ECCF Grants Support Christian Food Bank since 2006

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ECCF: 20 Years: celebrating our past ~ inspiring our future

ECCF Grants Support Christian Food Bank since 2006

The Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF) has been a steady supporter of the St. Marys Christian Food Bank (CFB) with over $114,000 in grants awarded from a variety of funds administered by the foundation since 2006. The food bank is greatly appreciated, well utilized, and generously supported by so many individuals and organizations in our community.

Over the years, grants from the Elk County Community Foundation have provided funding for various needs including holiday foods and special baskets, technology updates, and a storage shed. The organization also holds its own Endowment Fund at the Community Foundation that is available to provide them with assistance for operating expenses and other needs.

A majority of the Community Foundation grants, a total of $99,800, were awarded to the food bank from the Harrison & Muriel Dauer Stackpole Family Fund. This donor-advised fund has provided dollars to many non-profit organizations for projects that benefit area residents since it was first established in 2003. In this pandemic year, the family is focused on supporting those agencies that serve children, the elderly, and those with disabilities, in both the education and healthcare fields. Agencies are encouraged to contact the foundation about their needs during this time.

The food bank is a vital organization within the community, especially during times like we are currently experiencing. Our area has been impacted by multiple layoffs due to the coronavirus pandemic. They are currently serving an average of 140-150 families each week through their drive-through distribution held on Thursdays from 1 to 3 p.m. The size of the food boxes distributed to families is determined by the number of persons residing in the household. To be eligible, families must reside within the St Mary’s area school district and meet federal income guidelines.

In addition to food donated from individuals, food drives and farmers, CNB purchases food locally from area grocery stores and from Second Harvest in Erie through the National Feed America Program. They gratefully receive food donations from Walmart twice a week, and once a week from Sheetz. Local churches, organizations, social clubs, businesses, and individuals contribute financially to help feed those in need. Many have stepped forward with generous donations during the past few months. These donations from the community are vital in keeping the food bank operating both now, and on a regular basis.

The organization is a charitable, non-profit corporation, founded in 1983 by a group of Christian women from the Saint Marys area. It is governed by a 15-member board of directors and is entirely operated by over 120 volunteers.

Volunteers are the wind beneath the wings of the Christian Food Bank. Georgia Wagner, Board President, stated, “Our volunteers are a very devoted, supportive group. They come ready to serve and have become like family to each other. Some of our great volunteers are also recipients who volunteer as their way of giving back. When they first started they were shy and quiet, but now you see them walking taller, knowing they are helping their community.”

The Board of the Christian Food Bank is made up of a diverse group of local residents.  Georgia said, “They are so amazing. Our board offers many talents ranging from a background in education, industry, and medicine, to finance and farming. They all have something special to offer in keeping the food bank running smoothly.”

Individuals who wish to support the Christian Food Bank through the Community Foundation can donate to the St. Marys Christian Food Bank Fund at the Elk County Community Foundation at PO Box 934, St. Marys, PA 15857. The Elk County Community Foundation is a tax-exempt charitable organization that provides grant making support for the needs of our local communities from funds that it maintains and administers on behalf of multiple donors. As a public charity, the Community Foundation also seeks support from the general public to help grow and maintain general community development funds. For more information visit their website at www.elkcountyfoundation.org or call the office at 834.2125.

 

$4,000 grant in 2011 brought electronic books to our area

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ECCF: 20 Years: celebrating our past ~ inspiring our future

Photo: In 2011, very few people in our area knew much about e-books. That changed when the St. Marys Public Library used a $4,000 grant from ECCF’s Harrison and Muriel Dauer Stackpole Family Fund to initiate this service in our community. Today, this popular method of reading is enjoyed by thousands of area residents that download their books to their electronic device compliments of our local library.

$4,000 grant in 2011 brought electronic books to our area

Just one decade ago, many people in our area were not familiar with e-books. In 2011, with a look to the future, the staff and board of the St. Marys Public Library requested and received a $4,000 grant from the Harrison and Muriel Dauer Stackpole Family Fund, a fund administered by the Elk County Community Foundation. This grant provided the needed dollars for a project that would bring free electronic books and audio downloads to the St. Marys Library. Currently, about 50% of St. Marys residents have an active library card. Library services are also available to Fox Township and Bennett’s Valley citizens.

Short for electronic book, an e-book is a book published in an electronic format. It allows for instant access to a book by downloading it over the Internet. The book can be read on a computer, e-reader (e.g., the Amazon Kindle), Ipad, smartphone, or tablet. Audiobooks can be listened to on your electronic device or in your car.

According to Leslie Swope, St. Marys Public Library Director, the library normally has 6,000 e-books and audiobooks that circulate. Since Covid19 closed the library to the public, they have added 4,000 more e-books to their collection to answer the demand for reading material. Recently their Seneca Library District (Elk, McKean, Forest, Cameron) added a new feature, joining with the Oil Creek Library District (Jefferson, Clarion, Venango) to share books and offer even more of a reading selection.

