ARW Talks to Civic Club

Deborah La Valla of the Blair County American Rescue Workers (ARW) presented to the Williamsburg Women's Civic Club on Monday, Oct. 23. La Valla said she and her husband came to Hollidaysburg in 2006 for a six-week training course for the ARW. La Valla and her husband lived in Ohio from 2007-2015, and then returned to Hollidaysburg in 2015.

La Valla said the American Rescue Workers began in 1884, with the Blair County chapter beginning in the 1920s. ARW depends on the support of the community, and then it is decided what's needed for the community. Currently, the location of the ARW is the home to the Central Food Pantry, which serves 15 local food pantries including Williamsburg. They are also home to one of the only refrigerated trucks for the food pantries. The Blair County ARW recently moved into a new building; La Valla joked to the club that she and her husband had plans to retire, but life threw them other plans.

"Change is inevitable, change happens to us – how do we respond to that change?" La Valla asked.

The new building, which they currently rent, gave La Valla and others a lot of anxiety. Someone could buy the building and the food pantry which, according to La Valla, services just 200 families a month from there.

The ARW also has five employees, along with a dedicated staff of mostly retired volunteers. Through all of the anxiety, La Valla said the bible devotional, "Don't focus on the storm, focus on who is in the boat with you," kept her together throughout the move to the new building.

La Valla then gave a testimony about ARW about a mother bringing her son who needed a 4X coat to a coat drive. Unfortunately at the time, ARW didn't have that size of a coat. La Valla said she took the lady's number down and said they would call her if something came up. She said the lady was disappointed, but a few days later, someone donated coats with the incorrect tags in and one of the coats was the right size.

La Valla invited the club to tour ARW and get a first-hand look at what all the American Rescue Workers do.

During the meeting, the Civic Club members on the Williamsburg Public Library Board announced a fundraiser for the library. Martin General coupons for food and Ritchey's Dairy coupons. The Christmas Tea date was announced for Sunday, Dec. 10, with the theme "Christmas for the Birds."