Pottstown LIFT

Wish I could still play!

Who's ready for a FUNdraiser?!! Join us July 10th for a 3 on 3 basketball tournament hosted by New Hanover UMC. Each team guaranteed to play 4+ games. Only $20/person and you will be helping to solidify our presence to serve our homeless friends this upcoming fall and winter season. Get your team together and sign up today!!!

I want to thank the Pottstown Borough Council and Solicitors for their decision Tuesday allowing us to extend our initial permit through May 1, 2022. As most if not all of you are aware we did suspend operations as of May 1st 2020 due to cost considerations, less threatening weather in Spring and Summer, and many other factors that our board had to look at very closely to come to this decision. With this decision from the Borough Council we are now pressing full steam ahead ...with raising much needed funds-through private grants and donations, program development, community collaboration, sustaining and building on our volunteer base, etc. Our success will be built by strong community effort, which was displayed this past season and we are sincerely grateful for. Please consider helping kick off our fundraising by following the link below, where you can now choose to donate a one-time gift, or monthly sustaining donation. https://www.pottstownlift.org/donate

https://donorbox.org/website-donations-174

Website has been updated!!! new look and new tab under 'How Can I Help'!!! Go check it out and help support our mission before they're all sold out!! (intentionally withholding what they are) https://www.pottstownlift.org/

Helping those in need while following all pandemic protocols, offering a smile, conversation, a warm and safe place to stay at night, grace, and love....that's what we do here every night. I encourage you to come and see our building and be a part of our Heart Warming Center.

Happy New Year!! Isaiah 41:10

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2ORZ1BF3V3DGD Please see our new Amazon wishlist, items ordered will be delivered directly to our Center and handed out responsibly.

Have you volunteered? Let us and the community know about your experience in the comments!!Have you volunteered? Let us and the community know about your experience in the comments!!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d44a4ae22aafdc70-shift "The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don't wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, and you will fill yourself with hope" -Barack Obama

"Take a look at those two open hands of yours. They are tools with which to serve, make friends, and reach out for the best in life. Open hands open the way to achievement. Put them to work today" -Wilfred A. Peterson See in comment how you can help :)

A GREAT CHRISTMAS READ on our Al's Heart Warming Center Program: I am pleased to announce our first successful week here at the St. Aloysius school house location! This week has been full of generosity, grace, patience, love, and warm hearts from the community programs and individuals.... I have had police officers, fire and EMS employees, program directors and staff, parishioners and church leaders, members of the community and others come through and tour and allow me the opportunity to explain not only what we are doing here but also the immediate impact we are having and it is nothing short of a miracle. We have had a total of 17 different individuals come in this past week with 9 being the most sheltered in one night. Their backgrounds, experiences, and struggles are as varied as yours and mine but they all have in common the need to get out of the cold, and shown that they deserve that. The amount of time, energy, and money (through goods donated) put in by the staff, and community is beyond explanation by words alone and when I attempt I am nearly brought to tears with gratitude and humility. We had a guest named James, he lost his hotel room he was staying in after a divorce here with us one night. He was walking up High Street and a Police Officer told him about us. He came in completely hopeless having never been on the street before and crying because of where his life was at this night. I don’t want to live anymore he saidOur staff counseled him for a few minutes as he cried and then came and got me. I asked him if he had a plan, or the means to end his life to which he (thankfully) responded no, I just don’t know how I got here and what I did wrong, I’m a good guy. Myself and 2 staff sat with him while he vented, cried, and questioned life. We interjected with encouragement, stories of how we can relate, and hope until he went to bed. He got up at 6 am and went to work, and is now staying with a co-worker Not every experience has been like that and certainly not expected to go as such, but with every experience there is an opportunity to bring hope, faith, encouragement, and warmth and this is what we do. Word is spreading quickly and people are encouraged and motivated to see us succeed, as a Code Blue shelter, but also Pottstown LIFT and what we can do in the future. Thank you all for all you have done and allowing me this precious opportunity. Sincerely, Tom Niarhos Executive Director of Operations Pottstown LIFT / Al’s Heart Warming Center

