Garden Spot 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.
Healthier homes Responding to the elevated levels of lead in the blood of children in Lancaster County, Lancaster General Hospital (LGH) - part of Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health - began offering Lead-Free Families, a program aimed at eliminating the threat of lead in homes in the county. Out of the Lead-Free Families program grew a new program called Healthy Homes. “Lead-Free Families was all about addressing lead hazards in properties in Lancaster County,” explained Marisol Maldonado, manager of the
Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. “We quickly realized these homes had other needs outside of lead hazards.” Those needs included missing smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, a lack of railings and grab rails, and leaking roofs. “We realized if we address the chipping and peeling paint, the roof leak will just destroy what we have done,” noted Maldonado, who soon was looking for ways to help address other hazards in area homes. Working with the grants office at LGH, Lead-Free Families applied for a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant to fund Healthy Homes. The three-year grant of $2 million to See Homes pg 6
“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 7
Six years of celebrating recovery BY ANN MEAD ASH
For six years, team of volunteers has helped ELANCO Celebrate Recovery to provide a Christ-centered discipleship program for those fighting addiction.
The ELANCO-area Celebrate Recovery (CR) - a 12-step, Christcentered discipleship recovery program for individuals age 18 and up that has met from 6:30 to 9 p.m. each Thursday at Petra Church, 565 Airport Road, New Holland - has not changed much over the six years it has been active. According to leaders Carol Musser and Karl Stoltzfus, that is the way it should be. “What we do here is consistent,” said Musser. Stoltzfus agreed, saying, “They strive for that. There’s a familiarity to what we do. Each CR has its own See CR pg 16
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BY ANN MEAD ASH
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.