Our Plan
Panther Valley Community Center PlanLansford PaCarbon County 2023
We have currently purchased a building for an all in one Community Center that would help the Panther Valley area. Why this is so important in Panther Valley here in Carbon county is because the needs are so great, and we are cut off from where most help is offered such as in Lehighton and Jim Thorpe. Many in the Panther Valley area who need help have no transportation to these places, especially if they need to be somewhere on a continuous basis.Our Vision has always been to reach out to our community and help those who are in need or just need that extra encouragement to be pointed in the right direction.We currently run the largest on site food pantry in the Panther valley and serves over 100 households, and many households have as many as 3-8 family members in a household. Our focus would be to bring help to one building, a one stop shop so to speak for physical , mental and life change help.The building we have purchased is the old English Congregational Church of lansford. This is located at 47 W. Ridge st. It was built by those who worked in the Mines many years ago.The Goal is to have our Food pantry, Youth Activities, offices for Counseling, job support, county needs and representatives in the building, along with an upstairs Basketball /Activity room put in.In the basement perhaps with the help of St. Lukes or Lehigh valley hospital a gym along with a soup kitchen.G.C.C has purchased the Building and are now working with Second Harvest Food Bank, towards Grants and Funding.
The Panther Valley Food Pantry: run by Grace Community & Second Harvest. Currently we are in the basement of the Grace Community Church and we are running out of room and we have a lot of steps to bring food deliveries into the church and out again, and sometimes in really bad weather. With the Congregational church building it is on one level from sidewalk to lobby and room where the pantry would be housed, this means we could bring our pallets right inside and unwrap and organize a lot easier. This would be very helpful as well because many of our helpers are up in age, and this would also make it easier for when we distribute food out on our pantry days.We currently have 3 Freezers, 1 large commercial fridge and 2 new freezer/Fridges to be moved over. We would ask for funding to get professional movers to do this.Current amount of Volunteers; 25
Wrap around Service office's
On the first floor we offices availabe to county, nonprofit and support group use.
Groups That would benefit and be invited to use the Center
(Space & Office use)Panther Valley Food Pantry of GCCSocial Services: Hud, utility help, Carbon CountyBehavioral Health Associates of Carbon CountyArea on AgeingVets affairs , Valor Groupmental health/CounselingJob placement and help groupsLocal RepresentativesBoy & Girl ScoutsGCC Youth Outreach GroupLansford AlivePanther Valley youth Sportsexercise GroupsDance programsTheater programsAAAddiction counseling and help groupsBattered WomenCarenet Pregnancy center of Carbon CountyFamily Promise of Carbon CountySt. Lukes :Gym or rehabLehigh Valley hospital: Gym or rehabPeaceful Knights homeless shelter of Carbon County
Usage and Space in the BuildingThere are 3 floors. The 1st floor, the upstairs Sanctuary, The BasementThe First floor would have1)Food Pantry2)All offices or meeting rooms available for Wrap around Serivices3)Nonprofit, Govt agencies and support groups The upstairs Multi purpose RoomThis would be our multi purpose room for:Basketball/volleyball/Dance, Theater, multi purposeYouth Outreach game and fun areaYouth Programs/Karate/Dances ???????The BasementThis we would love to seeA gym filled with exercise and bench equipment* We have no real places in Panther Valley for health & Exercise.Our hope would be St. Lukes and Lehigh valley hospital may want to help us with this to promote health in the valley.
In the back of the basement is a Kitchen. With this kitchen we would like to use it as a soup kitchen to help feed the community.Once Building is Rehabbed and in use: Possible ongoing Costs
We have currently purchased a building for an all in one Community Center that would help the Panther Valley area. Why this is so important in Panther Valley here in Carbon county is because the needs are so great, and we are cut off from where most help is offered such as in Lehighton and Jim Thorpe. Many in the Panther Valley area who need help have no transportation to these places, especially if they need to be somewhere on a continuous basis.Our Vision has always been to reach out to our community and help those who are in need or just need that extra encouragement to be pointed in the right direction.We currently run the largest on site food pantry in the Panther valley and serves over 100 households, and many households have as many as 3-8 family members in a household. Our focus would be to bring help to one building, a one stop shop so to speak for physical , mental and life change help.The building we have purchased is the old English Congregational Church of lansford. This is located at 47 W. Ridge st. It was built by those who worked in the Mines many years ago.The Goal is to have our Food pantry, Youth Activities, offices for Counseling, job support, county needs and representatives in the building, along with an upstairs Basketball /Activity room put in.In the basement perhaps with the help of St. Lukes or Lehigh valley hospital a gym along with a soup kitchen.G.C.C has purchased the Building and are now working with Second Harvest Food Bank, towards Grants and Funding.
The Panther Valley Food Pantry: run by Grace Community & Second Harvest. Currently we are in the basement of the Grace Community Church and we are running out of room and we have a lot of steps to bring food deliveries into the church and out again, and sometimes in really bad weather. With the Congregational church building it is on one level from sidewalk to lobby and room where the pantry would be housed, this means we could bring our pallets right inside and unwrap and organize a lot easier. This would be very helpful as well because many of our helpers are up in age, and this would also make it easier for when we distribute food out on our pantry days.We currently have 3 Freezers, 1 large commercial fridge and 2 new freezer/Fridges to be moved over. We would ask for funding to get professional movers to do this.Current amount of Volunteers; 25
Wrap around Service office's
On the first floor we offices availabe to county, nonprofit and support group use.
Groups That would benefit and be invited to use the Center
(Space & Office use)Panther Valley Food Pantry of GCCSocial Services: Hud, utility help, Carbon CountyBehavioral Health Associates of Carbon CountyArea on AgeingVets affairs , Valor Groupmental health/CounselingJob placement and help groupsLocal RepresentativesBoy & Girl ScoutsGCC Youth Outreach GroupLansford AlivePanther Valley youth Sportsexercise GroupsDance programsTheater programsAAAddiction counseling and help groupsBattered WomenCarenet Pregnancy center of Carbon CountyFamily Promise of Carbon CountySt. Lukes :Gym or rehabLehigh Valley hospital: Gym or rehabPeaceful Knights homeless shelter of Carbon County
Usage and Space in the BuildingThere are 3 floors. The 1st floor, the upstairs Sanctuary, The BasementThe First floor would have1)Food Pantry2)All offices or meeting rooms available for Wrap around Serivices3)Nonprofit, Govt agencies and support groups The upstairs Multi purpose RoomThis would be our multi purpose room for:Basketball/volleyball/Dance, Theater, multi purposeYouth Outreach game and fun areaYouth Programs/Karate/Dances ???????The BasementThis we would love to seeA gym filled with exercise and bench equipment* We have no real places in Panther Valley for health & Exercise.Our hope would be St. Lukes and Lehigh valley hospital may want to help us with this to promote health in the valley.
In the back of the basement is a Kitchen. With this kitchen we would like to use it as a soup kitchen to help feed the community.Once Building is Rehabbed and in use: Possible ongoing Costs