Conestoga Valley townlively.com
MAY 28, 2025
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXI • NO 23
For MCC, meat is sustenance for the soul BY JEFF FALK
WETPD officers take a very proactive approach to the communities they patrol.
WETPD officers have vested interests in communities they serve BY JEFF FALK
“To me, part of the job is to be a part of the community.” challenging job just a little less difficult and enhance its overall effectiveness, the WETPD hosts and participates in a number of community-friendly events throughout the year, including Coffee with a Cop, Cupcakes with a Cop, blood drives, first responder meet-and-greets,
National Night Out, Toys for Tots, school visits and Shop with a Cop. It also sponsors groups and Ice Cream Cool-offs with the Cops, as well as provides guided tours of its law enforcement facilities at 157 W. Metzler Road, Ephrata. “To me, part of the job is to be a part of the community,” said Higgins. “We make ourselves accessible. It’s neat to get the community to get to know the police officers as people. I don’t want police officers to be thought of as an occupying army. I want the community to trust us.” The WETPD is made up of 12 sworn police officers, one records clerk and two crossing guards. “ T hey ’re your neighbors,” said Higgins of his colleagues. “They all live locally, in Lancaster County. I ask our officers, ‘What’s your motivation for being a police See Police pg 4
Hazard, Ky., prepare equipment for the mobile
See MCC pg 2 meat canning process.
At ODC’s Food Truck Fest, eating is a savory adventure BY JEFF FALK
The food truck fad is alive and well in Lancaster County. Occupational Development Center (ODC) of Lancaster didn’t invent the phenomenon or even initiate it. But ODC has certainly proliferated it - and benefited from it. “It was starting before the pandemic, and it’s still doing well,” said Ken Mueller, ODC’s
public relations and development manager for the last nine years. “ The number of food trucks available in our area is unbelievable. It allows for a nice variety.” “I like food trucks,” continued Mueller. “I think generally, the food you get from food trucks is good. When you put a group of food trucks together, it’s almost like a smorgasbord. I want to eat at all of them. We have a really See Food Truck Fest pg 8
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ommunity security and public safety are everybody’s business. In townships like West Earl and boroughs like Akron, the task of law enforcement falls to the police department. But citizens, residents and community members also have a role to play. “ We want ever yone to be law-abiding, and I think most people are,” said Chief Eric Higgins, whose West Earl Township Police Department (WETPD) also patrols Akron. “When I’m asked, ‘How can I help?’ I tell people by reporting crime and suspicious activity. No one knows their neighborhoods better than the people who live there. If you see something suspicious, report it and report it immediately. It may be a piece to a bigger puzzle. If you classify it as suspicious activity, report it.
That’s what we’re here for. I don’t see it as a nuisance or a bother.” The WETPD takes a very serious and proactive approach to protecting and serving citizens in the township and Akron, partly through an engaging outreach program. In an attempt to foster community good will, make a
Every ministry has a mission. Mennonite Central Committee’s (MCC) mobile canning ministry’s mission is meat - the kind that provides protein, balances diets and nourishes hungry people. No matter how one slices it, it’s a ver y healthy ministry. “Some people ask why we are shipping meat,” said Joe Miller, who’s been MCC’s canning relations coordinator for five years. “The reason meat is important is MCC volunteers Matthew Buller (left) of because it contains Henderson, Neb.; Andrew Widrick (middle) of protein. It’s a great Lowville, N.Y.; and Kenan Broersma of