Local organizations serve the community

from MCC_062123

by Engle Printing & Publishing Co., Inc

Elverson sets Day in the Park

BY FRANCINE FULTON

During a recent meeting of the Honey Brook Women’s Club, several local nonprofit organizations were presented with a donation. Representatives from the various groups were also given an opportunity to talk about their charitable work.

Steve Kern, fire chief at the Honey Brook Fire Company, reported that the all-volunteer organization receives an average of nearly one emergency call a day. “We have been pretty busy the last couple of months,” he said. “The area is continuing to grow, and our services are needed more. We also give mutual aid to 11 different fire companies.”

Matt Welch, battalion chief of Elverson-Honey Brook Area EMS, spoke about the importance of offering public safety training. “We have been focusing a lot on community outreach. We had a community CPR class, and we got 30 people who learned CPR and basic first aid,” he said. “We like to think that we are the first responders, but we’re not. The first people that help are the friends, neighbors and family members. The more training we can get to everybody out there … it could potentially save lives.”

Jennifer Spade, director of the Honey Brook Community Library, noted that the library is currently in the initial phases of an expansion project, thanks to a $1.14 million state grant provided by Sen. Katie Muth. “We are going from a rectangle to a U (shape building),” she explained. “One part of the U will be a community room and the other side will be all children’s and young adults (books). The existing library will become the adult (section). It’s pretty exciting.”

For more information, visit www.honeybrooklibrary.org.

Ivan Stoltzfus, who runs the Steeple to People ministry, explained that the program serves people in need by helping them spir- itually and financially. “Last year, we helped over 100 families with their rent. Some were homeless,” he said.

The organization raises funds through the Steeple to People gift shop, which is run by volunteers, including Ivan’s wife, Anna. Proceeds from the shop, 4670 Horseshoe Pike, Honey Brook, also go to the Honey Brook Youth Center, which provides activities such as arts and crafts, basketball and pingpong. For more information, visit www.honeybrookyouthcenter.com/ steeple-to-people.

Becky Zeeger, the Honey Brook Food Pantry (HBFP) volunteer coordinator, spoke about the pantry, which serves residents of the Twin Valley School District. “We serve around 140 families (at each distribution), and we serve twice a month,” she explained.

HBFP volunteer Bridget Lillis added that the clients of the pantry receive more than food items during distributions. “We have a wellness tent with a dietitian, and they can get their blood pressure checked. We have an under-4 program, so we give out diapers, wipes, food and educational materials,” she said.

Other services provided by the HBFP include a backpack program, which supplies extra food to children on the weekend, and a gardening program. During distributions, a Legal Aid representative is available to answer questions, and clients can choose items from the Anchored Ministries mobile clothing closet. To learn more, visit www.honeybrook foodpantry.org.

For children, there will be face painting, a barrel train, T-shirt painting, a petting zoo and a moon bounce. “New this year will be a scavenger hunt,” noted Prosser.

For sale in the park will be Elverson T-shirts. The T-shirts, available in green and tan, bear Elverson’s nickname, “The Greatest Square Mile.” “We will also be selling an Elverson history book, ‘Elverson, Our Community’ by Bob Patry. He was a wonderful historian,” said Prosser.

Twin Valley Fire Department will bring emergency vehicles, including fire trucks, and there will be an exotic animal show by Allison Ueland from Party Animals Express.

In addition, vendors will be on hand offering items for sale, and there will be displays by local organizations. “We will have close to 20 different local vendors,” Prosser noted.

Elverson Day in the Park is always held on the last Saturday in June. The tradition began in 2011 when Elverson residents celebrated the borough’s centennial by gathering at Livingood Park on a Saturday at the end of June. The event has been held each year since, with the exception of 2020, when the event was canceled because of the pandemic.

Planning begins in February or

March. “We meet monthly, and the last meeting is always at the park to (finalize plans),” Prosser noted. “I have a great young committee with kids of their own, so they know what kids like.”

For more information about Elverson Day in the Park, including cancellation information, visit www.elversonboro.org.

