Warwick townlively.com
MARCH 1, 2023
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXIII • NO 52
They still make Wilbur Chocolate in Lititz ... well, sort of North Broad Street was ceased, ending the site’s celebrated 125-year he historic town of Lititz has run of creating the confectionery. Present owner Cargill Inc. estabalways been associated with Wilbur Chocolate, or for at lished the Wilbur Chocolate outlet least as long as anyone can remem- store across the street at ber. The reminders are everywhere, 45 N. Broad St. and opened a the signs are all around, and with a Wilbur plant on Lincoln Avenue in little imagination, visitors can still Lititz, where white chocolate is make out the aroma of chocolate currently manufactured. In addition to the sale of a variety being made here. In 2016, the production of Wilbur of retail items, the outlet store creChocolate at its longtime plant on ates some in-house delicacies that incorporate the use of Wilbur Chocolate. A lot of that chocolate, which has stayed true to the original Wilbur recipe, is being produced in Mount Joy, in Hazleton and at the Lincoln Avenue facility. Erica Dixon, the manager of the Wilbur Chocolate store, said she is routinely asked if Wilbur Chocolate is still produced in Lititz. “I’ll explain to them about the facility on Lincoln Avenue and the white chocolate,” said Dixon. Wilbur white chocolate is still produced in Lititz at the Cargill plant on Lincoln Avenue. “Here (at the store), we BY JEFF FALK
Wilbur continues to connect Lititz’s chocolate past to the present.
create a variety of chocolate, kitchen-made items, but we don’t make the chocolate here.” In many ways, the Wilbur outlet store connects Lititz visitors to the town’s chocolate past. In the early 1900s, commercial success expanded the production of Wilbur Chocolate from Philadelphia to Lititz. Before Cargill purchased Wilbur in 1992, chocolate was produced in Lititz for the better part of the 20th century. “I think there’s a strong association
“Lunch with Luke” provides nourishment for body and soul BY JEFF FALK
Meadow Pontz (left) and Willow Pontz, both of Lititz, enjoy nourishment and fellowship at a recent Lunch with Luke.
The feeling one gets from helping others is hard to describe. It’s like having your belly filled with warm food, under a welcoming roof engulfed in fellowship. Although the weekly meals at St. Luke’s United Church of Christ (UCC) are not evangelistic, the church serves food that’s good for the soul. The church’s members call the meal “Lunch with Luke,” and everyone involved gets more out of it than they put into it.
with Lititz and Wilbur Chocolate,” said Dixon. “When people think of Lititz, they think of Wilbur Chocolate, and vice versa. They kind of coincide with each other.” Dixon said the Wilbur Chocolate outlet store welcomes thousands of visitors each year, some of whom are local and some of whom are from out of town. They are drawn by curiosity, the Wilbur legacy and, of course, their love of chocolate. “ Wilbur Chocolate is a brand
that’s been around for many years,” said Dixon. “People want to see the history. We have a lot of items made at the facility for sale at the store. People can also learn a little about history when they’re here. Our claim to fame, our signature item, is Wilbur Buds.” “We’re very proud of being a part of the Lititz community,” concluded Dixon. “We want to continue the tradition of serving the area. We want to continue to uphold the Wilbur legacy.”
Toward spiritual health BY ANN MEAD ASH
Veronica Jimenez, lay counselor, volunteer prison chaplain, and author of the Sound Mind Awareness curriculum, is known for the classes she teaches at churches and recovery houses and for her counseling ministry. Jimenez’s journey to this place, however, has been hard-won and filled with twist and turns. Originally from the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City, Jimenez suffered abuse from an early age. “I learned shame and rage very early,” Jimenez recalled, noting her situation created the “perfect storm for mental
See Lunch with Luke pg 2
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illness.” “I wasn’t a healthy kid,” she said. “My heart, soul, mind, and spirit were all affected.” When Jimenez was a teenager, her anger became such an issue, she was sent to live in a girls’ home for a year. “That’s where I developed a heart for the incarcerated,” she said. Around age 11, Jimenez remembers attending a Metro World Child Sunday school run by pastor Bill Wilson. “That’s where I first heard that God has a son named Jesus who loves children,” said Jimenez, who noted that at that time the grace of God first touched her life. “I still lived in a bad environment, but I learned to pray,” she said. See Spiritual health pg 8
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