Food Bank Buys New Home

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NAZARETH AREA FOOD BANK ACQUIRES ITS OWN BUILDING
Essroc Sells Lackawanna Freight Station Building on South Main Street

NAZARETH, PA., Sept. 15, 2008 – The Nazareth Area Food Bank, serving the hungry in the Nazareth area for more than 20 years, said today it has acquired the Lackawanna Freight Station Building at 529 S. Main Street in the borough from Essroc – Italcementi Group, one of the world’s leading cement companies and a fixture in the area for more than 100 years. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The Nazareth Area Food Bank is a not-for-profit corporation and federally certified public charity that has been providing non-perishable food items to families and individuals from St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church since the mid 1980s.

“We have been blessed to have the support of so many groups and individuals over the years – especially the area churches,” said Elizabeth R. Huth, longtime director of the Food Bank and its driving force for most of its existence.

“We especially want to thank Essroc for agreeing to sell the building, and the St. John’s Lutheran Church 150th Anniversary Capital Appeal and Oldcastle Architectural Products for their substantial donations that allowed us to purchase it,” Mrs. Huth added.

She noted the “gracious decision” by St. John’s Lutheran to designate the Food Bank as recipient of its gesture to the Nazareth community in commemoration of the church’s 150th anniversary in 2009.

On the seller's side, officials at Essroc after the closing said they were appreciative that the ownership is now in the hands of an important cause.

"When an inquiry came to our attention for available property," said Marco Barbesta, director of Communications at Essroc, "our building on South Main Street in Nazareth seemed like a good match. We viewed this as helping the fulfillment of a need for the community, much in line with our traditional objectives of social commitment. Given the current difficult economic times, there is a lot of attention on food banks. We are delighted that one of our buildings is going to host such a worthy cause."

Essroc's Nazareth plant is located nearby off Route 248 and has the largest cement-production capacity in the company’s North American network. The company's headquarters are also located in the Nazareth area. Essroc's roots in the Lehigh Valley date back to 1866, when David O. Saylor founded the Coplay Cement Company near Allentown.

Mrs. Huth also expressed the Food Bank’s gratitude to Sodexo, Inc., the leading provider of integrated food and facilities management services in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, for its donation of new shelving and for its advice in making best use of the space in the building for storing and distributing food items.

Tax-deductible donations can be made to The Nazareth Area Food Bank, P.O. Box 178, Nazareth, PA 18064.

The Food Bank is seeking volunteers who can help with necessary modifications and renovations to the building. Anyone who wishes to volunteer his or her skills may visit the building at 529 S. Main Street from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, September 21, when members of the St. John’s “Helping Hands” and Nazareth Rotary will be on hand to describe the work.

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About The Nazareth Area Food Bank

In the spirit of community, service and sharing, The Nazareth Area Food Bank provides confidential assistance to residents of the municipalities that make up the Nazareth Area School District – the Boroughs of Nazareth, Stockertown and Tatamy, and Lower Nazareth, Upper Nazareth and Bushkill Townships.

The Nazareth Area Food Bank is operated by volunteers in the belief that charitably providing something to eat for the hungry is among the most fundamental humanitarian deeds.

The Nazareth Area Food Bank has its roots in a food program that began in the 1980s at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church. By the early 1990s, with operation of the food bank having become more ecumenical in nature through participation by several area churches, its name was changed to The Nazareth Area Food Bank.

The Nazareth Area Food Bank is supported by congregations which include Carpenter’s Church, Dryland United Church of Christ, Holy Family Catholic Church, Nazareth Moravian Church, St. Brigid Episcopal Church, St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. John’s United Church of Christ, Schoeneck Moravian Church and Trinity Lutheran Church. Financial contributions also are received from individuals, service clubs and other groups in the Nazareth area.