What’s New at Albright

Mitten Tree Collects Donations for Local Needy Children

January 3, 2007

For the month of December, a Christmas tree was set up in the Albright Care Services (ACS) Central Offices, located on the RiverWoods Senior Living Community campus in Lewisburg, in order to collect winter clothing items, such as hats, mittens, and scarves.  About 50 items were hung on the tree and were later distributed to local children in need by the Eastern and Western Union County Food Banks.  Every child received a hat, scarf, mitten, and a pair of socks for the holiday and winter season.

On December 13, Sallie Pyper, a volunteer for the Eastern Union County Food Bank, picked up the donations gathered by Albright Care Services’ tree and delivered them to the Union County Food Banks.

Ruth Roberts, past president of the Union County chapter of the Pennsylvania Association of School Retirees, set up a collection tree, similar to the one located in the ACS Central Office, at the Library for Union County and placed collection boxes at each of the Lewisburg and Mifflinburg schools.  Donations from that tree and boxes were picked up on December 12.

“Collecting winter clothing items for the local children is their major service project for the year,” Ruth commented.  “The Food Banks were delighted to receive more than 700 donations that were split in half between Eastern and Western Union County.”

The ACS mitten tree was sponsored by the Central Office Mission Enhancement Committee, whose purpose is to support the ACS mission by fostering communication, planning and organizing activities that are of benefit to the residents, staff members, and Albright Care Services as a whole.  The Committee currently has six members: Jean Reese, Cindy Wolfe, Faith Love, Lindsey Dufrene, Edie Moyer, and Shaun Smith.  They support resident-related efforts and typically sponsor charitable collections, such as the mitten tree, the American Heart  Association, and the Geisinger Children’s Miracle Network.  This was the first year the Central Office sponsored the mitten tree.