P. O. Box 427
Centre Hall, PA  16828
pennsvalleyhopefund@gmail.com

Thanksgiving Blessings in a Box 2021

The YMCA is offering their Thanksgiving Blessings in a Box again this year to families in need.  See their posting below and contact them as soon as possible if you are interested in requesting a box of food.   

 

As Thanksgiving approaches, we realize that many local families might not have the opportunity to enjoy a meal to celebrate, so we'll be offering "Thanksgiving Blessings in a Box" to families that qualify.

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Volley for HOPE 2021

Please come out and support Lady Rams Volleyball on October 20, 2021 for the Penns Valley Volley for HOPE!

LADY RAMS vs BALD EAGLE at Penns Valley High School Jr. High 4:00pm JV at 6:00pm Varsity at 7:15pm BASKET RAFFLE, BAKE SALE, 50/50

ALL FUNDS RAISED WILL BE DONATED TO The HOPE Fund of Penns Valley

Thank you in advance to everyone for their support of the HOPE Fund!

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2021 Christmas of HOPE Application Process

Hello Penns Valley Community.  Christmas of HOPE is now accepting applications for our 2021 Christmas program.  If you live in the Penns Valley Area School District and need help providing Christmas for your children this year (infants through seniors in high school only), please complete our application form and return it to Christmas of HOPE, P. O.

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Gala for HOPE 2021

GREAT NEWS!! 

The Gala for HOPE 2020 has been rescheduled for August 7, 2021 from 6:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. at the General Potter Farm! The theme will remain the same………The Roaring 20’s (period dress and flare is encouraged)

All past ticket sales will be honored, however, we ask that you please contact your seller to notify them if you are still able to attend!    Please help us spread the word!

We thank you in advance and look forward to seeing you at the GALA!!

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APPLICATIONS FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR CHRISTMAS 2021 NOW BEING ACCEPTED UNTIL OCTOBER 19, 2021

Hello Penns Valley Community!  Christmas of HOPE is now accepting applications for our 2021 Christmas program.  If you live in the Penns Valley Area School District and need help providing Christmas for your children this year (infants through seniors in high school only), please complete our application form and return it to Christmas of HOPE, P. O. Box 427, Centre Hall, PA  16828 or scan and email your signed and completed form to hopefundchristmas@gmail.com no later than October 19, 2021.  (NO PHOTOGRAPHS OF YOUR APPLICATON FROM YOUR CELL PHONE WILL BE ACCEPTED DUE TO LEGIBILITY ISSUES).   

If you participated in our program last year, you will receive an email alerting you that a 2021 application has been mailed to your home address.    If you have moved to a different address within Penns Valley, please email us your new address as soon as possible so we can update our records.  If you or your children have moved out of the Penns Valley Area School District, we are sorry but you are no longer eligible to be in our program. 

If you did not participate in our program last year and would like to be considered this year, please print off an application form from our website.  If you are not able to print your own application form, please email us your complete name and address at hopefundchristmas@gmail.com and request a form be mailed to you as soon as possible or pick up an application at the following locations:

Grace United Methodist Church 
127 S. Pennsylvania Avenue
Centre Hall, PA  16828
8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Penns Valley Youth Center                   
106 School Street
Spring Mills, PA  16875
3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday
3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Wednesday

All application forms must be completed and postmarked by October 19, 2021 to participate in our program.  Late applications will not be accepted!!

We can assure you that Christmas of HOPE will keep all information provided on the application form strictly confidential!  If your application is approved, we look forward to serving you and your family to make your Christmas a blessed one!  If you have any questions, please contact us at hopefundchristmas@gmail.com.   

New Application Form

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Christmas of HOPE is an off-shoot of the charity the HOPE Fund of Penns Valley.  The HOPE Fund was started because we saw a great need in our community to help residents faced with medical or personal disasters.

At Christmas time, we wanted to be able to help the families assisted by the HOPE Fund even more by providing Christmas for their children. Because the HOPE Fund is funded completely through donations, and because those donations are designated for families in need facing dire health situations or other tragedies, there needed to be a very definite separation between the HOPE Fund and Christmas of HOPE. Therefore, Christmas of HOPE is recognized as its own entity.

Christmas of HOPE implemented a new process in October of 2019 and is no longer taking referrals from guidance counselors at our local schools.  We are, however, accepting applications from families in the Penns Valley Area School District who are in need of assistance in providing Christmas to their children and will be happy to help you!  If you are struggling financially and need our assistance, please click here for instructions 2021 coming soon! Businesses and community members have generously stepped forward to sponsor children by donating money, gifts, and their time to provide Christmas for local children. In 2020, we served over 70 children of limited means through Christmas of HOPE.   

