Conestoga Valley townlively.com
SEPTEMBER 20, 2023
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LIX • NO 39
Communities unite to fight hunger BY ANN MEAD ASH
here’s hunger everywhere,” said Cheryl Zook Justice, CROP Walk recruiter for Akron Mennonite Church. “We like that CROP (provides funds) both locally and globally.” Justice added that members of Akron Mennonite are very involved with service agencies that provide food and housing, so it makes sense to take part in CROP. “We heavily encourage youth to participate,” added Justice. “It’s tangible.” Akron community members have banded together with individuals from the Conestoga Valley area and the ELANCO area to take part in the 46th New Holland/Leola CROP Walk, which will take place at the New Holland Memorial Community Park, in the 400 block of Jackson Street, New Holland, on Sunday, Oct. 15. The walk will leave the Rotary Pavilion at 1:30 p.m. Participants are asked to meet at the park at 1 p.m. to complete the registration process. They may walk up to 3 miles following a route
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Looking forward to the next New Holland/Leola CROP Walk are (from left) Cheryl Zook Justice, George Weaver, and Krisana Poontajak.
BY CATHY MOLITORIS
Great things happen when women on a mission get together. Lancaster County Women for Good formed last year with the goal of raising money for local nonprofits. So far, the group has donated more than $23,000, with 284 women contributing to the effort. Most recently, the organization presented a check for $7,000 to Arch Street Center at Lancaster County Women for Good’s quarterly Gather & Grant meeting. Located in Lancaster, Arch Street Center
“We like that CROP (provides funds) both locally and globally.” CROP Walks, which have been in existence nationwide for more than 50 years, are sponsored by Church World Service (CWS). According to CWS, CROP Walk funds help transform communities by bringing food and water to people in need in several countries. Funds raised by CROP help dig wells to provide water for drinking and agriculture. In some countries, people travel an average of 6 miles a day to
obtain clean water. The availability of clean water is especially important because when individuals do not have to walk miles to obtain water, they can use the time to work, build a business, or take advantage of educational opportunities. But CROP does not serve only those overseas. Local food pantries benefit by receiving 25% of the funds raised by the CROP Hunger Walk nearest them. In ELANCO, the CrossNet Food and Nutrition Center in New Holland received $500 in 2022, and the Northeastern Lancaster County Food Bank in Terre Hill also received funds. In the Conestoga Valley area, Conestoga Valley Christian Community Services (CVCCS) Food Bank received nearly $1,300 last year. Krisana Poontajak, pastor of Cedar Grove Presbyterian Church and one of the organizers of the New Holland/Leola CROP Walk, said that each year the goal is to raise $10,000. Last year, $7,300 was raised, and in 2021, the event brought in $8,000. George Weaver, who recruits See CROP Walk pg 3
Bible studies offer chance to challenge the negative and learn to discern
provides support and services for adults living with mental illness. Lancaster County Women for Good began as an outreach of Grapevine, a social giving platform that brings people together for philanthropic work. “Grapevine initiated a bunch of groups in different areas of the country and from that point handed it over to local leadership,” said founding member Anna Horst. She’s joined by the local leadership team of group host Joelle Terranova and event coordinators Susan Klapkin and Kirstin Knopp.
W hen Dona Fisher started Change of Pace - a nondenominational Bible study for women - at what is now Four Seasons Golf Club in Hempfield, bellbottom pants were still in style. “It was in the early 1970s,” recalled Dona, who added that her husband, Herb, had purchased the venue, where she decided to start the study in the banquet room. “I had 15 women the first morning, and it grew to over 100 (attendees),” noted Dona, who moved the study to the Hempfield
See Women for Good pg 3
See Change of Pace pg 2
BY ANN MEAD ASH
The Change of Pace Bible study leadership team
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through Garden Spot Village (GSV). In addition to Akron Mennonite, local churches that take part include Cedar Grove Presbyterian, Ranck’s United Methodist, St. John Center Lutheran, the Community Church at Garden Spot Village, and Trinity Lutheran, all in the ELANCO area, as well as Leola United Methodist Church (LUMC) and Zion Lutheran in Leola.
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