Mission and Mayfair

You can save $1 off Mayfair admission and help the Mission at the same time! Mayfair is collecting rolls of paper towels and spray cleaner at its admission gates for the Mission. Everyone who brings an item will receive $1 off regular admission or $2 off a multi-day pass! The Mission is grateful for this partnership; cleaning products are always needed at the Mission, to keep it clean for the homeless people we serve.

Mayfair Festival of the Arts showcases visual and performing arts in Cedar Beach Park in Allentown. The festival runs Thursday, May 27th through Monday, May 31st. For more information on the festival, visit http://www.mayfairfestival.org/.

Gunther's Left Wing/Right Wing Challenge Sponsors More Than 500 Wings!

"Egged on" by Bobby Gunther Walsh of WAEB AM 790, listeners participated in a friendly competition, calling in to sponsor either Left Wings or Right Wings at $5 each.

By noon on Friday, April 30th, the Right Wingers were soaring with 504 wings sponsored. The Left Wingers sponsored 32 wings, for a total of 536 wings. This raised $2,680--something to crow about--before the dinner began!!

Our thanks to Gunther, WAEB & its listeners for their support!

Chicken Feed Dinner to Support the Mission is a Success!

The Chicken Feed Dinner to support the Allentown Rescue Mission served 321 guests and raised over $19,000! Sixty-five volunteers pitched in to make this event a success.

Our thanks to our sponsors:

Super Chicken Sponsor:
Kutztown Folk Festival

Big Bird Sponsor:
Mr. Bill's Poultry Market

Nest Egg Sponsors:
Bethany United Methodist Church
Brownback Mason & Associates
Chicken Little & the Big Red Chicken
Embassy Bank
Foster Contracting
McAuliffe Hauling and Recycling
Pepsi Bottling Group
W.J. Stiver & Associates

Flock Sponsors:
Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Balf
Gannon's Gourmet Foods
Karen Grim-Bogdan
Interstate Fleets, Inc.
Johsua's Tree
Michael Mutarelli
Thomas Nowakowski, Jr.
Brad & Janice Osborne
Melanie Sanchez-Jones
Stotz & Fatzinger Office Supplies
YMCA, Allentown

Wing and A Prayer Sponsors:
Jordan United Church of Christ, South Whitehall
St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Allentown

Chicken Nugget Sponsors:
Brickote
Bill Dickinson
New China Buffet
William Pummer, Jr.
Steven Ziminsky

A special thank you to Asbury United Methodist Church for hosting the Chicken Feed...And MANY thanks to our wonderful volunteers!

Bake Sale Benefits the Mission

Marianne (Mary) Knapp, a loyal Mission supporter, sold a variety of baked goods on Sunday, March 28th at the Wal*Mart Supercenter in Easton. Mary baked the goodies herself, and is donating the proceeds to the Mission. Bill Dickinson, the Mission's Director of Development, stopped by for some samples and raved, "They were delicious!"

THANK YOU, Mary, for your hard work and dedication!

Eric's Story

Eric was homeless and didn't care if he lived or died. In fact, dying seemed to be a way out of the mess his life had become.

His drug use had put him in and out of rehabs, mental hospitals, and jail.

"I lost everything," Eric said.

Finally, something changed.

Find out what happened to Eric at www.allentownrescuemission.org.

Players of the Stage

Our thanks to "Players of the Stage" for their presentation of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" to benefit the Mission. The production was a labor of love for local children and youth involved with the Players of the Stage theatre company. Their hard work and creativity raised over $5,000!

"The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" inspires viewers to consider the true meaning of Christmas. In the words of director Sharon Barshinger (pictured at left with production manager Elisabeth Barshinger and the Mission's Executive Director Gary Millspaugh), "If celebrating Christmas is just about a baby in a manger then we might as well not have Christmas. How much help can a helpless baby give us? Christmas must mean more; Christmas means that Jesus came to the manger because he came to die on the cross. One can't truly appreciate the beauty of the 2nd person of the Godhead lying in a feeding trough if you don't understand the horror and hope that is mingled in the crucifixion of the Son of God, Son of Man, Jesus."

The Mission is grateful to be associated with this fine production. We encourage you to support the Player's of the Stage's next production, "The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, on March 18th & 19th at 7 pm and March 20th at 2 pm and 7 pm at Living Hope Presbyterian Church, 330 Schantz Road, Allentown. Tickets are free. Donations are welcome to help offset porduction costs. A portion of proceeds will be donated to The Jamaican School for the Deaf. Contact Beth Barshinger at tgbemus@yahoo.com or 610-923-6742 for more information.

Buses Stuffed to Support the Mission

An annual “Stuff the Bus” event to collect supplies and food to benefit the Allentown Rescue Mission, provided much needed support for the local ministry, about 20,000 lbs. A similar effort netted 22,000 lbs last year.

B-104 broadcasted live from the Giant Food Store in Whitehall on Friday night. Other area Giant Stores hosted the event Friday as well, receiving donations in Allentown, Bethlehem and Nazareth.

WAEB AM 790’s Bobby Gunther Walsh broadcasted on Saturday at the Trexlertown Wal*Mart. There were also collections in Easton, Whitehall, and Bethlehem Wal*Marts on Saturday.
Shoppers pitched in to provide cleaning supplies, personal care items and paper products as well as non-perishable food items and turkeys.

Our thanks to all who volunteered and donated!