We are pleased to announce that we now have a sign-up Genius to schedule and coordinate volunteers. Please feel free to share this link with anyone who may be interested. Volunteers are needed to help between 7-9pm and 7-9am to assist with getting the guests checked in and out, assisting with serving coffee, sandwiches, snacks, etc. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D44A4AE22AAFDC70-shift

Our Al's Heart warming center program needs help! New socks, gloves, hats, underwear Toilet paper/ feminine products Paper towels Bottled water ... Three ply disposable face masks AAA batteries for thermometers VOLUNTEERS Can you help our homeless community? Contact me at: [email protected] See more

SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS! Al's Heart Warming Center is warm and open to our homeless Pottstown neighbors tonight and every night from 8 PM until 8 AM through April 30, 2021. For more information: [email protected]

I was hungry and you gave me to eat.

Pottstown Proud! Pottstown Borough Council and the Office of Licensing and Inspection combined to give Pottstown Living in Faith Together a pandemic emergency special approval to operate a warming center for the Pottstown homeless in the old St. Aloysius school building at 214 N. Hanover Street. This project will be known as "Al's Heart Warming Center " after the late cofounder of PottstownLIFT and in honor of St.Aloysius Parish which brokered the lease with the Archdiocese ...of Philadelphia. Kudos to the Borough Manager, Mayor Stefanie, the Fire Chief and the Police Chief who supported this effort. The Warming Center plan was developed in collaboration with knowledgeable individuals representing Pottstown agencies and other entities brought together by TCN Homeless Services. It is truly wonderful to see the community come together to provide help to the most vulnerable among us this winter. See more

Winter is coming. Picture five beds in each of four rooms with our local homeless enjoying a safe nights sleep this cold season. Want to help? Share this. Want more information? or volunteer? Email us at: [email protected]

Not out of the woods yet. We are hopeful that Al's Heart will be able to provide safe sleeping accommodations for our homeless Pottstown citizens soon and through April 30, 2021. Can you help us? Daily cleaning against the threat of Covid-19 as well as staffing costs will increase the budget to about $150K. We have raised about half of that privately. Please remember this project at any time, but especially on "Giving Tuesday ". Donations can be addressed to Pottstown Living in Faith Together and mailed to our current office at 934 E. High Street, 19464. Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

This school building was constructed in 1912 and served the community until recently in educating our youth. PottstownLIFT, in collaboration with TCN Services,... is hoping to utilize the recently emptied classrooms to provide safe and warm sleeping accommodations this winter for our homeless Pottstown folks, to deal with the pending Covid-19 bed shortage crisis. If you are able to volunteer assistance in this endeavor, contact us at [email protected].

Laurie Ann Smith and her angels sanitized the St. Aloysius classrooms where, hopefully, the Pottstown homeless will find a safe nights sleep this winter season! Thank you volunteers!

Help Our Neighbors in Need this Winter! How? Watch us LIVE as we take a Journey through homelessness... and food insecurity and see the work behind the scenes being done by you every day. We will connect people to ways they can get involved and show how we have responded to the pandemic to support our neighbors through crisis. Wednesday November 18, 2020 7:00 8:00 pm Watch on: https://thepctvnetwork.com/live-streams/ or Subscribe to TCNnetwork’s Youtube Channel and watch live at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt9Dk-rLXqnl9qzh5KqRtkA Check out our Facebook Page for updated information TCN Homeless Services and Pottstown LIFT Can’t watch but want to help? Donate to PayPal: TriCounty Community Network at [email protected] And Venmo: TCN15 TCN is a 501c3 Non-profit agency Hope to hear from you live on Wednesday!

Introducing Pottstown Living in Faith Together, LLC We are a not-for-profit founded in 2020 that incubates small, but important, charitable programs for the good of the Pottstown community.... We provide facilities and other support services as needed such as: publicity, fundraising help, liability insurance, and management if necessary.