Latest news with #CambriaCountyBackpackProject
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Johnstown HS students prepare handmade bowls for annual fundraiser
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WTAJ) — Dozens of high school students and local artists are making bowls to prepare for the 14th annual 'Empty Bowls Dinner' on April 24. The event is a fundraiser to benefit local organizations that combat hunger and homelessness in the community. It'll support the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Altoona-Johnstown, the Cambria County Backpack Project and the Women's Help Center. Each empty bowl serves as a reminder of the people who go without food every day. 'This dinner supports local organizations combating hunger and homelessness in our community. So all the money stays directly in our community and it services many of our students and their families. So that's really important to us, being one of the poorest districts in the entire state of Pennsylvania,' Cindy Maloy, the school's Art Teacher and Key Club Co-Advisor, said. This year's dinner is scheduled from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Bottle Works Ethnic Arts Center in Johnstown. The cost is $15 for adults and $10 for students and children. Additional bowls can also be purchased for $10 each. Last year, they raised $6,000 for the three organizations. They also celebrated a milestone of $50,000 raised in the last 13 years. 'It's amazing and it's heartwarming and it shows that our community can support us. And it also shows the awesome things that our students do at Johnstown High School,' Maloy said. Congressman Glenn Thompson accepts prestigious award and talks about issues farmers are facing From the pottery wheel to the finished product, each bowl takes anywhere from eight to 10 days to create. The members of the Key Club said it's worth it. 'I really love like when little kids come up and they're like, mom, this is the bowl I want. And I can be like, that's my bowl. I mean it fills me with so much joy and like, a sense of accomplishment, and what I'm doing is like making a difference and making people happy,' Blaise Veney, Secretary of the Key Club said. However, Key Club members aren't the only ones contributing to the fundraiser. Advisors, staff at the high school, and ceramic artists who participated in the first annual Soup'r Bowl also made bowls. Hundreds of bowls are already completed, and ready to be filled with soup. 'I love getting my hands dirty in the clay and just getting to shape them all. It's just a really cool organization, and I'm extremely happy to be a part of it. I love that we're helping so many different communities,' Delanie Kiser, a Senior Key Club member, said. She's already made 60 bowls. This is her third year participating in the event. The Key Club expects to have around 500 bowls ready for the dinner. In the meantime, you can follow their progress on the club's Instagram page. All of the proceeds will be evenly distributed between the Cambria County Backpack Project, St. Vincent de Paul, and the Women's Help Center. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lee Initiatives awards a total of $700,000 to dozens of local nonprofits
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – With federal funding streams delayed or on the chopping block, nonprofits in Cambria and Somerset counties have made especially urgent requests for grants from the local Lee Initiatives Health and Wellness Endowment. Lee Initiatives Health and Wellness Endowment board members awarded about $700,000 in grants to 60 nonprofits in the region Wednesday during the organization's 19th annual grant award reception at the Boulevard Grill in Johnstown. Some of the largest grants awarded Wednesday were to food programs. 'We've always had a need to alleviate food insecurity in the region, but with federal funding cuts, nonprofits may not see federal funds coming to their organization, so it's definitely been more of a cry for help this year,' Lee Initiatives Health and Wellness CEO Jodi Clark said. Increased food prices compound the uncertainty nonprofits face of losing federal funding as the White House seeks to reduce spending. Food banks of the St. Vincent de Paul Society received $45,000 Wednesday to keep pantries stocked with food for families. 'Prices of all food we serve has gone up,' St. Vincent de Paul grant writer Georgia Lehman said. 'This grant helps us purchase items in bulk that our pantries request.' In March, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) of supermarket food purchases, a measure of economy-wide inflation, increased 0.5% from February to March as four of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The increase was driven primarily by a 5.9% increase in the index for eggs. The index for meats, poultry, fish and eggs rose 1.3% in March. The beef index also increased over the month, rising 1.2%. The index for other food at home increased 0.5%. In 2025, overall food prices are anticipated to increase 3.2%, slightly faster than the historical average rate of growth, according to an April report of the Economic Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. Cambria County Backpack Project, which sends food home each weekend with more than 700 students from schools across the county, received $46,300 from Lee Initatives. 'Lee Initiatives has supported us since our inception and helped us grow,' Cambria County Backpack Project Executive Director Kristen Villarrial said. 'We are seeing a record number of children needing food. With rising costs of utilities, gas and food, families are choosing between groceries and rent. We are so thankful to Lee Initiatives for this funding to cover children's meals.' Some of the other larger grants awarded Wednesday included $45,000 to Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, which serves Somerset and Cambria counties; $50,000 to Highlands Health free medical clinic, to fund medication management and new procedures for pain clinic referrals; and $30,000 to Veteran Community Initiatives, for health and wellness outreach programs. All funds awarded by the Lee Initiatives Health and Wellness endowment spring from investments of donations. The money market has been 'volatile,' Clark said, 'but we always come out ahead.'
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bowling Tournament in Johnstown supports backpack project to feed kids
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WTAJ) — For the first time, the Cambria County Backpack Project hosted a bowling tournament fundraiser, that offered people the chance to compete for a good cause. The tournament, held on Sunday at 814 Lanes and Games in Johnstown, was called 'Bowling4Backpacks'. The backpack project has provided weekend meals to children for over 10 years. According to their website, their mission is to alleviate the burden of food insecurity and promote community well-being by providing children of Cambria County with healthy and sustainable food options on the weekends. '1 in 5 children in Cambria County are chronically hungry. They don't know when their next meal is coming. Whenever they're in school that's when they get, you know, their breakfast, their lunch. They'll get snacks. But whenever it gets to the weekend, they don't know where their meals are coming from. So we step in and we provide that for them,' Jenna Stancombe, a Coordinator with the Backpack Project said. Each team had four bowlers. The cost to register a team was $160, which equates to providing 16 bags of food for children on the weekends. Just days before the tournament, all of the bowling team spots were filled, with 20 teams registered. One of the teams, named 'Living on a Spare' made up of husbands and their wives, were excited to compete in the tournament for a good cause. 'We're good friends and we have four young kids that are in the local schools, and we've always supported the community. So this is a great opportunity to have a date day together and, to support, a really good event for our local schools,' Andy Stephenson, one of the bowlers said. The tournament, which started at 11 a.m. and ended at 2 p.m., also featured a basket raffle, lottery tree, punch board, and a 50/50 that was open to the public. Local businesses from several counties sponsored the fundraiser. As for those competing, cash prizes were awarded for several categories including, 1st place team, highest series, highest game, and best team name. As an elementary teacher in the Johnstown School District, Diane DiPaolo knows firsthand the difference a healthy meal makes in a child's life. 'When they come to school hungry, we know that they're not doing their best work. And we know that over the weekend they need to get a good night's sleep and they need to be eating well. So sending the backpack projects home on Thursday or Friday just really helps out the families,' she said. Bowling Tournament in Johnstown supports backpack project to feed kids Parlor Doughnuts hosts ribbon cutting, prepares for grand opening New Johnstown art exhibit raises awareness about teen violence & trauma Annual 'Respect Life March' honors Baby Agnes Doe, other lives Cambria Co. Historical Society celebrating 100th anniversary in 2025 Art students from Greater Johnstown High School crafted one-of-a-kind trophies that were on display, waiting to be claimed by winners. The Cambria County Backpack Project serves over 600 children every weekend. To help a child get a meal for the weekend, you can donate, or if you're a business owner, you can sponsor a child. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