Leslie stated, “E-books and audiobooks are actually about four times the cost of a print copy of a book since they must be purchased through one of only a couple platform vendors. But the convenience is definitely worth the cost.” With e-books, you can customize how you read, the book layout, and lighting. You can carry hundreds of books with you on something thinner than most magazines. It’s possible to download a book anywhere and anytime, and you can adjust the font size and style to your liking which is a huge advantage to anyone who would benefit from a large print type of book.

In addition to their electronic books, the library has many things they offer that most people are unaware of. Leslie encourages people to explore their website at www.stmaryslibrary.org. The website includes complete instructions for joining the library and downloadable instructions for signing up to access e-books on your device. The library welcomes emails to library@stmaryslibrary.org with any questions on library services.

The Harrison and Muriel Dauer Stackpole Family Fund was established by the family to support the philanthropic causes that were important to both Harrison and Muriel. This donor-advised fund has provided dollars to many non-profit organizations for projects that benefit area residents since it was first established in 2003. In this pandemic year, the family is focused on supporting those agencies that serve children, the elderly, and those with disabilities, in both the education and healthcare fields. Agencies are encouraged to contact the foundation about their needs during this time.

The Elk County Community Foundation is a tax-exempt charitable organization that provides grantmaking support for the needs of our local communities from funds that it maintains and administers on behalf of multiple donors. As a public charity, the Community Foundations also seeks support from the general public to help grow and maintain general community development funds. For more information visit their website at www.elkcountyfoundation.org or call the office at 834.2125.

 

Women Who Care Grant Gives a Lift To Grieving Children

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ECCF: 20 Years: celebrating our past ~ inspiring our future

This is the 6th in a series of articles on the Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF) during its 20th anniversary year, highlighting its history and impact in the community

St. Marys, PA

Women Who Care (WWC) is a woman’s philanthropic organization that brings women from diverse backgrounds together to combine their philanthropic leadership and strengthen the Elk County community through the power of collective giving. Since its beginning in 2019, WWC, a project of the Elk County Community Foundation, has awarded nearly $225,000 to local non-profit organizations that serve women and their families. In 2011, one of their first grants was a $2,500 award to the Community Nurses to help expand Camp Flutterbye, a camp for children who are grieving the death of a loved one.

Camp Flutterbye is offered in a relaxing, beautiful environment with fun activities structured to help kids, K-12, understand that grieving the loss of a loved one is healthy and normal. The camp is offered twice a year, normally a two-day camp in the summer and a one-day event in late fall to prepare the children for dealing with the holiday season. Along with Community Nurses staff and volunteers, Dickinson Center, Inc. staff and summer workers offer their expertise, time and talents to the Camp Flutterbye program.

Research indicates children who experience a loss through death are at a much greater risk for depression, suicide, poverty and substance abuse. Untreated grief in children can have a significant impact on their wellbeing as an adult. Joanne Straub, MSW, Community Nurses Social Worker, stated, “The goal of our grief program is to make available to families the resources they need to deal with their grief. It’s essential that we address the grief needs of children. Flutterbye gives them the opportunity to understand their feelings and gives them the tools to work through grief in a healthy and positive way.” There are no fees charged for bereavement programs and services.

The over 240 members of Women Who Care award grants each fall to worthy projects like Camp Flutterbye that make a difference in the lives of women and their families. A member of WWC can be any philanthropic woman seeking to support community needs in Elk County. Membership is on a yearly basis with women making a membership donation each year. All donations are pooled together and awarded in the form of grants at their annual meeting to local non-profit organizations. New memberships are still available for this granting year. Membership dues are due by the end of June to allow members to vote on grant awards at the 2020 fall annual meeting.

For more information on Women Who Care and Elk County Community Foundation funds and programs visit their website at www.elkcountyfoundation.org.

Photo: Camp Flutterbye, a project of Penn Highlands Community Nurses, lifts the spirits of children who are grieving due to the death of a loved one. In 2011, Women Who Care, provided a $2,500 grant to expand the camp and provide more services to the kids and their families.

Every Community Foundation Scholarship Has A Story To Tell

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ECCF: 20 Years: celebrating our past ~ inspiring our future

This is the 5th in a series of articles on the Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF) during its 20th anniversary year, highlighting its history and impact in the community

St. Marys, PA

The Elk County Community Foundation (ECCF) scholarship program has a favorite saying: “Educational Support Can Change a Life.” The over 100 scholarships administered by ECCF were created by community-minded individuals, families, and corporations who want to provide a path to higher education for future generations. These scholarships have helped thousands of Elk County students pursue their college dream and start them on their journey toward a successful and fulfilling career. Every scholarship has a story to tell.

Shane Schneider was one of our local scholarship recipients who received the Helene L. Bowley scholarship upon graduation from SMAHS in 2006. Helene Bowley was a dedicated lifelong resident of Ridgway and the owner of the local Helene’s Ready-to-Wear Shop. She felt it important to give back to the community by investing in the future of our young residents through scholarships that help them reach their education goals. With the help of this scholarship, Shane went on to receive his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State Behrend in 2010.

