HOOVER FINANCIAL ADVISORS MEETS FALL FUNDS FOR FOOD GOAL

Malvern, PA – Each year, Hoover Financial Advisors, PC, conducts a Fall Funds for Food campaign to benefit Chester County Food Bank. Last year, HFA set a goal to raise $10,000 and actually brought in $12, 500. This year, the financial planning firm presented $15,000 to the local food bank. “With generous help from our clients, staff, vendors and colleagues, we reached our 2015 goal,” says Pete Hoover, CFP®, HFA president. “With each dollar contributed, the food bank can provide four meals or five pounds of non-perishable food.”

Chester County Food Bank stores and distributes food to more than 30 area food cupboards and 60 other meal sites and agencies at no charge. Since its inception in 2009, it has provided the equivalent of 1.7 million meals. In addition to raising money for the food bank, HFA provides sweat equity. Earlier this year, staff members worked in the kitchen at its Exton headquarters and at Charlestown Farm in Phoenixville. Last year HFA packed produce boxes and in past years, it pulled weeds and filled backpacks.

“It has been an interesting year,” notes Hoover. “Employment is up, always a good sign. Yet, there are over 70,000 households in Chester County Food Bank’s reach that do not have enough to feed their families. We are committed to helping these people, particularly as the holiday season approaches. It felt good to make our fundraising goal.”

HFA, which is headquartered on Moores Road in Malvern, was launched in 2005 by Hoover, who has been an independent financial advisor for more than 30 years. Since its inception, HFA has quadrupled in size. Employees include client relationship managers, financial planners, insurance and tax specialists, investment analyst and an information services manager. HFA selected as 2012 Small Business of the Year by Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry. For more information, visit its website at petehoover.com or call 610.651.2777. To learn about Chester County Food Bank, call 610.873.6000 or go to http://www.chestercountyfoodbank.org.

Get to know your Community at the Cluster Outreach Center at

Community Day Sponsored by Wegmans!

 

57 North Franklin Street, June 6th

10:00am to 1:00pm

Wegmans Leadership Group is committed to being part of Pottstown’s community life, setting an example of leadership and giving back to neighborhoods where they do business.  Wegmans has taken the Pottstown Cluster Outreach Center under their wing to offer their expertise and generosity on how to be more productive and efficient in our Food Pantry and Dry Goods Department.

After spending some time at the Cluster Outreach Center, Wegmans’ team brainstormed and came up with some new ideas, equipment and technology to run an efficient day to day operation to help better serve their clients.  Additional shelves will be installed to create more space; carts that are easier to manipulate will help transport food and dry goods throughout the building and coats, hats and gloves will now be used for volunteers in the walk-in refrigerator.

All these items and time are donated by Wegmans.  We decided to make the day a special event – Community Day!

Spotlight’s Off, But Reading’s Challenges Remain

A 1947 topographic map of the Reading, Pennsylvania area. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The journey to tell a television Christmas story in poverty-stricken Reading began two summers ago in holiday-decorated Hope Lutheran Church on North Front Street.

A national TV audience, estimated at more than 1.4 million homes, observed the 2012 Christmas Eve broadcast of “One Christmas Story: People Rich in Spirit,” a production of Odyssey Networks, a New York-based multifaith media coalition.

It was a story designed to depict Reading’s hope and faith amid economic challenges. At the time, it sparked energy and excitement.

But, one year later, at Christmas 2013, many of the city’s social challenges remain unchanged.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article/20131222/NEWS/312229955/1052#.UrbPPPRDsxI

Pottstown Cluster Of Religious Communities Announces Holiday Food And Toy Program

Join us for our Annual Holiday Program December 16, 2013- December 20, 2013

Annual Holiday Food and Toy Program

Each year the Pottstown Cluster holds its annual Holiday Food and Toy Program.  We offer a Holiday meal for 200 families and toys for over 400 children in the Pottstown area. We try to meet the needs for as many families as possible so each year that number increases. Your support and generosity will make this another successful year.

Additional Volunteers will be needed Friday December 13th through Friday December 20th, packing and distributing groceries and Holiday boxes, if you have a small van we need someone to help pick up some food donations; sorting toys and helping clients shop.

If you would like to donate or organize a drive, we are in need of unwrapped toys for children 16 years and younger for the Toy Program – just some suggesstions…..gift cards, educational toys, books, coloring books/crayons, DVDs, games, dolls, puzzles, sleeping bags, sports items….as long as they are age appropriate.  Have fun shopping!

Be part of our Adopt a Family program.  You can sponsor one family that is on our waiting list with a meal and presents.

For the Food box we still need eggs, butter, pie, milk and rolls.  However, we do not have the room to store these items so please drop them off December 17th.

If you have any questions, please contact Victoria Bumstead, Volunteer Coordinator

VBumstead@PottstownCluster.org or call 610-970-5995

Happy Holidays to eveyone!!!

Norristown Pie Festival Is A Delicious Way To Aid Food Cupboards

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

NORRISTOWN, PA — Local churches are the barometers of economic disparity in the West End. The once affluent community, with its stately homes lining Haws Avenue, has become a different sort of place. On streets lined with houses whose kitchens once knew bounty are the hungry citizens of contemporary Norristown.

The Rev. Sandra Etemad, rector of All Saints’ Episcopal Church, described area residents as “a lot of really hard working people that don’t have enough money.”

There are a number of food ministries in Norristown that work to alleviate hungry neighborhoods, from All Saints’ twice monthly Saturday dinners to Haws Avenue Methodist’s Sunday lunch.

The purpose of these meals is twofold. They serve those searching for sustenance and act as meeting places, where parishioners and other community members can gather for company. There are those who attend the meals for just a few minutes of conversation.

Read more:  http://www.timesherald.com/general-news/20130919/norristown-pie-festival-is-a-delicious-way-to-aid-food-cupboards

Booming Greater Berks Food Bank Considers Bigger Home

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Greater Berks Food Bank has seen its demand triple in the 18 years the organization has been in its Muhlenberg Township warehouse, and officials are eager to expand the facility or move into a larger building.

A feasibility study, initiated in June, is expected to wrap up this month and provide an idea of what that would cost.

“We simply are out of space and cannot do more at our current location,” executive director Peg Bianca said of the 19,500-square-foot warehouse off Tuckerton Road.

“We are constantly moving pallets of food out of the way to get to the products on the pallet behind them,” Bianca added, “and have been storing some of our inventory off site as well.”

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=501724

Pottstown Good Friday Prayer Procession Collects Food

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

POTTSTOWN, PA — In less than six weeks’ time, the greater Pottstown area has generated 14,711 food items and 669 containers of laundry detergent to benefit local families in need, filling The Mercury’s Community Media Lab many times over.

On Friday, 230 food items and 18 laundry items were added to the total.

Blogger Merrill of   Ivy Lane Designs   , dropped off 90 jars of peanut butter to The Mercury office Friday morning, and blogger Heather Graham of   There’s Drool in the Salsa!!   , was making her way to area drop-off points throughout the day to collect donated pet food and laundry detergent items, the total count of which was not available Friday afternoon.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20120407/NEWS01/120409556/-1/news/prayer-procession-collects-food-fill-the-media-lab-effort-just-shy-of-20-000-goal&pager=full_story