Pequea Valley /townlively
JUNE 24, 2020
IN THIS ISSUE: PRODUCE VOUCHER INITIATIVE PLANNED page 3
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LVI • NO 28
Summer Lunch Program Continues By Ann Mead Ash
Very shortly after schools closed in March, The Factory Ministries and Pequea Valley School District (PVSD) partnered to begin providing lunches for students in the district in need. That program was scheduled to end on May 27, but administrators at The Factory were able to secure funding to continue the program through June 5. Now, Karla Neff, director of Pequea Valley elementary advocacy at The Factory Ministries, is happy to announce that funding has been secured to continue the program throughout the summer. The majority of funding was provided by a Pennsylvania Department of Education Summer Food Service Program grant, but funding also came from a Steinman Grant and Lancaster CARES. Neff reported that the cost of the program runs about $2,500 per week. “We have also had support from community donations,” said Neff. “People
want to make sure children are fed over the summer, and we (at The Factory) are super passionate about them being fed, so it’s a collaborative effort to make sure the funds are there.” Currently, lunches are available to be picked up by families with children in PVSD each Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. and 5 to 6 p.m. at The Factory Ministries, located in the Together Community Center, 3293 Lincoln Highway East, Paradise. A drive-through system is utilized. In some cases, lunches may be delivered. “We have a few families that need delivery; we offer that when it’s a necessity,” said Neff. Multiple brown bag lunches are given out to supply food until the following week. Each child in a family receives five lunches, but not all students who take part in the program pick up meals each week. The program is open not only to students who are eligible for free and reduced-cost school lunches, but to any child in PVSD ages 1 to 18
who has been affected by COVID-19 restrictions. In addition, students over age 18 who are still registered and attending school are also eligible. Lunches will be distributed through Wednesday, Aug. 19. Each brown bag lunch generally includes a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, juice or milk, chips, and fruit or vegetables, but Neff reported that the menu will vary. “We have our standard lunch, but we are hoping to find other creative ways to build lunches,” she said. “This week we had chicken patties, and in the future, we hope to have frozen hamburger patties and buns,” said Neff. “We are trying to have variety.” Neff is also thankful to local businesses that have reached out to help. “Paradise Solar Energy bought pizza kits from Two Cousins, so every student got a pizza kit,” she noted. “We hope to continue to do fun things like that to support local See Summer Lunch Program pg 2
PVPL Prepares To Reopen PEQ
By Ann Mead Ash
Pequea Valley Public Library stored books that were returned while the library was closed due to COVID-19 restrictions in the Perella School House. The books must be quarantined before they can be returned to the library shelves.
Catherine O’Sullivan, director of the Pequea Valley Public Library (PVPL), is excited about what is happening at the library on the top of the hill at 31 Center St., Intercourse. On June 8, library staff were allowed back into the building to begin to prepare to reopen. On June 22, the library began serving patrons by appointment at a pickup window in the lobby as a step toward possibly reopening in July. “We closed in mid-March (in adherence to COVID-19 restrictions),” recalled O’Sullivan, who said PVPL had been waiting for directions from the Office of Commonwealth Libraries on how to proceed with reopening. “The
Office of Commonwealth Libraries put the guidelines in place for us,” explained O’Sullivan. “For the yellow phase, we are allowed to be open for staff only.” During the weeks of June 8 and 15, the staff was at the library beginning the tasks of shelving books. O’Sullivan explained that since the library closed, returned books have been piling up. “ With 14 libraries in the county, people have been returning books, and they are going to keep returning books to all the libraries,” said O’Sullivan, who noted that books borrowed from libraries as far away as Manheim have showed up in the PVPL book depository. “The books (that have been returned) are in quarantine in the Perella School See PVPL pg 6
Not just in your mailbox...
Heather Lutz-Neff volunteers with The Factory Ministries to help provide lunches for area families. The Factory secured funding to continue the program, which began after COVID-19 restrictions caused schools to close in March, until Aug. 19.
VBS Goes Virtual At Calvary Monument By Ann Mead Ash
Earlier in the spring, Kristen Weber, director of children’s ministries at Calvary Monument Bible Church (CMBC) in Paradise, got together with the Paradise Kids Ministry Team and staff to consider ways to turn the V that stands for vacation in vacation Bible school into a V that stands for virtual. “It was a collective decision … to pursue some form of virtual Bible school this summer,” said Weber. “We decided to see what we could put together in early May.” The result is a virtual Bible school called IncrediWorld Amazement Park, which will give youngsters an opportunity to take an exhilarating trip through God’s amazing world. Each registered student will receive a VBS kit including games, crafts, snacks, and prizes. Kits were available for pickup at CMBC, 1660 Mine Road, Paradise, beginning June 22. See VBS pg 5
Gavin (left) and Luke Weber are looking forward to taking part in the virtual Bible school (VBS) coordinated by Calvary Monument Bible Church. Registration for the VBS, called IncrediWorld Amazement Park, is ongoing, and students began picking up VBS kits at the church on June 22.
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