New Bethany Ministries
Newsletter
Winter 2016
The mission of New
Bethany Ministries is to
provide opportunities for
a secure future to the
hungry, homeless, poor,
and mentally ill of the
Lehigh Valley.
In This Issue:




Happy Holidays
Talking Turkey
2016 Reflections
A Journey to Giving
Back
 2017: Everyone
Matters
 Upcoming Events
 Keep In Touch
Dear FriendsIt is hard to believe that this year is almost over. It flew
by so quickly. What a year it has been! We celebrated
30 years of service to more than 100,000 people in our
community, helping people similar to Olga Negron,
Bethlehem City Councilwoman, whose story you can find
in this newsletter. We purchased two properties to add
to the affordable housing stock, one of which is nearing
completion and should house a family early in 2017. We
are moving forward with a new Food Pantry, which will
store more fresh nutritional foods and be available to
more residents more often. We increased our health
services by partnering with Haven House to provide a
bilingual counselor to meet with those we serve and to
make referrals for mental health consultation and follow
up. This counselor also meets with groups to provide life Executive Director Diane Elliott
skills classes. Our showers and Hospitality Center
helps prepare this year’s
bathrooms were renovated to provide a welcoming and
Thanksgiving Meal
dignified space that makes it clear that we respect and
care for the people we serve. Many people and companies became new members of the
New Bethany family, working closely with us to make sure that we are able to meet our
mission. For the first time, we welcomed the Bethlehem Police Department, who
prepared an incredible Thanksgiving meal. These are just a few of the many ways that this
wonderful community has worked side by side with us to make sure that the people we
serve know that they matter.
This will be particularly important in 2017, thus we will be fulfilling our mission with the
clear understanding that “Everyone Matters.” Each and every person who finds themselves
in the unfortunate position of needing any of our services will know that we care, that we
do not judge – but for the grace of God go I – and that we will help them get back on their
feet. Every one of our guests is important.
All our successes are your successes. You made all we do possible because of your
partnership. You have worked with us by providing needed gifts of both time and money.
You have also provided in kind donations of items our folks need and services we could not
otherwise provide. Whenever we have requested your assistance you have not hesitated
to help. There is really no way to adequately thank you for all you have done to make this
the most successful year to date.
We cherish our partnership with you. In the coming year we know that we can count on
you to continue to work with us and support our work. We ask that you also help to
educate others about who we serve. I invite you to come for a visit. I will be happy to give
you a tour and provide the information you need to educate others.
continued on next page...
letter from the Executive Director continued…
So, at this time of reflection and thanks, I give thanks to all of you and to this community that gives so much of itself
to those in need.
At this very special time I wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah or Happy Kwanzaa. May you enjoy the
company of family and friends. If you are able or if you will be alone for Christmas, please share Christmas brunch
with the New Bethany family. We look forward to seeing those of you who are able to join us.
Thank you for all you do for our community. May the New Year bring you nothing but joy and good health.
Best wishes-
Talking Turkey
Thanks to the support of our community partners, this year’s Thanksgiving basket distribution and Thanksgiving Day
Service was a huge success! We distributed 457 complete Thanksgiving meals to local families, our thanks to local
colleges, companies, and groups who spent countless hours helping to prepare the baskets. We also provided 40
turkeys to families and individuals in our residential programs. We received so many generous turkey donations that
we were able to supplement Food Pantry baskets during the week after Thanksgiving with turkeys, impacting even
more local families in need.
On Thanksgiving Day, more than 30 volunteers assisted staff in serving our annual Thanksgiving meal (pictures below)
to around 100 people. 14 turkeys were cooked for this annual tradition, complete with plenty of fixings to go around!
And this year a new tradition began when members of the Bethlehem Police Department provided and served a full
Thanksgiving meal for lunch the day before the holiday (center picture below). Members of the Department, including
Chief Pat DiLuzio, spent the day at New Bethany serving food and showing their support for those in need.
