Lampeter-Strasburg /townlively
DECEMBER 9, 2020
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LVII • NO 33
Food Pantry Is Part Of Church’s Mission BY ANN MEAD ASH
hen Mission Church moved to 651 Lampeter Road, Lancaster, in the spring of 2018, members and staff set a goal. “We wanted to impact the community,” said Brian Bitler, director of operations and strategic advancement for the church. Opening a food pantry was a topic of discussion. “When the pandemic hit, we had two things,” recalled Bitler. “We had the facility … (and we had) people who rose up for that (challenge).” Armed with opportunity, space, and willing workers, Mission Church opened a food pantry that is available to all area residents. Mission Church operations coordinator Tammi Nolt stated that the Mission Food Pantry is generally open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon. “Once a month anyone can come pick up a box of food,” she said, noting that contact information will be requested from recipients but preregistration is not necessary. Each household is given one box of
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food weighing approximately 50 pounds, but Nolt said that other items are added when they are available. “This summer, we had a lot of produce, meat, and milk,” she said. “It depends on what our stock is.” Jeremiah Miller, director of facility management at the church, said that the box of nonperishable items generally contains cans of vegetables or fruit, canned meat, and a variety of pastas and sauce. He added that sometimes oatmeal or granola bars are included along with coffee, tea, and snacks. “Comfort food is always nice to have,” he said. In its first six months, the food pantry fed 1,000 different families. “We have provided about 2,500 boxes of food since we started,” Nolt said of the drive-through operation. Bitler noted that recipients pull up and are signed in by volunteers before receiving boxes of items. Personal care products and detergents are often available for those who ask. Currently, the church partners with Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and Blessings of Hope to fill
Youth Band’s Concert To Support Recovery Program BY DAYNA M. REIDENOUER
The Young Testament Band will perform a benefit concert for Potter’s House of Ruth at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 13. The event will be held at ACTS Covenant Fellowship, 1927 Wheatland Ave., Lancaster. Socially distanced seating will be available, and attendees may wear masks. Admission will be free of charge, but donations will be accepted for Potter’s House of Ruth, an addiction recovery and discipleship ministry. Potter’s House of Ruth See Youth Band Concert pg 2
Mission Church staff members (from left) Brian Bitler, Tammi Nolt, and Jeremiah Miller have helped to organize the church food pantry, which distributes boxes of food to area residents in need.
The Face Behind The Facebook Page BY DAYNA M. REIDENOUER
Brian Fulmer never planned to become a social media influencer, but that’s where he finds himself today. That is, Fulmer is the man behind the curtain of the Strasburgtoday Facebook page. Fulmer started the page five years ago after he began blogging to fill the vacuum created by the shutdown of Strasburg’s borough-specific newspaper. The blog never
caught on, but the Facebook page eventually exploded. “The first 100 followers were the hardest, but then some big stories happened. That’s when it really started to climb,” Fulmer recalled. “Once it hit 300 followers, it really started to speed up.” Page follows now exceed 1,000, a significant number considering that Strasburg has 3,000 residents. Of course, some of the Strasburgtoday followers do not live in the
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Blue Christmas Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Scout Packs Post Meetings . . . . . . . . . .5 L-S Fall Sports Wrap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Business Directory . . . . .10 House Of Worship . . . . . .13
See Strasburgtoday pg 4
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . .13
Brian Fulmer runs the Strasburgtoday Facebook page. His dog, Buddy, is the page’s mascot.
Picture P icture Perfect Perfect
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See Mission Church pg 2