Above: Volunteers at Mitzvah Circle
Discover Giving: The Joy of Sharing the Season's Bounty
This article originally appeared in the Holiday 2019 edition of Discover Lansdale Magazine.
By Bruce Schwartz, Editor, Discover Lansdale Magazine
Lansdale Borough has always had the reputation of a town with a heart. And at no time does that heart beat stronger than at the holidays.
As we shop for friends and family, we also often consider the best way to support those causes and charities that mean the most to us. But not all causes are well-known, and not all needs are obvious. So in the spirit of the season, we reached out to local organizations to come up with just a handful of ideas.
We’d start by suggesting that you remember friends and neighbors that serve critical community needs: Donating to and volunteering with Fairmount Volunteer Fire Company (www.fairmountfireco.com/fund-raising), contributing to the Lansdale Public Library (www.lansdalelibrary.org/donate); and supporting the Volunteer Medical Service Corps of Lansdale (www.vmsclansdale.org/). And the North Penn Valley Boys and Girls Club (www.npvclub.org/donate) can always use your help with funds, gifts and snacks.
Other causes that generate a lot of local support include Variety Club, for children and young adults with disabilities (www.varietyphila.org); and Operation Enduring Warrior, dedicated to honoring, empowering and motivating our wounded heroes (www.enduringwarrior.org).
Then, in the spirit of supporting those less fortunate and folks in times of crisis, here are just a few of the many home-grown and locally focused agencies, all opportunities to give of yourself over the holiest of seasons.
By Bruce Schwartz, Editor, Discover Lansdale Magazine
Lansdale Borough has always had the reputation of a town with a heart. And at no time does that heart beat stronger than at the holidays.
As we shop for friends and family, we also often consider the best way to support those causes and charities that mean the most to us. But not all causes are well-known, and not all needs are obvious. So in the spirit of the season, we reached out to local organizations to come up with just a handful of ideas.
We’d start by suggesting that you remember friends and neighbors that serve critical community needs: Donating to and volunteering with Fairmount Volunteer Fire Company (www.fairmountfireco.com/fund-raising), contributing to the Lansdale Public Library (www.lansdalelibrary.org/donate); and supporting the Volunteer Medical Service Corps of Lansdale (www.vmsclansdale.org/). And the North Penn Valley Boys and Girls Club (www.npvclub.org/donate) can always use your help with funds, gifts and snacks.
Other causes that generate a lot of local support include Variety Club, for children and young adults with disabilities (www.varietyphila.org); and Operation Enduring Warrior, dedicated to honoring, empowering and motivating our wounded heroes (www.enduringwarrior.org).
Then, in the spirit of supporting those less fortunate and folks in times of crisis, here are just a few of the many home-grown and locally focused agencies, all opportunities to give of yourself over the holiest of seasons.
Manna holiday dinner at St. John's UCC, Lansdale.
Give sustenance.
You can’t talk about charity in town without starting with the best-known and largest organization in the region. Manna on Main Street has been fighting food insecurity for nearly 40 years. Started by a group of volunteers at St. John’s UCC, Manna has grown into an operation that funnels hundreds of thousands of pounds of groceries and serves thousands of hot meals to those in need. An affiliate of Philabundance, Manna also has several annual holiday projects, including assembling holiday grocery baskets and serving an annual dinner at St. John’s.
But hunger is a year-round problem. Manna asks that those who wish to donate food make a commitment to extend into next year’s fallow winter months. And you can always check the pantry’s current needs at www.mannaonmain.org/give-food/what-is-needed.
Also on Manna’s annual plate: Hope for the Holidays, a drive to collects $25 Walmart gift cards to distribute to families in need, to give parents a dignified opportunity to shop for gifts for their children. Drop off gift-card donations by Friday, Dec. 6 (www.mannaonmain.org/hope-for-the-holidays-program). And LOTS of volunteers are always needed and welcomed at Manna’s Pantry and Kitchen; check in at www.mannaonmain.org/give-time/how-to-volunteer.
-- Manna on Main Street, 606 E. Main St., Lansdale, (215) 855-5454, email [email protected]
Also: A 50-year-old tradition at St. John’s, the White Gift program collects new gifts to deliver to regional organizations to distribute to families in need. Hundreds of gifts are brought forward at a special Sunday service, but the public is invited to donate as well. All appropriate gifts are welcome, particularly toys and clothing for children. Wrap gifts in plain white paper and clearly mark size, gender and appropriate age range on the outside in ink. Drop off during the week, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., before this year’s service on Dec. 8. More info at www.st-johns-ucc.org/our-history/advent-christmas-at-st-johns.
