Friend INC Community Services

About the Organization

Organization category

Public Charity

Mission

Friend, Inc. Community Services is a social support organization that, for nearly 40 years, works tirelessly to reduce food insecurity and other household economic pressures on families throughout rural northeast Berks County.

Programs or services

Food Pantries, Household economic assistance, referral to outside agency assistance

Detailed programs

Rural communities are no strangers to food insecurity. Each month over 800 individuals have their food needs supplemented through the Northeastern Berks Food Pantry. Between 40,000 and 50,000 pounds of food are distributed monthly through the Pantry; food that our families get to choose as they shop their way through the aisles. Meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, cereal, canned and baked goods, and on occasion a nice dessert!
Dogs and cats are family too! And they deserve to eat as well. Friend, Inc. operates one of the few pantries dedicated to our furry family members.
Each month the Friend, Inc. Student Pantry welcomes more than 700 student visits. The Pantry is open 8 days each month. Students certainly appreciate the work of our volunteers and donors who support this important service.
Friend, Inc. makes funding available to assist households that are unable to pay rent or utilities. Provides intensive case management along with possible financial assistance to homelessness. Possible financial assistance may be provided for rent or specified emergency needs for those with open cases.

Target Audience

Income constrained families and individuals

Geographic Focus

Pennsylvania (USA), Berks County (PA)

Current projects

For over 40 years, Friend, Inc. Community Services has been here for neighbors in need across Northeastern Berks County — providing food, support, and a steady hand during times of uncertainty. But while the organization has helped so many find stability, Friend, Inc. itself has never had a permanent home.
Until now.
This campaign represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Friend, Inc. to purchase and renovate a permanent facility — ending decades of renting and ensuring the organization can continue serving the community without interruption, uncertainty, or limitation.

A permanent home means more than walls and a roof. It means:

Reliable access to food for families facing hardship
Expanded capacity to serve neighbors with dignity and respect
A stable foundation that allows people to focus on rebuilding their lives
An organization strong enough to meet both today’s needs and tomorrow’s challenges
At its heart, Friend, Inc. is about empowerment. The goal is not simply to provide short-term assistance, but to help neighbors regain footing, build resilience, and move forward with confidence

Organization goals

To continue to meet the evolving needs of the 50,000 neighbors throughout the rural communities that we serve. To build the organizational flexibility to address these needs in the years ahead.

Leadership

Jim Reece Executive Director, Cathy Dill Office and Projects Manager, Alex Fillis Case Manager, Anna Spangler Board President and an invested group of community members serving on the Board.

Strategic priorities

Families living with the pressure of constrained incomes along with those on fixed incomes.

Organizational capacity

Through a combination of staff competencies, broad Board support and collaboration with like-minded social service organizations we not only possess the capacity to meet current needs but also the capacity to scale meeting the needs of our community's future needs.

Funding Needs

Grant categories you're seeking

Aging and Seniors, Capital Funding, Children, Community Services, In-Kind Support, Individual, Literacy and Libraries, Nutrition and Food, Operating Support, Pets and Animal Wildlife, Quality of Life, Students, Veterans and Military

Funding needs

Capital Campaign: By investing in A Home for Hope, the community is making a statement:

That helping neighbors is not temporary.
That stability matters.
And that Friend, Inc. will be here to stay.
Together, we are building something lasting — for our neighbors, our families, and future generations.

Impact & Recognition

Outcomes and impact

Friend, Inc. Community Services is a social support organization that, for over 40 years, has worked tirelessly to reduce food insecurity and other household economic pressures on families throughout rural northeast Berks County. We accomplish this through several self-select food pantries, direct economic assistance to area households, state aid application assistance, referrals to mission aligned agencies, and tight collaboration with area school districts.

What are your core services and who are the primary beneficiaries of these services?
Friend, Inc. is a multi-service social service agency (food, household economic support, agency referral and application support) that serves rural northeast Berks County. The programmatic focus is on those suffering household economic hardship whether that be generational, chronic, or episode driven.

