Thank You Letter

The Club received the below letter expressing its thanks for gift cards in support of needy veterans and seniors.

By helping people who have fallen on challenging econmic times, especailly during the current COVID-19 pandemic, our members' continuing their commitment to "Service Above Self".

Supporting the Bucks County Housing Group‘s Penndel Food Pantry

“Others have questioned if hunger exists in our country; I can tell you that hunger does exist in this country.  For many adults and children, going to sleep hungry is not a threat; it’s a regular occurrence.  And it must end.”

Former USDA Secretary Mike Espy

Despite the County, State and Nation having been in a lock-down and shelter-in-place modes for more than two months, the Rotary Club of Shady Brook has remained proactive in trying to help and support its neighbors in need.

In addition to its several donations through the Bucks County Vet’s Center to provide meals for the families of veterans who have fallen on challenging economic times and donating monies to Doylestown’s shelter for the victims of domestic Violence, A Woman’s Place, the Club has reached out and made a recent donation of $1,000 to the Penndel Food Pantry.

The Food Pantry, located at 349 Durham Road in Penndel, is dedicated to assisting those individuals and families struggling with food insecurity … particularly during this unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic and the related largest number and percentage of Americans unemployed since the Great Depression.

Both Penndel’s Food Pantry and its sister food pantry in Doylestown are run by the Bucks County Housing Group located in Warminster.  Although housing for the homeless remains its primary focus, the non-profit today dedicates significant resources to these pantries in order to assist those facing daily challenges in feeding their families.

In normal times, the Food Pantry typically services approximately 30 families each day.  However, since the social and economic impacts of the coronavirus began earlier this year, this total has become unpredictable and can spike by a factor of two or three times.  It has also noticed more frequent visits by some families, particularly those with “at risk” members.

As with the homeless shelters they operate, their food pantries have been made safer for both staff and clients … practicing social distancing, the use of masks by all members of the staff and regular cleaning and disinfecting. 

The Bucks County Housing Group had is origins In the mid-1970s when a group of concerned community members noted that there was a growing number of homeless individuals in Bucks County.  Their first homeless shelter in Bucks County was opened in Penndel in 1979, at which point Bucks County Housing Group was incorporated to assist families and individuals on their journey from homelessness to permanent housing.   

Its mission remains to advance the interests of people with low-moderate income and people in crisis through the provision of affordable housing and related social services, and more recently including feeding people through its two food pantries.

Some sobering statistics:

  • 48% of all homeless persons in Bucks County are children or transition-aged youth below the age of 24.
  • 10% of all Bucks County residents are considered "food insecure".  In a county of roughly 630,000 individuals, that's 63,000 citizens living without adequate food. 
  • The number of homeless persons in Bucks County rose by 9% between 2015 and 2016.  
  • ​​The median rent of an apartment of any size in Bucks County in 2017 was $1,780 per month.  To put this into perspective, the median for the state of Pennsylvania is $1,395 per month.
  • In the month of June, 2016, there was one foreclosure for every 884 houses in Bucks County. This number is a more than 10% increase from 2015 at this time.
  • The average age of a homeless person is just 9 years old.  That's a child in only third or fourth grade.
  • The median price for a house in Bucks County in June of 2018 was $339,990.  
  • Roughly 50% of women and children who are homeless in the United States are escaping a situation of domestic abuse. 
  • About 40% of all homeless men are, or have served, in the armed forces.

The good news is that Bucks County Housing Group’s tirelessly efforts have produced some significant results:​

  • It is the largest provider of homeless services in Bucks County.
  • 100% of the families in our Family Permanent Supportive Housing Program achieved permanent housing stability in the fiscal year 2016.
  • Roughly 400 clients are served annually by our Housing Counseling program.
  • In the fiscal year 2016, 553,594 pounds of food were donated to our community food pantries. This equates to $952,000 of food.  
  • Its community food pantries used the donated food to serve 47,689 customers.
  • It impacts the lives of over 57,000​ individuals each year.

The Bucks County Housing Group also partners with two other recipients of the Rotary Club of Shady Brook support … A Woman’s Place and Philabundance.

If interested in supporting the Bucks County Housing Group’s food pantries, you can click on the donate button at its web site (www.bchg.org).

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Just today, we received a letter of "Thanks"  … 

Dear Rotary of Shady Brook,

I hope you are well! Thank you so much for your donation during this time, and thank you for your interest in what we have been doing.

SIncerest thanks,

Nick Parsons