BCOC's Community Connections: September 16, 2020

Community Connections for September 16, 2020

Community Connections is the e-newsletter of the Bucks County Opportunity Council. From volunteer opportunities, to success stories, from food drives to Adopt-A-Family, we want to share the good work you support. After all, we are all #CommunityAction! #BCOCProud

What's inside:

Leadership Changes on our Board of Directors
Save the Date for the Economic Self Sufficiency Graduation
Meet our Staff!
Volunteer Opportunities
Wheelz2Work - David
Neighborhood Assistance Program

Leadership Changes on the BCOC Board of Directors

We are pleased to announce that we have had some recent leadership changes within our Board of Directors.

First, we are excited to welcome Michael W. Mills, as Chair of the board. Mike is a partner with Antheil Maslow & MacMinn, LLP in Doylestown and has been a member of the BCOC board for four years. He has formerly held the title of Vice Chair and Treasurer. Mike has a passion for preserving value within organizations and is looking forward to his continued work with BCOC. We are honored to have Mike lead our Board of Directors as we expand our reach and grow our programs to address poverty.

We are also delighted to have Kerry Shepherd as our new Vice-Chair. Ms. Shepherd is the Director of Operations for DVL Group, Inc. in Bristol, a company specializing in critical environments of power, cooling, and infrastructure. Kerry has served on the board for several years and is excited to accept this new role. She has an amazing connection with BCOC, often volunteering at Fresh Connect and other events to show her support and spread the word about BCOC’s work. Kerry’s expertise in leading organizations will surely help BCOC as we develop new strategies to combat poverty.

We are happy to announce that Connie Furman has been chosen as our new Treasurer. Ms. Furman is the Executive Vice President and Senior Lending Officer for First National Bank & Trust of Newtown. She first joined the board in 2016 and has volunteered for our VITA program for the last 10 years. Connie has the knowledge and expertise to help BCOC continue to grow over the next several years.

Congratulations to everyone! We are eager to see all the wonderful opportunities this will bring to BCOC!

Meet our new staff!

Connie McGarvey is the new Public Relations and Communication Coordinator at #TeamBCOC. This position is new to the organization, and is a part of our Development team. Connie recently graduated from Temple University with her Bachelor's Degree in Public Relations, as well as a certificate in Event Leadership. "I am excited to be a part of such a great organization, and share all the amazing work that is done for the people within this community. " When Connie is not working, she is kept busy by her two German Shepard/Labrador Retriever mixes, Draco and Max. She is also a devoted Eagles fan, and enjoys spending time with her fiance, friends and family.

September is #HungerActionMonth

Hunger can be hard to spot in America, yet there are families in every county of the US, including Bucks county, who cant afford to stock their cupboards with the food they need.

Thankfully through the #FreshConnectBucksPA program, we are able to provide fresh produce to some of those families. Click HERE to visit our website to view all the steps we take to fight hunger in Bucks County. #feedingourcommunity #BCOCProud

Volunteer Openings

Immediate Openings for delivery drivers today, tomorrow and next week- click here!

Our volunteers deliver food to home-bound Bucks County residents, sort & pack food at the HELP Center, distribute produce to needy families and more. To join our #volunteer team, click HERE

Fresh Connect Bristol: Tuesdays in Warminster from 10:30 – 1:00 – https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e44a4af2ca6f49-fresh2

Thursdays in Ottsville from 9:30 – 12:00 – https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e44a4af2ca6f49-fresh1

Friday in Bristol from 10:30 – 1:00 – http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e44a4af2ca6f49-fresh

To learn more about Fresh Connect, you can visit our Fresh Connect page.

Wheelz2Work

Congratulations, David!

On August 19th, David received a reliable set of "wheelz" to keep him on the road to self-sufficiency!

David used to get rides from other people to go to places like the grocery store, where he has only been to THREE times this year. Now, he has the accessibility to do it all on his own! There is a lack of safe and reliable transportation in Bucks County, which limits the access to employment opportunities and basic needs. Learn more about how Wheelz2Work helps people like David: https://www.bcoc.org/support-us/wheelz2work/

Neighborhood Assistance Program

Bucks County Opportunity Council is a proud member of the National Community Action Network. Learn more about the National Community Action Partnership at communityactionpartnership.com.

The Bucks County Opportunity Council is the designated Community Action Agency (CAA) for Bucks County. We are one of 42 Community Action agencies in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and one of 1,000 across the nation! Each CAA is responsive to the needs of their own local community, and is tasked with providing targeted solutions to the issues around poverty in that community.

BCOC provides a wide range of services to enable residents to achieve Economic Self-Sufficiency, through case management, Rapid Re-housing, emergency crisis stabilization services, Street Outreach, free tax preparation, food resources, Fresh Connect, weatherization and more to Bucks County residents in need. We hope you will stand with us as our partners as we navigate the challenges of 2020, and #BeCommunityAction!