To kick off the day, Anchored Ministries will hold the third annual Elverson Community 5K and 1-mile fun run in the park. Check-in and registration will begin at 7:15 a.m. The 5K will start at 8 a.m., followed by the 1-mile fun run at 8:30 a.m. For more information or to register, visit www.AnchoredMinistries.org/5k. Funds raised from the event will go toward the charity’s annual back-toschool event, which provides brandnew backpacks, school supplies and more to students and families in the Twin Valley School District.

Shoes & Boots For The Whole Family

Lions president George Risbon presented the grants to the recipients, who were invited to speak briefly about the work of their organizations.

Other charitable endeavors that received grants from the club were Veterans Making a Difference, Lion James E. “Bing” Miller Charitable Foundation, Lions of Pennsylvania Foundation, Christian Motorcyclists Association (CMA) Run for the Son, Make-A-Wish, Angelman Syndrome Foundation, Pennsylvania Lions Sight Conservation & Eye Research Foundation, Leader Dogs for the

Blind, the Lions Eye Bank of Delaware Valley, Beacon Lodge and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

The Lions Club holds fundraisers to support the organizations. “We raise money throughout the year, and at the end of Lions year, which is June 30, we give it away to local organizations, some to international organizations and two scholarship winners from Twin Valley High School,” explained Honey Brook Lions Club member Art Pecht, Pennsylvania district governor. He added that the club raised money this past

Farm products guide published

The Chester County Ag Council has published the new edition of “The Chester County Farm Guide.” This publication features the county’s diverse array of farms and locally grown products from artisan cheeses, flowers, and wine to heirloom tomatoes, meats, and eggs. The guide, highlighting over 125 family-owned farms and markets, includes a map and farm addresses, plus a chart that indicates what is currently in season.

In this year’s guide, Farmer of the Year Jamie Hicks of Hicks IV in Cochranville cites sustainability and innovation as his primary business drivers. He sees opportunity in new markets and customers, including the hemp industry and partnering with online retailers looking for environmentally friendly packaging materials. But first and foremost, Hicks focuses on the soil health of the thousands of acres he leases.

The “Chester County Farm Guide” also celebrates the vibrant network of Chester County farmers and service providers who serve as the backbone of the local food system. Among the featured entities is Avon Grove Charter School’s Micro-Farm, which is making a big impact on over 1,000 students a year from the Avon Grove, Oxford, Coatesville, Kennett, Octorara, and year through the sale of calendars, a Fish Fry on Fridays during Lent, a golf outing and a potpie and chicken corn soup sale.

In addition to raising money, the club presents an annual Halloween Parade, a Breakfast with Santa and an Easter egg hunt - all of which are free and open to the community.

The club collects eyeglasses as part of a Lions Clubs International program. There are collection boxes in front of the Lions building and one at Eby’s General Store in Honey Brook. As part of the program, donated lenses are cleaned and repurposed.

The club also sponsors a Leo Club at Twin Valley middle and high schools, as well as Honey Brook Boy Scout and Cub Scout Pack 9, which meet at the community center.

The Lions Club, which has approximately 30 members including lifetime members, meets on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month at 6 p.m. at the community center. Prospective members are welcome to attend.

For more information about the Honey Brook Lions Club, visit www.facebook.com/HoneyBrook LionsClub.

Unionville regions. Micro-Farm manager and agriculture teacher Krista Lauterwald works with her fellow teachers and school administration to weave farming into everyday curricula with hands-on experiences like caring for the school’s livestock, “Bee Academy,” and hydroponic garden systems in the greenhouse.

The Chester County Farm Guide is available free of charge at libraries, township and county offices, Kimberton Whole Foods locations, and select farm stands across the county. Readers may also access the guide at www.chescofarming.org.

Our community papers (Merchandiser, Advertiser, Pennysaver and Community Courier) had a strong showing at the Mid-Atlantic Community Papers Association (MACPA) 2022 awards competition. MACPA is an association of publishers in Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington D.C. Our 2022 awards include the following: