Angels in the Attic Gets United Way Boost
The United Way of Berks County has approved a $10,000 Rapid Response Grant for Alvernia University’s Angels in the Attic program. The funds aim to assist with purchasing fresh vegetables, fruit, dairy products and personal items for students in need, as well as training materials for a mentor program that pairs students with faculty or staff.
Angels in the Attic is a need-based program for Alvernia University students who have difficulty paying for basic-living items. Food, clothing, shoes, bedding, books and class supplies are purchased with funds from university faculty and staff, and other items are collected when students empty out dorm rooms at the end of each semester.
“End-of-semester Lighten your Load collections bring in gently used rugs, sweepers, dishes and other basic living items,” explains program founder Sharon Blair, executive assistant to the Provost at Alvernia. Last fall, a faculty member who won a special Alvernia/United Way campaign incentive — for one meal each day for the rest of the year — donated her prize to Angels in the Attic.
“Faculty and staff can sometimes tell that a student is struggling,” says Blair. “Alvernia is so strong helping the community — and this is a way to help our Alvernia community.”
