Community Partners - A Quiet Donation

By Edward Blanchette

Here at Amish Country News, we have spotlighted many community and charity endeavors throughout the years since we started the publication in 1989. From auctions to community breakfasts, we’ve covered a large majority of opportunities that give back to the Amish, Mennonite, and English communities we serve. For us, it’s all about getting those messages out to make everyone aware. And sometimes, that’s half the battle.

But there’s one charity, and its community of partners, that each and everyday makes a quiet donation to assist in giving the kids and their families a fighting chance to deal with those overwhelming health challenges that a child may be experiencing and still have their family close by for continued support. The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Pennsylvania. www. rmhc-centralpa.org

So, what does this all have to do with Amish Country News? I’ve been asked, from time to time, what do we do with the leftover magazines after each issue? Some we archive for future, as well as subscriber requests for back issues. But a little-known fact is, once a new issue comes out and gets distributed to the 400 (+/-) distribution locations throughout Central Pennsylvania, we also collect the previous issue. This way our distribution points don’t have to deal with the clutter and expense of past issues laying around. Roughly, three percent of 295,000 copies (+/-) annually get reclaimed for recycling.

There are multiple Container Collection locations supplied by CSR Inc. (Consolidated Scrap Resources) throughout the communities they serve www.consolidatedscrap.com

The one we use is located behind the McDonalds located at 1434 Manheim Pike, Lancaster, PA 17601. Once the container is filled, the contents of the container are taken back to be recycled and the proceeds are donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities that assist those Kids and Families in need.

When the containers are full, a call is made to Consolidated Scrap Resources, Inc. to pick up the containers. They process the contents and sell them to a paper mill, which turns the discarded paper into new magazine paper. A portion of the proceeds from each ton of paper collected comes directly to RMHC-CP. Since this program began in 2004, over $379,000 has been raised by recycling over 14,000 tons of glossy paper.

Other silent partners are Penn State Children’s Hospital, Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, and all of the McDonald’s Restaurants Owner/ Operators. There are more contributors and partnerships, but the above are just a few that help to make this charity work every day and find continued hope and success for those kids and their families. So, the next time you clean out that garage, shed, attic, or basement, and you have a bunch of magazines you need to get rid of.

Remember to make that “quiet donation” that helps out a kid and their family along the way. Have a positive day! Be safe, be kind, and stay positive.

Drop glossy magazines ONLY into the green containers at the locations below. At this time, we do not anticipate adding any additional containers. Location information is subject to change, please check here for any updates before dropping off your magazines.

Elizabethtown – Formerly Darrenkamp’s Market, 191 Ridgeview Road South

Ephrata – Public Works Complex, off Church Avenue

Harrisburg – Harrisburg Area Community College, Industrial Road Gate 2

Hershey – Ronald McDonald House, 745 West Governor Road (Route 322)

Lancaster – McDonald’s, 1434 Manheim Pike, Rear Lot

Lancaster – West Lampeter

Township, 852 Village Road, Lampeter, PA (Rear)

Lebanon – Greater Lebanon Refuse Authority, 1610 Russell Road (Mon-Fri 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Sat 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.)

Manheim – Logan Park – W. Ferdinand Street Parking Lot

Mechanicsburg – Mechanicsburg Middle School, 1750 South Market

Street – (Mon-Fri after 4 p.m. and Sat. & Sun. any time)

Palmyra – Corner of E. Broad & N. Prince Streets (NEW LOCATION as of December 2022)

York – Consolidated Scrap Resources, 120 Hokes Mill Road. (Mon –Friday 7 am to 4 pm only)

IMPORTANT – PLEASE NOTE Containers are marked “MAGAZINES ONLY” so that other non-glossy paper, plastic bags, cardboard and other trash are not deposited. Please use slots on BOTH sides of containers. Please do not reopen slots that have been closed.

If you have a very large collection (i.e., trunk or truckload), please make sure there is room in the container before you make the trip. Magazines cannot be left outside the container or stored on site. Thank you!

Ronald McDonald House

History at a Glance:

1984 – Welcomed first guest family –The Ronald McDonald House in Hershey opened its doors on November 19th and welcomed the first guest family to the original 13-bedroom home

1993 – Eight-bedroom wing added –An eight-bedroom wing was added to the Ronald McDonald House in Hershey and is dedicated to the memory of Bob Burgess and his daughter Pamela, through the Burgess Foundation

2000 – Ronald McDonald family room opened – The Ronald McDonald family room was opened at Penn State Children’s Hospital, featuring a living room that converts to provide overnight accommodations, kitchen, computers, laundry area, and shower

2009 – Groundbreaking for Expansion – Ground was broken to expand the 21-bedroom Ronald McDonald House to 35 bedrooms

2010 – Grand Opening after expansion –Grand opening of expended 35-bedroom Ronald McDonald House

2013 – Hospitality Cart – The Hospitality Cart debuts at Penn State Children’s Hospital supplying pediatric patients and their families with snacks, small games, arts, crafts, and personal care items

2013 – Family Room Renovated –The Ronald McDonald family room is renovated with new appliances and furniture

2019 – Ronald McDonald Hospitality

Kiosk – The Ronald McDonald Hospitality Kiosk opened at Lancaster General Hospital providing a welcoming environment; offering nourishing snacks, drinks, health & beauty aids, small activities, and a place of respite for families while their child is receiving essential pediatric care.

Lititz

Cont’d from Page 23

For about a hundred years, Moravian church members were the only people permitted to live in town. A Brothers’ House and Sisters’ House were erected for the unmarried, although they did not live communally. It was not until 1855 that non–Moravians were allowed to own their own houses. The Brothers’ House played a role in the American Revolution. George Washington ordered it used as a military hospital between 1777–78. Some 1,000 soldiers were nursed here, about half of whom died and were buried nearby.

Two names are linked forever with the history of Lititz—Sturgis and Sutter. It was Julius Sturgis who opened the first commercial pretzel bakery in the New World in Lititz. The year was 1861, and the site at 219 East Main Street is on the National Register of Historic Places. A tour of the bakery is unlike any other. Inside, you get to try your hand at pretzel twisting. It’s not as easy as it looks. Guests also may see the old brick bake ovens, as well as the more modern facilities. The bakery can be reached at 717.626.4354.

John Sutter was born in Switzerland and in 1834, fleeing creditors in Europe, arrived in New York. He headed west and sailed up the Sacramento River to begin a settlement. By 1848, work was being done on a mill when some gold flakes were spotted in the water. Soon Gold Rush fever struck and Sutter’s land was overrun. Because of his need to be near Washington, D.C. while seeking reimbursement for his lost lands, the Sutters stayed one summer at the Springs Hotel in Lititz. They decided to settle there, and promptly bought a home and placed their children in school. The inn once named the General Sutter Inn, is now known as the Lititz Springs Inn. The Sutter home built in 1871 is across the street at 19 East Main St. It was in a Washington hotel room where Sutter died in 1880, still involved in unsuccessful attempts at redress from the government for his seized lands. Sutter, a Lutheran, was buried in the Moravian cemetery, normally reserved for Moravian church members.

An (s) after name denotes Open Sunday. An * before name denotes coupon.

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