Six barrels with 50-gallons each of donated hand sanitizer are now ready and waiting for churches to “come and get it” at the Eastern PA Conference’s four Camp & Retreat Centers and at two local churches in Philadelphia and Allentown.
The 55-gallon total barrels, recently donated to FEMA and then to our conference’s Disaster Response Ministry, were picked up by Early Response Team volunteers Wednesday at Jubilee Ministries in Annville and delivered to six sites across the conference. Church representatives can come with empty, screw-top bottles and collect from the barrels up to 64 ounces of the sanitizer gel for each church.
Visitors to the collection sites should call or e-mail them in advance to arrange visits. All visitors must wear protective masks and gloves, practice social distancing and refrain from coming if they have been exposed to anyone with COVID-19 or are experiencing temperatures above 100 degrees or flu-like symptoms.
The collection sites and the times of availability are:
Asbury UMC, 1533 Springhouse Road, Allentown, PA. Telephone: (610) 398-2577. Since the church is closed due to the pandemic, visitors must call and leave a message or send an email to iolivieri@asburylv.org to schedule a day and time. Calls are being received by the church answering service, which is monitored daily by staff. A staff member will call back to make appointments. Israel Olivieri, at iolivieri@asburylv.org, is the coordinator. The Rev. Eric Yeakel is the pastor.
Trinity UMC, 1814 Wharton Street, Philadelphia, PA. Telephone: 215-796-5253. Days/Times (beginning July 18): Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 AM to 1 PM and Saturday,10 AM to 2 PM. The Rev. Myra Maxwell (myrajmax1@gmail.com) is the pastor and East District Disaster Response Coordinator.
Pocono Plateau Camp & Retreat Center, 304 Pocono Plateau Road, Cresco PA. Telephone: 570-676-3665. Days/Times: Tuesday through Saturday, from 9 AM to 3 PM. Call or email camp@poconoplateau.org the day before to assure staff availability. The Rev. Ronald Schane, Director.
Carson Simpson Farm Camp & Retreat Center, 3405 Davisville Road, Hatboro PA. Telephone: 215-659-0232. Days/Times: Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM. Call the office in advance. Jonathan Curtis is Site Director at director@csfarm.org.
Innabah Camp & Retreat Center, 712 Pughtown Rd, Spring City, PA. Telephone: 610-469-6111. Days/Times: Monday to Thursday, 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM. Call the office in advance. Michael Hyde is Director: office@innabah.org.
Gretna Glen Camp & Retreat Center, 87 Old Mine Road, Lebanon, PA, camp@gretnaglen.org. Telephone: 717-273-6525 during office hours; 717-679-6715 after office hours. Days/Times: Sunday to Saturday, 7 AM to 7 PM, in the camp’s Welcome Pavilion. Apryl Miller is Director, amiller@gretnaglen.org.
Eastern PA Conference’s Disaster Response Ministry also has donated, washable cloth face coverings from FEMA to help churches ensure safety during worship and activities. The adult-sized masks are 100% cotton, and contain silver and copper to help prevent the growth of viruses and germs. Churches wanting masks can request them using the following form.
Request Face Masks