Just like Helene, Shane is committed to giving back to his community. After college graduation he worked for a few years in Philipsburg, PA then returned home to St. Marys. Shane now lives in St. Marys with his wife, Leah Kneidel Schneider. For the past 10 years Shane has utilized his engineering degree while working at GE Thermometrics, now known as Amphenol. Shane stated, “I always knew St. Marys was home. I am a family oriented, outdoors type of guy and enjoy the kind of life we have here.”

That community-oriented attitude still shows in Shane through his interest in local activities, and his involvement in the St. Hubert’s Committee at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Now the current president, Shane describes the group as offering “a different way for people of all ages to be involved with the church community”. St. Hubert’s gets church members involved with outdoor related activities, sponsoring hikes, kayaking trips, and an annual sauerkraut fundraising dinner. The committee plants, harvests and makes their own sauerkraut for the dinner which usually attracts several hundred people. Another project currently underway, but halted for the time being due to Covid-19, is the building of your own fishing pole, with kits being supplied to all participants by the committee.

Every donor who establishes a scholarship fund has a story to tell, and every scholarship given out by that fund writes a story of its own. With many former scholarship recipients just like Shane investing their time and talents in the place they call home, the goodwill shared by the donors comes full circle to make our communities a better place in which to live, work and learn.

The Community Foundation makes it easy for individuals, businesses, and organizations to establish a scholarship fund. Donors find that creating a scholarship fund through the Foundation is simple, convenient, and cost-effective, and much more affordable than you might think. A fund can be created in as little as one meeting, with a short fund agreement, and a single gift. Or a fund can be set up with an initial gift that is added to in the future. The Foundations manages all the administrative details of funds for the donors.

Since 2000, the Elk County Community Foundation has worked with donors to establish 103 funds and has awarded over $1.76 million in scholarships to deserving high school seniors and adult learners. By establishing a uniquely-named scholarship, a donor has the ability to designate eligibility requirements including education level, the field of study, geographic area, etc. Many scholarships are established to honor parents, a family member, or someone who influenced your life. Most scholarship funds at the Foundation are permanent endowments, with the annual earnings used to provide the scholarships.

For more information on scholarships contact the Elk County Community Foundation at 814-834-2125 or visit their website at www.elkcountyfoundation.org.

Photo: The Helene L. Bowley scholarship was established in 2003, in the early years of the Elk County Community Foundation. She felt it important to give back to the community by investing in the future of our young residents through scholarships that help them reach their education goals. Shane Schneider was the recipient of this scholarship in 2006, and just like Helene, is committed to giving back to his community.

Wilcox Library Receives First COVID-19 Assistance Grant from the Elk County Community Foundation

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Wilcox Library Receives First COVID-19 Assistance Grant from the Elk County Community Foundation

In response to the ongoing pandemic, the Elk County Community Foundation has established the COVID-19 Assistance Fund. We are excited to announce our first grant distribution of $1500 to the Wilcox Public Library.  The COVID-19 Assistance Fund is made up of public donations. We invite donors to join in this effort. By pooling our funds, we can collectively support our community nonprofits and make a bigger impact on their needs. The Elk County Community Foundation will waive administrative fees on all donations and will distribute 100% of all donations to those agencies in need by an open grant process.

Since mid-March the Wilcox Library building has been closed, but the library is currently supplying eBooks, digital audiobooks, online classes, and databases through a variety of suppliers, and they are continuing to explore more offerings.  In addition, the library has gathered multiple digital resources to support the area’s at-home learning students. Their website at www.wilcoxlibrary.org has some great resources as does the Wilcox Public Library Facebook page. With the closure of the library, they have not been able to perform their fundraising events or annual letter campaign so with this small grant the Community Foundation hopes to help them through this unusual time.

The Community Foundation will administer grants from the COVID-19 Assistance Fund to nonprofit organizations in Elk County that are serving the vulnerable populations.  Like the Wilcox Public Library, support may also be given to nonprofits who have seen detrimental impacts to their fiscal and administrative operation as a result of a loss of revenue, fundraising, or staffing, with focus on education and health care throughout Elk County.

This outbreak has been impacting our community in many ways. By establishing the COVID-19 Assistance Fund in Elk County, our purpose is to bolster and coordinate philanthropic response to the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our neighbors, our community and the nonprofit agencies that serve them.

Donations to this new fund can be mailed to the Elk County Community Foundation at P.O. Box 934, St. Marys, PA, 15857, with check made payable to the ECCF – COVID-19 Assistance Fund.   Online donations will also be accepted through our website at www.elkcountyfoundation.org.  Use the Donate Now button on the top of the page and please indicate the COVID-19 Assistance Fund as the fund name.

For questions about applying for a grant or making a donation to the Fund, feel free to contact the Foundation office at 814-834-2125.