Nonprofit News

Two Lehigh Valley Chambers of Commerce held a luncheon Tuesday that focused on food insecurity in the region. Leaders of two food pantries and an executive with the Second Harvest Food Bank were featured panelists at the luncheon.

The Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley will hold its first Nonprofit Impact Conference on Oct. 23 at Wind Creek Bethlehem. The event will give nonprofit staff the chance to connect, network, and discover new resources.

Artist Vaughn Randall's cast iron and bronze Locus sculpture was chosen as winner of the third annual Sculpture at SteelStacks national contest. An official ceremony was held outside the Bethlehem Visitor Center on Thursday evening where the sculpture will be displayed for one year.

How to assist the homeless and food insecure in Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley was the central message the New Bethany Souper Day Fundraiser luncheon at ArtsQuest Center on Friday.

Allentown officials this year moved $1.2 million of federal pandemic-relief money into a fund for grants to local nonprofits. The largest grant will support an eviction-protection program deemed "highly successful" in the past.

In appreciation for the early intervention services he received at Colonial Intermediate Unit 20, Nazareth Area High School junior Brody Muthard, 16, has chosen to build a playground there for autistic children for his Boy Scout Eagle Scout project.

In the first round of Neighborhood Assistance Program funding from the state, Lehigh Valley-based programs received more than $2 million.

This year's Lehigh Valley Pride was the largest yet, expanding to fill a parking lot near First Street in Bethlehem for the first time. The threat of severe weather shut down the festival later in the afternoon.

The Museum of Indian Culture this weekend hosted its 44th annual Roasting Ears of Corn Festival, which celebrates the corn harvest.

Allentown Rescue Mission began its art therapy program during the pandemic. It has since become one of the favorite classes among the men who temporarily reside at the shelter.

Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced $52.5 million in grants intended to prevent suicide. Named for Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox, the suicide prevention grant program is now in its second year. Its goal is to fund community-based organizations that work with veterans and their families. Last year, the VA gave awards to three groups in Pennsylvania, including more than $530,000 to St. Luke’s Penn Foundation in Carbon County. Eighty recipients won awards nationwide in the program’s first year. Grant applications are due by May 19 with awards expected to be announced in September. Selected organizations will receive funding for 2024. More information on how to apply is available at mentalhealth.va.gov.

The current president and CEO of the Greater Valley YMCA is retiring after 36 years of service to the YMCA but will continue in a consulting role to ensure the completion of major projects.

Volunteers read to elementary school students across the Lehigh Valley for Read Across America Day on Thursday. The United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley and Lehigh Valley Reads coordinated the effort.

Professional organizers will host a free drive-thru shredding event at Freedom High School on March 25.

Bradbury-Sullivan Center presented findings from the Pennsylvania LGBTQ Health Needs Assessment, focusing on responses from Lehigh Valley residents.

Emmaus native Ashley Coleman was named executive director of the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center in January 2023.

A developing community center in Emmaus, JuxtaHub is beginning to offer workshops and digital experiences using what organizers believe to be the mass media of the near future.

About 900 people dipped into the Delaware River to raise money for the Lehigh Valley's chapter of the Special Olympics.

The extra payments that participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, have been getting during the COVID-19 pandemic are ending this month in Pennsylvania, leaving food banks bracing for a surge in demand.

Liz Bradbury has been an LGBTQ activist in the Lehigh Valley for more than 30 years.

Allentown City Planning Commission on Tuesday approved the construction of a 49-unit apartment building and parking garage on West Hamilton Street. The complex would house primary occupants 55-and-older and adults with disabilities. Representatives of the neighboring music school voiced concerns about increased traffic and the safety of students, parents, and staff.

ArtsQuest is seeking photos of local "Hometown Heroes" for their Memorial Day exhibit.