The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University conducted a Q&A with our Executive Director Jacqui Good.  Read to learn more about her work, the  Pottstown Cluster’s mission, and the importance of giving.

Q. What does “giving” mean to Pottstown Cluster, and how does it shape your mission and daily work?
A. Giving to Pottstown Cluster means partnering with donors and volunteers to serve our community. Our mission is to help meet basic needs like food security and housing stability. We serve as stewards of resources in order to help as many people as possible. In 2023, we served more than 17,000 people from the food pantry alone. We benefit from a wide variety of resources to meet those needs that includes funding and gifts-in-kind, from individuals, organizations, and funders.

Q. What roles does community support play in your organization’s ability to provide for those in need?
A. Community support is imperative to our work. We draw-on support from large nonprofits like Philabundance and Share, foundations, individual donors, other community groups, and volunteers. The absence of any of these sources could result in reduced services. It takes support from all of these sources to meet the needs of those depending on us.

Q. How do you express gratitude to the volunteers and donors who make your work possible?
A. We show our appreciation to donors through various forms of communication, including acknowledgment letters, handwritten notes, phone calls, and email messages. We also keep them informed and engaged through annual appeal letters with program updates, social media posts, participation in community groups, and speaking engagements.

Q. What are some ways people can give back to Pottstown Cluster during the holiday season, even if they aren’t able to make a financial decision?
A. Even if individuals and organizations are not able to make a financial donation, it helps our work to send people to our website and talk about our work.

Q. How has the generosity of the community helped shape your organization’s future plans or upcoming initiatives?
A. In nearly every case when we have reached-out on social media and the website and asked for donations, there has been a response, and we are grateful.

EVENT UPDATE: The scheduled Pottstown Community Celebration of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. program brought to you by Communities of Faith in Pottstown will be held as planned on Sunday, January 19 for anyone able to attend safely. It will also be live-streamed here beginning at 4 p.m.: https://events.locallive.tv/events/167017

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Our organization is dedicated to providing food security and housing stability in the Pottstown area. We accomplish this through a food pantry, satellite pantry locations, Community Meals, food redistribution, and housing services to prevent eviction and homelessness among older adults. However, we cannot achieve this without your support!

Interested in learning more about our work and impact? Check out our annual video and a  recent housing success story.

Read the full story here.

This past year has been filled with service and challenges. We celebrate our ability to help many people, including a 77-year-old veteran whose eviction we prevented with your support. Our food pantry has seen a rise in demand, serving over 300 more individuals in October than in September, while grant funding has decreased. We faced significant cuts in housing funding, leading to reduced staff and increased financial strain on our food services. Despite these challenges, our dedicated volunteers and staff keep operations running. We ask for your end-of-year contributions to help us continue our mission. We welcome inquiries and visits, and we are here to support those facing food insecurity or housing instability.

READ MORE HERE

Giving and Gratitude Q & A: Highlighting Pottstown Cluster with Executive Director Jacqui Good

This November, our Giving and Gratitude segment shines a light on Pottstown Cluster, one of our partner organizations that truly embodies the spirit of giving. We sat down with Jacqui Good from Pottstown Cluster to learn more about their mission and the vital role of community support.

Q. What does “giving” mean to Pottstown Cluster, and how does it shape your mission and daily work?
A. Giving to Pottstown Cluster means partnering with donors and volunteers to serve our community. Our mission is to help meet basic needs like food security and housing stability. We serve as stewards of resources in order to help as many people as possible. In 2023, we served more than 17,000 people from the food pantry alone. We benefit from a wide variety of resources to meet those needs that includes funding and gifts-in-kind, from individuals, organizations, and funders.

Q. What roles does community support play in your organization’s ability to provide for those in need?
A. Community support is imperative to our work. We draw-on support from large nonprofits like Philabundance and Share, foundations, individual donors, other community groups, and volunteers. The absence of any of these sources could result in reduced services. It takes support from all of these sources to meet the needs of those depending on us.

Q. How do you express gratitude to the volunteers and donors who make your work possible?
A. We show our appreciation to donors through various forms of communication, including acknowledgment letters, handwritten notes, phone calls, and email messages. We also keep them informed and engaged through annual appeal letters with program updates, social media posts, participation in community groups, and speaking engagements.

Q. What are some ways people can give back to Pottstown Cluster during the holiday season, even if they aren’t able to make a financial decision?
A. Even if individuals and organizations are not able to make a financial donation, it helps our work to send people to our website and talk about our work.

Q. How has the generosity of the community helped shape your organization’s future plans or upcoming initiatives?
A. In nearly every case when we have reached-out on social media and the website and asked for donations, there has been a response, and we are grateful.

Thank you, Pottstown Cluster, for demonstrating the true spirit of giving and gratitude through this Q&A.