WILKES-BARRE, PA – The Family Service Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania (FSA) recently received a $500 grant from the Community Giving Foundation: Bloomsburg in support of the nonprofit’s Pennsylvania 211 Northeast / Help Line program that provides free information and referrals to emergency health and human services.
The grant supports FSA’s PA 211 NE / Help Line, a free and confidential information and referral service that helps people in Bloomsburg face life’s challenges by connecting them to local resources. The 211 service is available 24-hours a day, seven-days a week, 365 days a year. The service saves time and frustration by eliminating the need to navigate a maze of health and human service agencies by organizing all available resources in one localized database.
Contacting 211 connects people to highly trained professionals who can address a diverse set of needs. The database provides information that connects people in need with vital services to address food and housing insecurity, crisis management, emergency shelter, vaccination sites, health clinics, domestic violence, utility and rent assistance, home-delivered meals, mental health, drug and alcohol services, and much more.
“We are thankful to have the Community Giving Foundation: Bloomsburg as a regional partner in ensuring people have free access to the information and referral services they need to meet their needs,” said Janyne Gurnari, interim chief executive officer of Family Service Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania. “The pandemic and its repercussions have reinforced the value of community foundations and the work they do to support and build resilient, family sustaining communities.”
The Community Giving Foundation began as the Berwick Health and Wellness Fund in 1999 after the sale of Berwick Hospital. In 2003, it became a regional foundation and was renamed the Community Giving Foundation in December 2020. Today, the foundation has more than 300 funds and about $80 million in assets to serve a 5½-county service area. Annually, the foundation, including the Community Giving Foundation: Bloomsburg, awards more than $2.8 million in grants for the betterment of the region.
“The Family Service Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Pennsylvania 211 Northeast / Help Line program provides a vital service to Columbia County residents,” said M. Holly Morrison, D.Ed., president and CEO of the Community Giving Foundation. “The board and foundation are proud to be able to support a worthwhile program that has a positive impact daily in our community.”
A group of involved and concerned members of the community established FSA in 1895 in order to provide diverse services that empower children, individuals, seniors and families to reach their full potential by building healthier relationships, and ultimately stronger communities.
Today, its 13 programs provide services to residents in 17 counties, including Bradford, Clinton, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Pike, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Wayne and Wyoming counties. FSA’s PA 211 NE / Help Line provides free information and referral services to address food and housing insecurity, emergency shelter, utility and rent assistance, mental health, drug and alcohol services, crisis management, vaccinations, and more.
Today, FSA’s 13 programs provide services to residents in 17 counties, including Bradford, Clinton, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Pike, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Wayne and Wyoming counties. Any resident in PA 211 NE’s coverage area can access PA 211 NE / Help Line by calling 211, texting 211 (898-211, plus a zip code), or by logging on to www.pa211ne.org.
For more information about FSA or to support its programs, please log on to www.fsanepa.org, call, (570) 823-5144 or email, families@fsanepa.org.