Representatives from three Bucks County organizations – Saint James Episcopal Church in Langhorne, the Emergency Relief Association in Bristol and the Rotary Club of Bensalem – recently met at the Relief Association’s Food Pantry. With the help of the Rotary Gundaker Foundation, $2,000 was delivered to the Lower Bucks Emergency Relief Association.
The donation consisted of contributions by members of Saint James Episcopal Church, 330 S. Bellevue Ave. This $1,000 was matched by a Rotary Gundaker Foundation Grant secured by the Rotary Club of Bensalem.
The Emergency Relief Association has been providing services for the past 51 years. It runs a Food Pantry staffed by 100 percent volunteer members. It serves more than 26,000 meals to an average of 1,700 people each month. It operates with food and monetary donations from individuals, churches, businesses, community organizations and grants from the state of Pennsylvania.
Statistics include:
– More than 85 percent of the families visiting the ERA food pantry report having regular monthly income (wages and/or benefits) and they still qualify for its services
– Fewer than 15 percent of the families using the pantry report having no income
– 41 percent of pantry clients are 17 or younger
– 10 percent of pantry clients are over 60 years of age
– Fewer than 1 percent of clients are homeless
The pantry always accepts monetary contributions and looks for volunteers, businesses that want to become vendors and people who want to help organize a food drive.
Visit erafoodpantry.org for more information.
