Last Saturday, Episcopal Community Services hosted its annual Fall Festival, an event beautifully organized by ECS’ Lavonia Page. This year's theme was "Get Your House in Order." The community was welcomed into St. Barnabas Community Resource Center, where the fun was just beginning. Once through the doors, individuals received a family pack full of household essentials, including dish soap, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, a set of screwdrivers, utensils, cutlery, and more. Each pack also included a dental kit with toothbrush, toothpaste and timer, donated by Penn Dental.
Once signed in, guests traveled to the food pantry to receive a reusable shopping bag, full of ingredients for a hardy family dinner. 250 people received a frozen turkey. 
There was an array of community resources in the dining area. Vendor tables gave out information at no cost - along with some pretty cool swag items. ECS treasure, Ms. Betty, cooked up two delicious hot soups: broccoli and cheddar and chicken and rice. To finish off the meal, homemade cookies. Accompanying the hot food, everyone was offered apple cider, tea, hot coco, and soft pretzels.
The resources didn't end there. Staff and all community members also had the opportunity to receive a covid and flu shot. A partner of Giant Food Stores administered the vaccines . Penn Medical students were able to offer the vaccine to those without insurance – so that everyone who wanted one, received one. Additional health screenings were offered by ECS Partner, PCOM Hearts.
By the end of the event, community members were well equipped with bags of supplies and resources to get their houses in order.
