‘Quakertown Cares’ Campaign Underway! The air is getting crisp. The leaves are turning a glorious orange and red. The squirrels are hunting for nuts. These are all clearly signs of… the beginning of year 29 of the “Quakertown Cares “campaign! It’s hard to believe that little “Quakertown Cares” will be 30 next year, considering it began with a handful of community leaders and the help of the original Free Press. But the biggest key to its longevity and success is the community. The Quakertown area, its nearby locales really do care. And that has never changed. “Quakertown Cares” continues to be an allvolunteer charity with a wholly local focus. All recipients are our Quakertown area neighborsresidents of the local Quakertown Community School District. Note the word, community. The district felt that that it was very important that the word “community” be included in its name. Because community has always been considered important in the Quakertown Borough and the townships included in the district. Groups assisted by “Cares” include school district and preschool families, veterans, and senior citizens. School counselors and community social workers and volunteers are referral sources. “Quakertown Cares” is already hard at work!
Within the past two weeks, “Cares” distributed Giant food cards to 152 local senior citizens who live in subsidized housing, to 16 local veterans, to eight Head Start families, and to dozens of school families and other seniors with food insecurity or other economic need. “Cares” also provides $1,000 annually to support area seniors through social workers at the Bucks County Area Agency on Aging Foundation. During the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, “Quakertown Cares” will provide 150 local individuals and families Giant food cards to purchase turkeys and fixings for Thanksgiving, with the help of Classic Staffing Services of Quakertown. During last year's fundraising campaign, the community and school district staff members contributed over $50,000, including "angel" contributions from the Zeigler Family Foundation, an anonymous Quakertown business, and QNB. These funds assisted 450 individuals and families. Little, local “Quakertown Cares” accomplishes BIG things with the help of caring individuals, businesses, organizations, churches and the local school district as well as this paper! Numerous contributors have already given to the cause, and have a nearly three-decade history of loyal support. Likewise, several volunteers
have been leaders of “Quakertown Cares” since its founding. The Upper Bucks Free Press is a supporting partner, following in the tradition of the charity's original organizer, The Free Press, a daily newspaper, which began the campaign in 1995. “Quakertown Cares” is a 501(c)(3) charity, so all contributions are tax-deductible. The fundraiser has no administrative expenses. Every dollar of contributions is distributed to neighbors with food insecurity or other economic need. “Cares” has no employees, only volunteer leaders. An area church, Quakertown United Methodist, periodically contributes a "special collection" to the campaign to assist neighbors with compelling needs. Early in this new 2023-24 campaign, the church has already donated $788. And there have been other early contributors, including an anonymous Quakertown Borough resident ($100) and Christopher and Brenda Roth ($500). The campaign has officially begun! Contributions may be sent to “Quakertown Cares”, c/o QNB, P.O. Box 9005, Quakertown, PA 18951, or be dropped off at any QNB branch.
