On a warm day in May, I was walking up and down Main Street in Schuylkill Haven, conducting outreach. I was popping in to any store or business that was open in attempt to provide them with information about Supportive Services for Veteran Families in Schuylkill County. That’s when I met Ali, at Jewel Women’s Center. My co-worker Rachael, from Servants to All, told Ali all about the homeless shelter, I shared information about SSVF with her, and she gave us a tour around the women’s center. She was interested in connecting with us as Jewel Women’s Center sees a variety of demographics. Ali also mentioned her church, the Faith Church in Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania had a Veterans Ministry. I expressed wanting to connect with her church and this ministry and that I would reach out in the future to schedule a meeting.
A few days later, I emailed Ali and thanked her again for the tour and the partnership we were creating.
We scheduled a day for me to go to Faith Church and present to the Veterans Ministry about SSVF. The presentation to the ministry went well, and they invited me to speak at their July 4th church service to present SSVF to the entire congregation.
On July 4th Faith Church welcomed me and was interested in learning more about Supportive Services for Veteran Families in Schuylkill County. I was introduced to the congregation and began to give my presentation about SSVF. The congregation was engaged and even laughed at my lighthearted wittiness. The congregation collected many items for the veterans including shampoo, body wash, wash clothes, shaving materials, feminine hygiene products, and hand sanitizer.
I am grateful to Faith Church for welcoming me and the abundance of donation items they collected!
Effective 10/1/22 Opportunity House no longer manages the Supportive Services for Veteran Families grant. For assistance, please call Catholic Charities at (610) 435-1541.