-- St. John’s UCC, 500 W. Main St., Lansdale, (215) 855-5489, email [email protected]
You can’t talk about charity in town without starting with the best-known and largest organization in the region. Manna on Main Street has been fighting food insecurity for nearly 40 years. Started by a group of volunteers at St. John’s UCC, Manna has grown into an operation that funnels hundreds of thousands of pounds of groceries and serves thousands of hot meals to those in need. An affiliate of Philabundance, Manna also has several annual holiday projects, including assembling holiday grocery baskets and serving an annual dinner at St. John’s.
But hunger is a year-round problem. Manna asks that those who wish to donate food make a commitment to extend into next year’s fallow winter months. And you can always check the pantry’s current needs at www.mannaonmain.org/give-food/what-is-needed.
Also on Manna’s annual plate: Hope for the Holidays, a drive to collects $25 Walmart gift cards to distribute to families in need, to give parents a dignified opportunity to shop for gifts for their children. Drop off gift-card donations by Friday, Dec. 6 (www.mannaonmain.org/hope-for-the-holidays-program). And LOTS of volunteers are always needed and welcomed at Manna’s Pantry and Kitchen; check in at www.mannaonmain.org/give-time/how-to-volunteer.
-- Manna on Main Street, 606 E. Main St., Lansdale, (215) 855-5454, email [email protected]
Also: A 50-year-old tradition at St. John’s, the White Gift program collects new gifts to deliver to regional organizations to distribute to families in need. Hundreds of gifts are brought forward at a special Sunday service, but the public is invited to donate as well. All appropriate gifts are welcome, particularly toys and clothing for children. Wrap gifts in plain white paper and clearly mark size, gender and appropriate age range on the outside in ink. Drop off during the week, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., before this year’s service on Dec. 8. More info at www.st-johns-ucc.org/our-history/advent-christmas-at-st-johns.
-- St. John’s UCC, 500 W. Main St., Lansdale, (215) 855-5489, email [email protected]
Holiday gift packs at Laurel House.
Give shelter.
Since 1980, victims of domestic violence across Montgomery County have had a place to turn with Laurel House (www.laurel-house.org), which offers emergency response, shelter, transitional housing and counseling services. And Laurel House turns to the community for support, particularly during the holiday season.
Says executive director Beth Sturman, “In the shelter, we don’t know till the last minute who will be with us on the holidays, so a lot of people and groups like to provide clothing and wish-list supplies.” She notes that Laurel House sets up a holiday shop at its East Norriton office “where parents can shop for their kids.”
Besides cash, donations of new items such as pajamas, winter coats, gloves, hats and boots – “the typical things you would give to kids for a winter holiday” – as well as the needs of the shelter, including cleaning supplies, diapers and so on, can be dropped off at the office or at Laurel’s Loft Thrift Store at 1800 N. Broad Street, just north of Lansdale. (Laurel’s Loft accepts used items; all sales benefit the agency.)
Volunteers are also welcomed, “especially in the office setting up the holiday store,” she says. “Volunteers help shoppers find or pick out toys – they help with the ‘shopping.’ It’s fun.”
-- Laurel House, 180 West Germantown Pike, East Norriton; (610) 277-1860, or 24-hour emergency hotline (800) 642-3150; email [email protected]
Also: On the most bitter of winter evenings, Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church opens its doors to shelter the homeless. Part of Montgomery County’s emergency system, the Code Blue system (www.trinitylansdale.com/code-blue) provides safe, warm overnight lodging (for men only), and serves dinner and breakfast. Trinity Lutheran is always looking for volunteers to help staff three shifts – intake, overnight and breakfast/cleanup – as well as donations of packaged snacks, water, waterproof gloves and hats, and so on.
-- Trinity Lutheran Church, 1000 W. Main St., Lansdale; (215) 368-1710; email [email protected]
Since 1980, victims of domestic violence across Montgomery County have had a place to turn with Laurel House (www.laurel-house.org), which offers emergency response, shelter, transitional housing and counseling services. And Laurel House turns to the community for support, particularly during the holiday season.
Says executive director Beth Sturman, “In the shelter, we don’t know till the last minute who will be with us on the holidays, so a lot of people and groups like to provide clothing and wish-list supplies.” She notes that Laurel House sets up a holiday shop at its East Norriton office “where parents can shop for their kids.”
