MCCC West Campus Culinary Student Pays It Forward In Pottstown With Meals Program

Location of Pottstown in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here is some excellent Pottstown news! 

A culinary student at Montgomery County Community College‘s West Campus in Pottstown is doing something to help the struggling residents of Pottstown by offering a free meal to those in need!

It’s so gratifying to see young people get involved with the community!   They bring such enthusiasm and energy to the table! Many times they think of great solutions to problems because they have the ability to think outside the traditional “box”.

This young woman needs your help and here is her story –

A Pottstown local, Julia Zion, MCCC culinary student, recently reached out to the folks of Occupy Pottstown and offspring groups, to request a little help with a very cool community project she has just started.  It’s called Wednesday Night Community Meals.  This is a pretty simple, yet powerful idea, and it goes like this:

Every Wednesday through August Julia provides a meal at the little park at Washington and Chestnut Streets in Pottstown at 7 PM.  Food and drinks are brought in and served and tables and chairs need to get to and from the playground at Zion Church.  The meal is open to the community, but is intended for those who may not have a lot of food to put on their tables now, etc.  She has had about 18 people attend the meals, but plans for up to 30.  One of Julia’s desires is to give some Pottstown folks a hand-up via a good meal.  Period.  Simple, right?

Julia is looking for some local groups to take this project on with her through the summer.  Julia could really use some volunteers and food to be donated for this Wednesday, June 27th.  But on any Wednesday during the summer, Julia can use all the help she can get!

This would be a great project for churches, scout groups, service organizations, local corporations etc…

If you would like to donate food, money or your time, please contact this amazing young woman at juliazion@ymail.com.  She would LOVE to hear from you!

Pottstown Rumble Crowns Men’s Open Champions

POTTSTOWN, PA — With the second day of the 21st annual Pottstown Rumble came the champions.

The men’s open championship, the marquee event of the sprawling volleyball tournament at Pottstown Memorial Park, was taken by two men from as far away from Pottstown as you can get.

Andrey Belov’s missile-like serves brought he and his partner, Dana Camacho, the top prize of $4,000 in what many consider the premier grass volleyball event on the east coast.

Belov, a tall Russian from St. Petersburg with arms as long as canoe oars, said the Rumble was his first grass tournament in the U.S. His partner, Camacho, a tattooed, laid-back Californian from Venice Beach, recruited Belov to the tournament with the goal of smoking the competition.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20120625/NEWS01/120629633/rumble-crowns-men-s-open-champions

Pottstown’s Fourth Of July Event Schedule

This year the 4th of July activities span three days starting Monday evening, July 2nd and culminating with the fireworks display on Wednesday, July 4th at 10:00pm!

Click here to see the entire three day schedule of events:http://pottstown4th.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/july-4th-2012-schedule.pdf

Schools’ Financial Squeeze Gives Rise To Questions About Future Of Early Education In Pennsylvania

Editor’s note:  If you read the rest of the article you’ll see a list of districts who are struggling.

On Wednesday, we’ll know if Harrisburg will become the first school district in the state to eliminate kindergarten.

Maybe the novel idea to privately pay for kindergarten through tax credits for businesses will come through, maybe it won’t. Maybe the state will suddenly increase school funding.

Or maybe, as parents have feared all spring, 5-year-olds will spend this fall at home instead of in a classroom.

Looking at the school district — another annual deficit, another year of cutting programs, owing $471 million on past projects — it’s easy to think Harrisburg is the worst example of a broken system.

Read more: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/06/schools_financial_squeeze_give.html

Pennsylvania Lawmakers Eye Private Sector Role In Transportation Projects

Map of Pennsylvania, showing major cities and roads (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  It’s about time we look to the private sector for solutions.  Government gets in the way!

Something has to give.

Pennsylvania has far more transportation projects that need to get done than it has money for. In fact, the state is facing a $3.5 billion shortfall in government funding for transportation.

And since an overhaul in funding methods is unlikely to happen overnight at the federal or state level, Pennsylvania lawmakers are looking to what they say could be baby steps toward a fix.

One proposal in Harrisburg would allow the private sector to invest in Pennsylvania’s transportation system through an arrangement called a public-private partnership, or P3.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=395997