Many thanks to all those who supported this year’s Thanksgiving efforts!
2016 Reflections
We asked members of our community family to reflect on what they are most thankful for at the end of 2016:
“I am thankful for being accepted into
the [Restoration House] program and for
the opportunity to change my life.” —Demi
“I am thankful for
second chances.”
—Barbara
“I’m really thankful
for the structure
New Bethany
provides me.”
—Scott
“I’m thankful for the new family
I’ve met at New Bethany.” —Mike
“Today I am thankful to be happy
and for my mom.”
“I’m thankful for this safe haven— this place is a lifeline for a
lot of people.” —Hospitality
Center guest
“I am thankful for the
acceptance I have
found within myself.”
—Shaquana
Community family members
shared what they were most
thankful for on our “giving
thanks” wall during this year’s
Thanksgiving service.
“I’m grateful for my
relationship with my
daughter...my little loving
family, and the people in
our lives who are helping
us to become better in
building a stable life for
our family.” —James
“I am thankful to
have the
opportunity to be a
part of this
organization.” —Ray
“I’m thankful
for my life and
today’s meal.”
—Rosa
“What I’m grateful for is having a bed
to sleep on and being in the shelter
with my daughter—I’m grateful for the
people in the shelter helping me and
my family!” —Jennifer
A Journey to Giving Back
Councilwoman Olga Negron advocates for New Bethany Ministries because she
understands the importance of the organization’s services; she understands the
importance of New Bethany’s services because she relied on these services over
twenty years ago when she first moved to the Valley. During this holiday season
of thanks, the busy councilwoman agreed to sit down with us to share her story
and discuss New Bethany Ministries’ impact on her life:
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Olga grew up in a closely-knit family of eleven
children. “We grew up with more than enough,” comments Olga, “we had a big
house—which makes sense since there was eleven of us—but because of that I
thought we were rich! My father always had food in the house since he ran the
supermarket, so we didn’t ever go without.” Olga’s father owned the local
Councilwoman Olga Negron
bodega, located in the tallest building in her hometown. She and her siblings
worked at the store after school and on weekends, learning from their boss /
father each step of the way. Olga’s father has always been a community-oriented man—a Rotarian that stressed the
importance of giving back to his children: “When the river in our town flooded, as it often did, he bought a boat so he
could shuttle students and workers back and forth,” Olga remembers. Years later, she would credit the lessons from
her father and the love of her family for her resiliency in challenging times.
After graduating high school, Olga attended the University of Puerto Rico, where she met the father of her children. At
age nineteen she got married had her first daughter as she turned twenty. When her husband was accepted to a
Master’s program in Florida, the family moved to Tallahassee, “It was just my little family—my husband, my daughter,
and me. And I didn’t speak a word of English.” Olga worked hard to learn English in Florida, attending ESL classes at a
community college while caring for her daughter and working on her own continuing education. Soon after she had her
second daughter, and the family moved to Texas for her husband’s PhD program. There, the family had a third
daughter, but her husband’s stress from schooling resulted in problems with addiction and abuse.
“My husband struggled with coping with grad school while having a family and being away from family and culture.
When my daughter started the Head Start Program in Texas I started to realize through them that I was in an abusive
relationship. My family life had never been like that, so I didn’t know what was happening until they started to show
me resources” Olga reflects. Realizing that her relationship was dangerous for both herself and her daughters, Olga
divorced her husband and moved to Bethlehem in 1996. With a degree in marketing from Austin Community College
and three young girls in tow, Olga moved in with her sister until the family was settled.