Besides cash, donations of new items such as pajamas, winter coats, gloves, hats and boots – “the typical things you would give to kids for a winter holiday” – as well as the needs of the shelter, including cleaning supplies, diapers and so on, can be dropped off at the office or at Laurel’s Loft Thrift Store at 1800 N. Broad Street, just north of Lansdale. (Laurel’s Loft accepts used items; all sales benefit the agency.)
Volunteers are also welcomed, “especially in the office setting up the holiday store,” she says. “Volunteers help shoppers find or pick out toys – they help with the ‘shopping.’ It’s fun.”
-- Laurel House, 180 West Germantown Pike, East Norriton; (610) 277-1860, or 24-hour emergency hotline (800) 642-3150; email [email protected]
Also: On the most bitter of winter evenings, Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church opens its doors to shelter the homeless. Part of Montgomery County’s emergency system, the Code Blue system (www.trinitylansdale.com/code-blue) provides safe, warm overnight lodging (for men only), and serves dinner and breakfast. Trinity Lutheran is always looking for volunteers to help staff three shifts – intake, overnight and breakfast/cleanup – as well as donations of packaged snacks, water, waterproof gloves and hats, and so on.
-- Trinity Lutheran Church, 1000 W. Main St., Lansdale; (215) 368-1710; email [email protected]
Photo courtesy Mitzvah Circle
Give support.
For those who slip through the holes of the “safety net,” Mitzvah Circle Foundation supplies emergency needs and support. A project that started in founder Fran Held’s garage more than a decade ago, the low-profile volunteer nonprofit has grown to fill a Harleysville warehouse and serve nearly 50,000 clients in crisis each year.
“There are lots of people left behind who need basics for daily living – clothes, diapers, toiletries, basics needs for daily living,” says Held, “people struggling with poverty, illness, job loss, families that can’t dig out.”
“We get referrals from over 250 organizations, hospitals, school guidance counselors, faith-based services and so on,” says Held. “The need is tremendous.”
Mitzvah Circle delivers essentials directly to the homes of their families, within about a 40-minute radius. “A lot of the people we get are people who other people can’t help,” she says. “They need everything, but also need transportation. ... When you’re that much in crisis, you don’t have the bandwidth to go to dozen different agencies.” Mitzvah Circle needs nearly 900 volunteers a month to sort, pack, deliver and more (www.mitzvahcircle.org/volunteer.php).
And those desperately needed basic items, especially this time or year, range from a simple set of kids’ sneakers for school sports, to warm coats for youths and snowsuits for toddlers. “We never have enough winter coats for kids,” she says. Also: gently used or new clothing, household goods, toys, books and gloves; hats (only new); toiletries including toothbrushes, toothpaste, baby soap and baby wipes (as well as cash to buy diapers through their volume-purchasing Diaper Bank). Full list at www.mitzvahcircle.org/donation-items.php.
-- Mitzvah Circle, 1561 Gehman Road, Harleysville; (267) 649-7610 to donate, or for assistance, (215) 828-6647; email [email protected]
For those who slip through the holes of the “safety net,” Mitzvah Circle Foundation supplies emergency needs and support. A project that started in founder Fran Held’s garage more than a decade ago, the low-profile volunteer nonprofit has grown to fill a Harleysville warehouse and serve nearly 50,000 clients in crisis each year.
“There are lots of people left behind who need basics for daily living – clothes, diapers, toiletries, basics needs for daily living,” says Held, “people struggling with poverty, illness, job loss, families that can’t dig out.”
“We get referrals from over 250 organizations, hospitals, school guidance counselors, faith-based services and so on,” says Held. “The need is tremendous.”
Mitzvah Circle delivers essentials directly to the homes of their families, within about a 40-minute radius. “A lot of the people we get are people who other people can’t help,” she says. “They need everything, but also need transportation. ... When you’re that much in crisis, you don’t have the bandwidth to go to dozen different agencies.” Mitzvah Circle needs nearly 900 volunteers a month to sort, pack, deliver and more (www.mitzvahcircle.org/volunteer.php).
And those desperately needed basic items, especially this time or year, range from a simple set of kids’ sneakers for school sports, to warm coats for youths and snowsuits for toddlers. “We never have enough winter coats for kids,” she says. Also: gently used or new clothing, household goods, toys, books and gloves; hats (only new); toiletries including toothbrushes, toothpaste, baby soap and baby wipes (as well as cash to buy diapers through their volume-purchasing Diaper Bank). Full list at www.mitzvahcircle.org/donation-items.php.
-- Mitzvah Circle, 1561 Gehman Road, Harleysville; (267) 649-7610 to donate, or for assistance, (215) 828-6647; email [email protected]
Dog Town Rescue photos with Santa
Give love.