This program has grown tremendously since its inception.  This is our eleventh year now and it is only been possible because of the support of the entire community!! 

These certainly have been unprecedented times lately and many things have changed due to COVID 19!  Christmas of HOPE wants to keep our sponsors, volunteers and participating families safe this Christmas season and because of this we have decided to change our process somewhat by limiting personal contact and practicing social distancing.  We do anticipate more families needing help this year, however, and would greatly appreciate your support in helping us make this Christmas special for those in need! 

All children that we serve are residents of the Penns Valley Area School District.  We are so blessed to be part of this community and to have so many generous people, businesses and churches help support this cause.  If you would like to consider sponsoring a child this year for Christmas or would like more information, you can email hopefundchristmas@gmail.com.  If you would like to make a monetary donation, checks can be made out to Christmas of HOPE and mailed to The HOPE Fund of Penns Valley, PO Box 427, Centre Hall, PA 16828.

Thank you for helping to brighten Christmas for our Penns Valley youth!  

 

There are no words to describe what our world has been through over the last several months.  The coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered and impacted our communities.  Our hearts are with each and every one of you and recognize that many of you have had to take a collective pause from day-to-day activities, celebrating milestones, visiting loved ones, and may be facing financial challenges due to job loss, reduced work schedules, and/or additional child care expenses.  While life seems like it is temporarily on hold, things will hopefully return to normal soon where we are able to leave our homes without fear!  Now more than ever, we must work together to provide support to those impacted by this public health crisis!

At times like these, we are humbled by the generosity of others where neighbors are helping neighbors get through these challenges and we see this happening right here in our valley for which we are blessed to be a part of!  The YMCA and the Penns Valley Area School District have been working tirelessly to ensure meals are being provided for youth in need. The YMCA will be providing meals Monday through Friday through the end of the school year at the Centre Hall, Millheim, and Miles Township Fire Companies and three trailer parks and food deliveries are being made to student's homes by PVASD.  The HOPE Fund is proud to be working along with many other donors by providing needed resources to keep this program funded and fully operational through the YMCA.  

Also, the Progress Grange partnered with the YMCA and the HOPE Fund to provide weekend food bags at no cost every Friday through May 29, 2020 from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the Progress Grange, 217 S. Pennsylvania Avenue, Centre Hall, PA for local families in need as well as soup and sandwiches for seniors and veterans!  This was done on a drive through basis so noone had to exit their vehicle. 

Starting June 8, 2020, a Summer Lunch program will begin in Penns Valley.       

The HOPE Fund is also providing facemasks and bandanna masks to anyone in the Penns Valley area who is in need and also to life-sustaining businesses who are putting their lives at risk to help others on a daily basis.   If you are in need of a facemask, please email us at pennsvalleyhopefund@gmail.com with your name, address, phone number, number of masks needed, size of masks (adult or child) and sex (male or female).  Someone from the HOPE Fund will be in contact with you about how to obtain your masks as soon as they are available. 

A COVID-19 Food Assistance Application is now available on our website.  Penns Valley residents who are facing financial difficulty should complete this application to obtain short term assistance for groceries.  This assistance program is being made available to residents through a partnership of the Hope Fund of Penns Valley and Burkholders Country Market.  As soon as your application has been received, someone from the HOPE Fund will contact you with more information.  

Due to social distancing measures currently in place, we will be making some immediate changes to our current operating plan.  Our Outreach Volunteers will no longer be able to perform in-home visits.  Any regular applications received will be reviewed and a phone interview will be conducted instead of a face to face meeting.  

We ask for your patience during this trying time and we thank everyone in advance for Helping Other People Every Day!  

   

The HOPE Fund is a Christian based, non-denominational, non-profit organization dedicated to helping other people everyday.

1. The purpose of the HOPE fund is to financially assist residents of the Penns Valley Area School District with a medical crisis or a personal disaster

2. The HOPE Fund started in response to the caring and generous support of people in the valley

3. Tragedies unfortunately happen everyday. The HOPE Fund wants to have contingency funds available so we can act swiftly when these situations arise.

We are a 100% volunteer run 501c3 Corporation.  With the administrative, fundraising, customer service and event related activities within a year's time, it takes over 240 volunteers to make the HOPE Fund run efficiently.  ALL of the money that we raise STAYS in Penns Valley to help those in need.  It is the belief of THE HOPE FUND that people are likely to recover faster when not faced with financial burden.  We have assisted stroke victims, cancer patients, heart attack victims, accident victims and those displaced by house fires.  Some more specific examples of residents we have helped are noted in our Mission   

Learn More About The Mission