Jim Reece, Executive Director, Friend, Inc. Community Services
Friend, Inc. Community Services is a social service agency catering to the Northeast Berks County area and was founded in September, 1972. With offices originally located on Main Street in Kutztown, the nonprofit’s services initially centered on drug and alcohol counseling. When funding priorities changed and became more focused on the Reading area, Friend unfortunately closed for a period of time, until a group of churches got together and were able to happily bring Friend, Inc. back to life. Over the last several years, Friend, Inc. has recognized that people in the community had a considerable, yet often quiet, desire to know where to turn for help and how to access it, be it for financial struggles, due to food scarcity, or a number of other needs that can oftentimes strike unexpectedly. Executive Director Jim Reece says, “One of the challenges we have in this part of the county is that it’s very rural. There is poverty. There is domestic violence. There is homelessness, but it’s harder to see in a rural community.” Friend Inc. has been able to meet the needs of community members in the northeast part of Berks with compassion and has grown exponentially over the years.
Serving Others
Today, Friend, Inc. operates a large self-select food pantry five days a month at its main office, serving close to 500 individuals in the community, as well as a weekly on-campus student pantry at Kutztown University, serving roughly 150 students a month. Friend also operates a mobile food pantry in Huff’s Church the first Thursday of the month, utilizing their new refrigerated box truck. This allows the organization to serve those who might not have the physical ability to come in to the market. The nonprofit even offers a pet pantry for furry friends’ needs, too. Reece adds, “If we can bring the needed identified services to the community up here, that’s what we do.”
To receive assistance from Friend, Inc. individuals complete an intake process with a case manager in order to determine their needs. From there, they are connected to the appropriate services that can assist with rent, utilities, employment, housing and more. The friendly staff helps people navigate through each step for a smooth process. Friend, Inc. does provide short-term direct assistance. However, some of the outside assistance programs have a longer turnaround time. Friend, Inc. also has the capability to provide help during a waiting period. The bottom line remains that the struggles people face can often be hard to see. Reece says, “People who are hurting need help and our goal is self-sustainment. We try to help either directly or through other support services so that people can get their lives back with a sense of self-respect.” He continues, “We’re here; we care.”
Fundraising for Friend
There are two large annual fundraising events to participate in or donate to, both in the name of supporting this amazing agency. The Brake the Cycle of Poverty charity ride and a benefit auction both occur each year, not only raising funds, but also raising awareness of some of the issues in our community, including homelessness, poverty and domestic violence. This year, the benefit auction will be held on April 30th and will be both live and virtual. On hand will be an auctioneer, eats, drinks and fun. More info and tickets can be found on friendinc.org.
Did You Know?
Heavy lifting. Friend Inc. distributes between 8,000 and 10,000 pounds of food each month. In 2021 alone, the nonprofit provided direct support to nearly 1,200 people.
Collaborative Agencies. Friend, Inc. is also the northeast home for Safe Berks, Family Guidance Center, and Women and Family Services (WIC) making these services more accessible to the community.
