Manheim Central JANUARY 7, 2026
SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
REACHING MORE THAN 11,320 HOMES
Winter New Website Showcases Sports Hoffer Farm’s Vision
Are Heating Up!
BY CAT SHANNON
T
h e Ho f fe r Fa r m may sit on land owned by Pleasant View Communities, but it was created with a much bigger purpose in mind: to be a place where the wider community can gather, explore and connect, said Jonathan E. Hollinger, CEO and president of the retirement community. “The Hoffer Farm is for everyone! Explore scenic Lancaster County trails; meet our goats, sheep, alpacas and chickens; and discover hands-on farming - from crops to hydroponics,” he said. “Browse books at the People gather eggs from chickens at Hoffer Farm. To make it easier for people to website in the fall of 2025. Manheim Library or celebrate life’s Work began on https://hoffer milestones in our beautiful event discover and take part in everyspaces. There’s always something thing the Hoffer Farm has to offer, farm.org in November of 2024, said the organization launched a new Mindy Fetherman, development new.”
Catch the latest highlights from your local high school teams Visit our Sports Page today for all the action!
See Website pg 5
MC1
Leo’s Helping Paws Is All About the Dogs BY GEORGE DEIBEL
Visit EPCPhoto.com for more!
PHOTO
It’s fitting that the next fundraiser for the Leo’s Helping Paws nonprofit group will be held on Valentine’s Day. That’s emblematic of the love Kathy Styer and Beth Buchter have for dogs. Styer and Buchter co-founded Leo’s Helping Paws in July 2014. The pair were volunteers for another rescue organization before electing to branch out on their own.
R124493
“At that time, we were seeing a lot of need,” said Styer, who is the president. “There were more rescues that were being formed, and the need for vet care was the No. 1 issue with all the dogs that they would rescue, and it’s costly. In order to get them adopted, first they had to be vetted, because that’s protocol for a rescue.” Leo’s Helping Paws’ mission is to provide financial assistance for veterinary care to nonprofit all-volunteer dog rescue groups in Pennsylvania and neighboring Beth Buchter (left) and Kathy Styer
VOL LXVI • NO 50
Home Is Where Servant Stage’s Heart Is BY JEFF FALK
Everybody deserves a place to call their own. Everybody needs a home. Servant Stage’s new home is also the nonprofit’s first. Not only are Servant Stage’s new digs a product of growth, the location is also a space where it can continue to grow. “It’s almost hard to put into words,” said Johnathan Bauer, the founder and executive director of Servant Stage. “It hits every once in a while. This is a home. Like, ‘Wow, this is for real.’ It hasn’t fully sunk in yet. There are a lot of firsts in this place that are really special.” Following 12 years of serving the Lancaster County community through theater and the performing arts, Servant Stage moved into its new headquarters at 1842 William Penn Way, Lancaster, in East Lampeter Township in October. Up until that point, Servant Stage had been doing the best it could with what it had, while the mission around it was flourishing. “It’s so nice to have our own space,” said Bauer. “It’s fun every day. It’s nice to be able to have a conversation and not have to reply to an email. Having no space for so many years, you get used to it. A lot of it was working from home. We were storing sets and props in basements, garages and barns. Efficiency is a huge part of what we do. We were doing so many shows that it wasn’t sustainable.” Servant Stage’s new home base is eight rooms and 8,500 square feet in size, 5,000 of which is dedicated to a workshop, warehouse and storage space and 3,500 of which is being used as offices and for conferences and meetings.
See Dogs pg 2 with Darla. Photo by George Deibel
See Home pg 3
ONLINE WINTER EVENT CALENDAR townlively.com/events
R124488
POSTMASTER: PLEASE DELIVER JAN. 7, 2026
PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. Postage Paid Engle Printing Co
Postal Patron