Milford Square shelter building getting "wrapped up" prior to application of siding donated by CertainTeed.

FINALLY, after three years, hundreds of volunteer hours and over $55,000 in donations - our Milford Square Shelter is being renovated and repaired and sided! The shelter, home to six families working to move to permanent housing and financial stability, is a home built in 1890 and renovated to accomodate homeless families. Check back for updates as the project progresses!

l-r: Melissa Mantz, Chris O'Connell and Nancy Szamborski

Executive Director and Development Officer Melissa Mantz will be part of a FOX29 report on the new homeless in our region; the working homeless: the show airs on May 4th at 10:30 pm.

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Furia Rubel, a Doylestown, Pa. strategic planning, marketing and public relations agency, is joining the Bucks County Housing Group in kicking off the social service organization’s annual “Hunger Doesn’t Take A Vacation” food collection program.

The primary goal of the food drive is to keep local food pantries stocked during July and August, months when donations are lean, but need continues unabated. Celebrating its 10^th anniversary in 2012 with a “10 for 10” Community Service Campaign, Furia Rubel is hosting its own food drive in support of the Housing Group’s summer program and is distributing branded grocery bags to clients, colleagues, family and friends during April and May to collect non-perishable food items.

“While many of us look forward to our summer vacations, hunger, unfortunately, does not take a vacation,” said Furia Rubel founder and CEO Gina F. Rubel, Esq. “In an effort to stop hunger in our area, we are asking our friends to join us in supporting the Bucks County Housing Group’s summer food drive. Gifts of non-perishable items, monetary donations and gift cards to local Bucks County grocery stores will help keep the county’s food pantries stocked for those who might otherwise go hungry this summer.”

Some of the needed non-perishable items include canned fruit, chunky soups, healthy kids’ snacks, instant coffee, peanut butter, jelly, juice boxes, kids’ cereals, powdered milk, spaghetti sauce, sugar and tuna.

Organizations interested in supporting the “Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation” food drive may contact Furia Rubel at (215) 340-0480 or or BCHG at (215) 598-3566. The Housing Group is also gratefully accepting monetary donations and/or gift cards to Acme Markets, Bottom Dollar Food, Giant, Kmart, Landis Super Markets, Target, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Wegmans or Whole Foods Market.

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In December BCHG recieved a grant from Foundations Community Partnership to underwrite the costs of a pavilion at our Robert Morris Apartment complex. Well the pavilion is almost complete and residents are pretty excited about this great addition to the property. ” We will use this pavilion to host our summer feeding program, for kids activities and for tenant gatherings.” said Dana Smith-Kurtbek, Community Builder at the site. “This is a wish come true for us and we are very grateful to FCP for making this happen.” A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place in May.

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BCHG is the recepient of a $15,000 grant from the Workforce Investment Board Bucks County Youth Council which will fund a week long career camp at Snipes Farm http://www.snipesfarm.com/. The grant is designed to give children the opportunity to learn about possible careers for the future. The camp Farm for Your Life Career Camp will include educational seminars as well as hands-on experiences for youth campers. Activities will include daily chores to feed animals, tend the children’s garden and create snacks with farm fresh ingredients.  Daily career seminars will explore the hows and whysof farming and cover the many skill sets involved in farming. Seminar topics will include:

• Greenhouse growing; seed and soil lessons and a basic
  understanding of greenhouse design.
• Soil science and how sustainable farmers feed the
  soil through composting; rotating animals on fields; cover cropping.
• Planting, tending and harvesting to round out a
  seed-to-fork experience.
• Orchard management: the work that it takes to grow an
  apple, a peach, blueberries and blackberries; an earth friendly orchard,
  the use of integrated pest management and natural sprays.
• Animal husbandry: the special care that different
  animals need, observing animal behavior and communication and appreciating
  the food those animals produce.
• Support careers: carpentry, electric, plumbing,
  landscaping and mechanics which are all needed in the maintenance and
  function of a farm.

Education will be highlighted as in seminars and daily activities to facilitate learning every day in many
ways, with mention of the many programs that are available. SFEC uses solar energy in part to run the farm and will explore the work that it takes to install a system and how the sun’s energy is converted into electricity. SFEC plans to do a morning field trip to the Bard Holding lab that makes bio-fuelout of algae.  Bard’s website is www.bardholding.com.

Seminars are designed to be hands-on and fun with games and singing woven throughout. The week will culminate in a farm market-for-a-day experience where everyone would help to harvest and prepare crops, set up a small farm stand with signs and pricing, prepare a couple of recipes for sampling and learn some basic facts about theveggies to share with visitors. A flyer for the event would be prepared by a camper marketing committee.  Campers will go home with fresh produce every day, will take home recipes and information about local farms andfarm markets and a list of careers that we’ve included in the camp experience with websites and resources to reach for moreinformation.

FEBRUARY 19, 2012  12PM-4PM. 

They will have 5 stylists performing haircuts for $25 for 6 hours. Appointments preferred; walk-ins welcome.They have  great raffle items (including a $100 gift certificate for a tattoo!) , refreshments and free services such as seated chair massages. Come join the fun! 100% of the proceeds go directly to the Doylestown Food Pantry.

1.    1. Make Breakfast Bags: fill a ziploc bag with portable breakfast foods- breakfast bars, juice box, 100% fruit roll up, milkbox or cereal, write a note- Hope you have a good day! and donate to one of our food pantries.
2.       2. Organize a food drive: just click on this link to find out how: http://www.bchg.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Food-Drive-Flyerf.pdf

While you do this work share some information about Dr King. At the end of his life he had turned to the issue of economic inequality in our country. To learn more about Dr King click on this link: http://www.thekingcenter.org/  To hear the “I Have a Dream” speech click on this YouTube link: http://youtu.be/7yahGTU8G3g

RIGHT SIDE UP CENTER      BIOCLINICA      PENN MEDICINE      KOHL’S    HARVEST FINANCIAL GROUP

and all of you from the neighborhood who are dropping off bags of gifts or food at any of our sites. Truly your kindness makes this time of the year so special.

Welcome home to the historic Albert J. Jones House. This 1858 Federal style home warms you with country elegance and touches of nostalgic whimsy—thanks to some serious auction-going by the owners. Kitchen, dining and family rooms have been added and revamped, with a surprise ‘entryway’ situated ‘on high’ in the family room.Lots of nooks and crannies offer up clever 21^st Century storage solutions within; while the back barn exudes sheer amusement– certain to put a smile on your face.