Our #COVIDCaringPottstown Community June Updates

Hi Friend,

During any crisis, it’s easy to turn inwards and focus on our own needs. However, many people from our community have been reaching out to us to support our mission as we work to provide food security and housing stability to local seniors and families in need during this critical time. This has been an important reminder of the power of community and the fact that working together is our community strength in Pottstown.

We want to recognize those who are helping others and working to keep us all safe. Please join us in recognizing your neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family members who are doing great things for others by using #COVIDCaringPottstown on your social media posts. We will be doing the same to keep you updated on the many acts of kindness we are receiving!

“All of us, at some time or other, need help. Whether we’re giving or receiving help, each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world. That’s one of the things that connects us as neighbors”- Fred Rogers

#COVIDCARINGPOTTSTOWN

Our volunteers and employees have been busy helping us meet the growing demand by packing food boxes, distributing food, and restocking shelves.

We appreciate all of our volunteers especially those who continue working vigorously to ensure our neighbors struggling with hunger do not have to worry about how they will feed themselves or their families. Thank you!

Jill Dennin, Chair, Pottstown Cluster of Religious Commuities Development Committee, Board member, and volunteer

#COVIDCARINGPOTTSTOWN

As unemployment increases at a record-setting pace, we are seeing an uptick in the number of people and families who need our services. Knowing that our community is going through a tough time, many local community members and businesses have quickly and generously stepped in to help us respond to the growing demand and ensure we can continue to provide food security to our at-risk neighbors, as well as families who are experiencing lost wages and layoffs.

Our #COVIDCARINGPOTTSTOWN community makes our work possible!

#COVIDCARINGPOTTSTOWN

Working to Distribute and Deliver Food in Safe and Convenient Ways

Recent donations of new reusable bags from Redners, Giant, Pottstown GoFourth, Victory Bank, and First Quality Healthcare Group have helped ensure we can continue to distribute and deliver food in a safe and convenient way. A very special thank you to Eric White, Amy Wolf, Jennifer Delp, Deb Lee, and Jane Perkins for their support.

Keith Kovach at JB Supply, Inc. prevented us from experiencing a delay in food deliveries by allowing us to use their site and truck with needed lift gate. Also, Charlie Brian from Seneca Distributions, LLC generously helped us move a large quantity of food to the Pottstown YMCA.

COVIDCARINGPOTTSTOWN

Our dedicated volunteers have been busy helping us meet the growing demand by packing food boxes and bags, distributing food, and restocking shelves. Steve Palopoli, Sean Sullivan, Cyndi and Frank Cebular, Bill and Jan Morris, Jill Dennin, and Mary Blythe have been volunteering at our pantry each week since the start of the COVID-19 crisis. Also, Julianne Dallas and Kathy & Bob Haines have been delivering food boxes to homebound families and older at-risk adults who are unable to pick up food. They have been delivering food to our neighbors as volunteers for a while now, but really stepped up to help us during the COVID-19 crisis. We could not reach all of our families and seniors or continue to do what we do without them! Also, Rob and Paula Bickelman and Liz Peters have been consistently helping us at school sites each week to provide additional household food for families as we work to ensure our kids and their families are fed and can focus on health and growth, not hunger. We could not do it without them!

We appreciate all who remain dedicated and are currently working vigorously to ensure our neighbors struggling with hunger do not have to worry about how they will feed themselves or their families.

#COVIDCARINGPOTTSTOWN

Thanks to our friends at J.J. Ratigan Brewing Company and The Blue Elephant, we were able to distribute food and feed 1,500 first responders of Pottstown and surrounding communities! Donations were collected by Tri-County Community Network, US Foods, and Hurter Food Distributors. Watch the news coverage on WFMZ here.

COVIDCARINGPOTTSTOWN

The Alley on High Street, an open air space focused on fostering a community to gather, came up with a creative way to show their support when the COVID-19 crisis started. They sold “WASH YOUR HANDS” T-SHIRTS for $20 and donated the proceeds to support our mission and work.

#COVIDCARINGPOTTSTOWN

RocksStar Roller Derby found a unique way to follow social distance guidelines and provide entertainment to raise funds to support our local COVID-19 response efforts. The group hosted Facebook Stream-A-Thon and asked viewers to make a donation to support the Pottstown Cluster. All donors were even entered into a raffle for a chance to win a variety of local gift cards!

Without a sense of CARING, there can be no sense of COMMUNITY.