Morgantown/Honey Brook /townlively
JANUARY 27, 2021
)HEUXDU\ LV 1DWLRQDO 7KDQN D 0DLO &DUULHU 'D\
THANK YOU MAIL CARRIERS!
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL XXVIII • NO 52
Goats Feast On Christmas Trees BY FRANCINE FULTON
A Little Free Pantry food box was recent- Library director Maria Long (right) and Nathan Lutz ly installed at the Hearts In Hand Com(left), shown with his children, Elijah and Elizabeth, at munity Center located in Honey Brook. the Little Free Pantry food box at the Village Library of Morgantown.
While many people are sad to see their live trees come down after Christmas, there is one group that cannot wait for the end of the holiday season - goats. According to local goat farmer Lynne Reid of Amazing Acres Goat Dairy in Elverson, goats love eating all parts of the tree from the needles to the branches. “Goats will eat the needles, finer branches and even the bark of Christmas trees,” she said. “Pine needles provide trace nutrients, minerals and forage. There are claims that pine trees act as a natural dewormer.”
Boxes Offer Free Food To The Community BY FRANCINE FULTON
eople in need of food for themselves or their families are invited to pick up canned goods, pasta, cereal, peanut butter and other nonperishables at one of three Little Free Pantry boxes that have been installed in the community. The boxes also contain personal care items. The first box, located at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Honey Brook, was installed by church member Nathan Lutz in November 2020. Lutz installed a second box on Jan. 14 at the Village Library of Morgantown and a third box on Jan. 16 at the Hearts In Hands Community Center located in the Indian Run mobile home park in Honey Brook. Lutz explained that the boxes were provided by It Takes a Village, a nonprofit organization based in Coatesville that has installed and maintains several food boxes in that area. “I (placed) the first box, and I had two more boxes that needed locations. I wanted (one) to be here at the library. I presented it to the township (for approval),” explained Lutz.
“As a Gold Star Library, (a status that) we recently received, we pride ourselves on different values as a library and doing good things for the community,” Long stated. The box, which Lutz cemented into the ground, is located in front of the library building near the picnic area. In addition to food items, Long also added face masks to the box for people who need them during the pandemic. Long said having the box installed is part of the library’s efforts to achieve goals established by the Pennsylvania Library Association’s PA Forward program. The goals include basic literacy, information literacy, civic and social literary, health literacy and financial literacy.
“As a Gold Star Library, (a status that) we recently received, we pride ourselves on different values as a library and doing good things for the community,” Long stated. “Our library has goals to achieve in five literacies. This definitely falls with excellence in serving our community in health and in civic and social literacy.’” She noted that the library plans to have children decorate or paint the box in the spring. In order to keep the boxes filled, community members are welcome to donate items. Donations of canned food, toiletries and personal care items are welcome. There are some limitations about what can be placed in the box. Items that will not be accepted include fresh food, frozen food, homemade food, repackaged food and food in glass jars, which may freeze and break. The boxes are limited to food only, so no clothing, bedding or shoes will be accepted. St. Mark’s is located at 1040 Chestnut Tree Road, Honey Brook. Hearts In Hands Community Center is located at 1 Lenape Way, Honey Brook. The Village Library is located at 207 N. Walnut St., Morgantown.
See Goats pg 3
Goats raised at Amazing Acres Goat Dairy in Elverson feasted on Christmas trees this past holiday season.
Chili Sale To Benefit Blankets Of Hope BY FRANCINE FULTON
Blankets of Hope Inc. (BOH) will present its sixth annual Chef Tim’s “Take the Chill Off” chili sale on Saturday, Feb. 6, the day before the big football game. Proceeds will benefit BOH, a nonprofit organization that provides fleece blankets to shelters, veterans, children’s homes, hospice patients, seniors and others. BOH also supplies single beds and bedding to children in need.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Community Calendar . . . .2
Music Students Hold Annual Coat Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Twin Valley FFA Makes Good Use Of Recycled Christmas Trees . . . . . . . .4
House Of Worship . . . . . . .5
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . .6
See Chili Sale pg 3
January 18-30, 2021 NEUTRALIZE ON FLOORING INSTALLS TM
NEUTRALIZE . goodbye germs. hello home.
R067330
Free
PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. Postage Paid Engle Printing Co
TM
Eliminates 99.9% of germs & viruses including COVID-19
PA00591
POSTMASTER: PLEASE DELIVER JAN. 27, 2021
Postal Patron
MCC B
P
“(The library) is more of a community center,” added library director Maria Long, noting that she is very pleased to have the box on the library property. “It is a grab-and-go curbside food bank.”
While trees are no longer being accepted at the farm, Reid reported that about 30 local residents dropped their live Christmas trees for the goats to enjoy in December. “Goats enjoy variety in their diets, so fresh, green pine branches in the dead of winter gives them something novel to eat during a time when the majority of their diet is hay,” she said. She added that the goats are also given old pumpkins after Halloween. Another time that the goats receive extra treats to eat is during their regular outings. “I take them out on walks where they can eat old grass and vines in the forest,” Reid explained. “In the perimeter of our property, we have a wooded area. I take the whole herd. They stick together, and I guide them around where I want them to go. It’s kind of fun. They behave for the most part.”