For animal lovers, nothing reaffirms our innate humanity more than adopting a rescued and sheltered pet. And there are a number of local ways to do so, as well as to donate needed blankets, food and supplies, and to foster dogs or cats in transition.
Home At Last Dog Rescue just opened a new location in Lansdale, and while they don’t directly shelter dogs there, you can get information on their programs and peruse the pups available for adoption (open during event hours). The volunteer organization’s goal is to save the lives of homeless dogs suffering in high-kill shelters, as well as owner-surrender dogs who need to be re-homed due to unfortunate circumstances. They place pups in foster homes until adopted, and are always in need of foster folks for our furry friends. They also accept donations at www.homeatlastdogrescue.com/fund. But, of course, the ultimate gift is to turn your home into a forever home for a lucky dog.
-- Home at Last Dog Rescue, 100 W. Main St., Lansdale; email [email protected]
Dog Town Rescue (www.dogtownrescue.org) makes regular rounds of area events with their adoptable, adorable pooches. The volunteer nonprofit spun off from doggie daycare facility Dog Town in Colmar in 2013, with a mission to rescue Rovers from shelters with a high risk of euthanasia. Cash donations are always welcome, as are dropped-off items such as Simple Green, bleach, paper towels and laundry detergent. Or just pick a pup and adopt! Particularly cute: the annual Puppy Photo with Santa (date TBD).
-- Dog Town Rescue, 252 Bethlehem Pike, Colmar; (267) 308-0459; [email protected]
Stray Cat Blues (www.straycatblues.org) has been rescuing stray, abandoned and feral cats in Montgomery and Bucks for 20 years. All are screened for illness, inoculated and sterilized; healthy, adoptable cats are then housed through a network of foster homes. Spokesperson Sussi Seybert says nearly 1,000 cats are adopted each year; volunteers are always in demand to work in the adoption center, and funds and supplies are always needed, including food, litter, formula and baby nipples. Fosters of course are always needed for the organization’s care network. But, here again, the ultimate goal is finding the purrrrr-fect feline family. Adoption events are at PetSmart in Montgomeryville and Collegeville, and Whiskers Way in Lansdale.
-- Stray Cat Blues, PO Box 8, Colmar; (215) 631-1851; [email protected]
For animal lovers, nothing reaffirms our innate humanity more than adopting a rescued and sheltered pet. And there are a number of local ways to do so, as well as to donate needed blankets, food and supplies, and to foster dogs or cats in transition.
Home At Last Dog Rescue just opened a new location in Lansdale, and while they don’t directly shelter dogs there, you can get information on their programs and peruse the pups available for adoption (open during event hours). The volunteer organization’s goal is to save the lives of homeless dogs suffering in high-kill shelters, as well as owner-surrender dogs who need to be re-homed due to unfortunate circumstances. They place pups in foster homes until adopted, and are always in need of foster folks for our furry friends. They also accept donations at www.homeatlastdogrescue.com/fund. But, of course, the ultimate gift is to turn your home into a forever home for a lucky dog.
-- Home at Last Dog Rescue, 100 W. Main St., Lansdale; email [email protected]
Dog Town Rescue (www.dogtownrescue.org) makes regular rounds of area events with their adoptable, adorable pooches. The volunteer nonprofit spun off from doggie daycare facility Dog Town in Colmar in 2013, with a mission to rescue Rovers from shelters with a high risk of euthanasia. Cash donations are always welcome, as are dropped-off items such as Simple Green, bleach, paper towels and laundry detergent. Or just pick a pup and adopt! Particularly cute: the annual Puppy Photo with Santa (date TBD).
-- Dog Town Rescue, 252 Bethlehem Pike, Colmar; (267) 308-0459; [email protected]
Stray Cat Blues (www.straycatblues.org) has been rescuing stray, abandoned and feral cats in Montgomery and Bucks for 20 years. All are screened for illness, inoculated and sterilized; healthy, adoptable cats are then housed through a network of foster homes. Spokesperson Sussi Seybert says nearly 1,000 cats are adopted each year; volunteers are always in demand to work in the adoption center, and funds and supplies are always needed, including food, litter, formula and baby nipples. Fosters of course are always needed for the organization’s care network. But, here again, the ultimate goal is finding the purrrrr-fect feline family. Adoption events are at PetSmart in Montgomeryville and Collegeville, and Whiskers Way in Lansdale.
-- Stray Cat Blues, PO Box 8, Colmar; (215) 631-1851; [email protected]
