POTTSTOWN PA – April so far has been a month of warmer-than-usual temperatures, earlier-than-usual spring flowers and, for the Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities, doubly good news.
The American Legion Building at 57 N. Franklin St., Pottstown, photographed earlier this year. It soon will be the new home of the Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities' Outreach Center and offices.
The non-profit group that provides emergency assistance to those in need on Wednesday (April 21, 2010) was approved by the Pottstown borough Zoning Hearing Board for a variance that allows it to use a Franklin Street building it bought earlier this year as its new headquarters, despite being zoned in a “Traditional Town Neighborhood” district.
Only days earlier, the Cluster also announced it had won a $4,000 grant from the Montgomery County Foundation to supplement its general operating revenue.
The zoning variance for the former George A. Amole American Legion Post Home, 57 N. Franklin St., Pottstown PA, lets the Cluster “implement renovations and move to this new site as quickly as possible,” its president, George Bell, said. The building, which is substantially larger than the Cluster’s current quarters at 137 Walnut St., Pottstown, gives it room to both grow and adapt to future needs.
With increased usable office space, the Cluster “can enhance our supportive services, and become a leader in meeting individuals’ basic needs and transforming lives in the greater Pottstown community,” Executive Director Barbara Wilhelmy said. The organization has searched for a more suitable location for about 15 years, she added, and determined the Post home would offer program growth, safer work areas, and a greater community presence.
It bought the property in January (2010).
The 40-year-old Cluster, which represents a coalition of churches and religious groups in municipalities lining the U.S. Route 422 corridor from Phoenixville west into Berks County, probably is best known for providing emergency food, clothing, household goods and financial assistance to people enduring hard times. Demand for its services has risen significantly in recent years as a result of the economic recession.
The Montgomery County Foundation grant arrives at a perfect time, Wilhelmy noted. She proclaimed the Cluster as grateful for the foundation’s “ongoing interest in our programs … at a time when so many are in need.”
During 2009, the Cluster’s Outreach Center served 9,700 individuals through its food pantry, including those of 350 new households never seen before for services. Additionally, 1,976 persons were given clothing and household assistance; more than 1,600 persons sought financial or supportive assistance, and more than 18,000 individual meals were served at community sites.
The foundation develops and manages funds, primarily for permanent endowments, received from public and private sources. It distributes grant awards for charitable purposes, primarily to meet local quality of life needs.
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