Olga got a job at Community Services for Children in their Head Start Program just a few weeks later. She and the girls
moved to their first rental house on Broadway, very close to New Bethany Ministries. Thanks to her job and proximity
to New Bethany, Olga was connected with the resources of the organization quickly. Now a single mother of three, she
worked hard to provide for her children and make sure they had every opportunity for success: “Making $6.40 an hour
just wasn’t enough. New Bethany helped me to stretch my food stamps. They also helped me get my children into the
afterschool program and the summer day program in the basement of the Cathedral Church of the Nativity. Even in
summer I had to work, and the program’s payment was based only on your income so I could afford it.” And though
challenges continued, Olga’s determination to provide for her family and thrive never wavered, “I remember my
children used to say ‘Mommy, we don’t want to eat here anymore, we want to eat at home’ when we would go stand
in New Bethany’s food line. I had to explain to them that we needed to go at least a few times a month to stretch what
we had. It was difficult, but we did it.”
A Journey to Giving Back continued…
The blessings of the organization really helped during those first few
years according to Olga. Reminiscing about the family’s first
Christmas in Bethlehem she said, “I remember that year my neighbor
threw out his tree right after Christmas, and I picked it up and
brought it inside. New Bethany helped me with some presents for
my children because I just couldn’t afford them.”
With time, Olga and her family achieved total self-sufficiency thanks
to New Bethany and other local organizations. She enrolled in a firsttime home buyers program through the Community Action
Committee of the Lehigh Valley, and graduated with four of her Head
Start parents that she took to the class that year. Thanks to the
Olga and her three daughters
program and the continued support of New Bethany, Olga was able
to purchase her own house on the Southside where she still lives.
Today, Olga’s career allows her to continue to advocate for the people of Bethlehem and those in need. Her children
thrive in college, the youngest has a degree from Trinity College in Theatre, her second has a JD from UCONN Law
School and her oldest is a grad student at UPENN Medical School. She serves as both Councilwoman for the City of
Bethlehem and Community Liaison for HGSK Law Firm, helping those in the community connect to resources just as
she once was helped. “It’s one of my ways of giving back” she states of her career, “And I will do all I can to help New
Bethany, because I don’t know what would have happened to us without them.”
2017: Everyone Matters
In 2017, New Bethany Ministries will celebrate a year-long theme focused around the belief that Everyone Matters.
Now more than ever, our organization understands the importance of treating each individual with kindness, respect,
and compassion. In 2017 we will continue administering our programs with these tenets in mind, and will work even
harder to advocate on behalf of those we serve.
At New Bethany Ministries, we believe breaking down barriers and debunking misconceptions about those we serve is
essential to providing opportunities for a secure
future. With this in mind, we will work harder in
2017 to educate our community family members on
the diversity of the population we serve and the
issues that make our services essential and to
continue offering support in a safe, welcoming, and
understanding atmosphere.
Join us in 2017 as we embark on the year Everyone
Matters and help us show the Lehigh Valley that we
care for the hungry, homeless, poor, and mentally ill
in our community.
Upcoming Events:
Christmas Meal: December 25th— all are welcome!
Spring Hunger Campaign: March-June 2017
Souper Day 2017: Tuesday, October 17th
Make sure to SAVE THE DATE for our 20th Anniversary Luminaria Night Celebration:
Friday, December 8th, 2017, Luckenbach Mill
Luminaria Night 2017: Saturday, December 9th
Be sure to check out our new website launching soon!
Provide a pillar of support for the hungry, homeless, poor, and mentally ill of the Lehigh
Valley by becoming a member of New Bethany Ministries’ Cornerstone Society. With your
annual or planned gift you can ensure the continuance of our service programs and leave a
legacy of care in the Lehigh Valley. Members of the Society also receive exclusive benefits
including invitations to special events, Society-specific communications, tours of New
Bethany to see the impact of your gift in action, and more. Contact Kate Cohen, Director of
Development and Communications, at 610-691-5602 ex. 27 or visit us on the web to learn
more.
Keep In Touch:
Stay up-to-date on all that’s going on at New Bethany Ministries by following us on the
platforms below @NewBethMin, or by subscribing to our monthly e-newsletter at
www.newbethanyministries.org:
Many Thanks to Our Partners:
New Bethany Ministries
333 W. 4th Street
Bethlehem, PA 18015
P: 610-691-5602
F: 6108663427
newbethanyministries.org