Cluster Chronicles Fall 2020

Fall 2020

POTTSTOWNCLUSTER.ORG

POTTSTOWN CLUSTER OF RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES

INSIDE

9102

A Message from the Executive Director page 1

The 2020 You Gotta Have Heart Fundraiser page 2 COVID-19 Emergency Rent and Utility Coalition page 3 COVID-19 Relief Supports Safe Food Distribution page 4 Annual Report of Gratitude page 5 2020 Signature Page Showcase of Support page 6/7

@Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities @pcrcoutreach @ClusterOutreach

@PottstownCluster

Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities 57 North Franklin Street Pottstown PA 19464 610.970.5995 www.pottstowncluster.org

POTTSTOWN CLUSTER OF RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES

Fall is in the air. Often referred to as the “fall spirit” it is a special a time of year, during which we reflect on our many blessings and give thanks. As we enter into the season of thanksgiving and generosity, I send my sincere thanks for all that you do to support the work of our organization.

MESSAGE

Dear Friends,

Barbara Wilhelmy, LCSW Executive Director

This issue of Cluster Chronicles includes our annual report of Gratitude and a thank you message to all who joined us in celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities Signature Page. In this issue, you will also read about the new Your Way Home Emergency Rent and Utility Coalition and how we have been preparing for modified in-person operations and activities. I encourage you to read about and attend our upcoming annual fall fundraiser, “You Gotta Have Heart” which will be a safe and socially distanced Cluster Premiere On-site Drive-in and Online Live-stream Event.

I hope you will find ways to continue to be engaged with our work and be excited to hear about the difference your support is making for those we serve. Please keep our work in your prayers and share your interest in our organization with a friend.

Together, we are helping to nourish lives and strengthen families in this community, and for that, I am truly grateful.

Sincerely, Executive Director Barbara Wilhelmy, LCSW

PAGE 1

POTTSTOWN CLUSTER OF RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES

You Gotta Have Heart Fall Fundraiser TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!

Join the Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities for our 9th annual fundraiser "You Gotta Have Heart" on Thursday, October 15, from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm. This year’s annual event will feature both drive-in theater and online live-streaming choices for guests to hear from some of our many friends and learn more about how the Pottstown Cluster is meeting individuals’ basic needs and transforming lives in the greater Pottstown community and beyond.

Enjoy dinner and an evening of inspirational stories, entertainment, FUNraising, and more during a safe on-site live-stream Cluster Premiere at The SunnyBrook Ballroom Drive-in Movie Theater or join us online from the comfort of your own home!Celebrate service with us as we honor our Community Meals sites and those who make the meals possible! Once again, we are honored to welcome State Representative Joe Ciresi as our Master of Ceremonies!

All proceeds support the Pottstown Cluster's mission to provide tangible services, support, and spiritual guidance to address the basic needs of persons within and beyond the Greater Pottstown area, coordinating programs and referrals to help clients improve their overall stability. "You Gotta Have Heart" donations will support the Pottstown Cluster in The Amazing Raise giving challenge that brings together the Tri-County region's (Montgomery, Northern Chester, Eastern Berks) nonprofit community to help raise much needed unrestricted funds.

You just GOTTA Have Heart for the greater Pottstown area! For sponsorship opportunities, tickets, and more information visit: www.pottstowncluster.org/yougottahaveheart

PAGE 2

POTTSTOWN CLUSTER OF RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES

9102

Emergency Rent and Utility Coalition Will Assist Montgomery County Households Affected by COVID-19 Governor Wolf’s moratorium on evictions and foreclosures expired on August 31, 2020.

Without the Governor’s authority to extend the moratorium further, households in need will be at risk of homelessness. Montgomery County officials announced on September 4, the Your Way Home Emergency Rent & Utility Coalition, which will offer comprehensive, alternative mechanisms of relief for Montgomery County households affected by COVID-19 in the form of rental and utility assistance. The Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities is a part of the coalition and is working to provide local households who have experienced a COVID-19 hardship with rent and utility assistance.

Beginning September 8, the Your Way Home Emergency Rent & Utility Coalition will provide households who have experienced a COVID-19 hardship, up to $1,500 per month in assistance for rental arrears and/or utility arrears dating back to March 1, 2020. A maximum of six months’ worth of arrears may be awarded. Thus, eligible households may receive a maximum of $9,000 in rental or utility assistance to keep them safe and healthy in their homes. "Keeping people in their homes and preventing an influx of homelessness is critical to the health and safety of Montgomery County households. It is also a major contributing factor in the recovery from the impacts of COVID-19,” said Dr. Valerie A. Arkoosh, Chair, Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition states that 29-43% of renter households are at severe risk of eviction by the end of this year due to the impacts of COVID-19. Estimates put 23,000 to 47,000 households in Montco at risk of eviction when the moratorium ends.

PAGE 3

POTTSTOWN CLUSTER OF RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES

9102

We are Open for Safe Distribution of Food COVID-19 Relief

We have been busy preparing for modified in-person operations and activities by making renovations and building modifications to ensure our buildings are safe and we are reducing the risk for exposure to COVID-19. We have received generous support from the PHL COVID-19 Fund, a partnership between the Philadelphia Foundation and United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, the Montgomery County Foundation Inc., the MontCoPA COVID-19 Response Fund, and the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation to support these renovations.

Our Onsite Choice Food Pantry is now available on Tuesday through Friday from 9:30am to 12:30pm. We are still offering offsite remote shopping, quick pick-up, and prepackaged food. We will continue to follow health and safety regulations and will only allow three guests in the building at once.

PAGE 4

POTTSTOWN CLUSTER OF RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES

The 2019 Annual Report of Gratitude

At the Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities, we do our work as a response to God’s call to love one another and to put our faith into action. Over the past year, it was your kind acts and offerings that allowed us to carry out our mission and serve our community. Together, in 2019, our collective action positively transformed lives in the greater Pottstown area by providing Food Security, Housing Stability, and Supportive Services and Education to our neighbors in need. We are excited to present several new initiatives in the 2019 Annual Report of Gratitude. Over the past year, it has been with your unwavering support and through collaboration with area organizations, we have been able to serve our community and strengthen what we already do to address the needs of our neighbors in ways not previously possible.

Read the full report at: www.pottstowncluster.org/financials

PAGE 5

POTTSTOWN CLUSTER OF RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES

The 2020 Signature Page Showcase of Support

Thank you to all who joined us in celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities Signature Page. The page was published in The Mercury on August 4.

Here is a snapshot of some of our many supporters who make it possible to positively impact our community by helping to meet the most critical needs of individuals and families in the greater Pottstown region.

Thank you!

Accidentally Omitted: Frank and Cindy Cebular Aaron Cebular Abbie Cebular Bob and Jackie Gofus

PAGE 6

POTTSTOWN CLUSTER OF RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES

Accidentally Omitted: Frank and Cindy Cebular Aaron Cebular Abbie Cebular Bob and Jackie Gofus

PAGE 7

POTTSTOWN CLUSTER OF RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES

WWW.POTTSTOWNCLUSTER.ORG