What geographic areas and principal demographics are served by the organization?
Friend Inc. serves the 47,000 residents of northeast Berks County residing in the Kutztown, Fleetwood, and Brandywine Heights school districts. The principal demographic is income driven and is best described through United Way’s ALICE (Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed) statistics. ALICE households earn above the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) yet still do not make enough to afford the basic costs of living, including housing, childcare, food, transportation, health care, technology, and taxes.

By incorporating ALICE metrics, we capture not only those living in poverty (e.g., Kutztown at 14%) but also those considered “working poor” — individuals and families who are fully employed yet unable to cover basic living expenses (e.g., Kutztown estimated at 57%). This perspective underscores the breadth of economic hardship in our community and supports a more accurate assessment of need.

What impact does Friend, Inc. have to support food insecurity in Northeastern Berks County?
Friend, Inc. has successfully addressed the noticeable increase in food insecurity in the Kutztown area in recent years. In 2025, over 500,000 pounds of food were distributed to kitchen tables throughout the communities we serve.
● The main Pantry at Noble Street in 2025 saw an increase of 212 new households over the previous year. This represents a monthly average of 780 individuals in 284 unique households (although December of 2025 saw 969 individuals served in 339 unique households).
● Similarly, the University Student Pantry saw an increase in traffic over the previous year with over 5400 total student visits.
● The Mobile Market at Huff’s Church now serves an average of 110 individuals monthly.
The cumulative ‘impact’ of all Pantry services in 2025 is 16,232 individuals served.

The trend line is expected to continue upwards in 2026 and beyond. There are several unknowns which will contribute including reduced federal/state funding for social support programs (SNAP and Medicaid) along with the associated secon

Success stories

Tara is middle aged woman living with her partner and their blended family. As of last year, Tara was working as a manager at a job she loved and found herself to be in good place financially. Due to job demands, she began experiencing tremendous stress and panic attacks, which ultimately forced her to leave her financially comfortable salary and take a less stressful, but lower paying job to be able to focus on her mental health. Since then living expenses have risen and she has found herself in a position to choose between paying her utility bill or putting food on the table for her family. Tara was referred to Friend Inc. Community Services by the PA-211 service. She learned about the client choice food pantry and received financial assistance with her utility bill to stop a water disconnection.

Organization achievements

Our Recognition by Agency Peers
Safe Berks
Safe Berks recognized Friend Inc with their Voices for Change Award for our efforts in developing multi-agency collaborations.
Casa Berks
CASA Berks (Court Appointed Special Advocate) recognized Friend with their Champion of Children Award for our work towards eliminating child hunger.
Northeast Berks Chamber of Commerce
The Northeast Berks Chamber of Commerce awarded Friend Inc their Shining Star Community Leader Award for our work delivering impactful community outcomes.

Major funders

Wyomissing Foundation, Breidegam Family Foundation, M&T Foundation

Partnerships & Collaborations

Beginning in 2021 Friend, Inc. also brought on an Advocate from Safe Berks who joined counselors from Family Guidance Center and representatives from Maternal and Family Health Services who administer WIC making access to these critical services more accessible to the communities of northeastern Berks County.
Friend Inc also collaborates closely with area school districts acting as a social service resource for students and their families

Sustainability, dissemination & replicability

Mission
Friend, Inc. Community Services is a social support organization that, for over 40 years, works tirelessly to reduce food insecurity and other household economic pressures on families throughout rural northeast Berks County.

History
Friend, Inc. was founded in September 1972. Located on Main Street in Kutztown, the agency’s focus was on drug and alcohol family counseling and was partially funded by the office of Mental Health/Mental Retardation (MH/MR) and the Council on Chemical Abuse.

In 1980, as more funding was allocated to the Reading area Friend, Inc. closed its doors. However, the needs of the rural communities did not go away. In 1980 NEED was started by the Kutztown Ministerial Association. In 1987 NEED combined with the Salvation Army Service Unit and together with a United Way Venture Grant Friend, Inc. was reactivated and an office opened at the corner of Trexler and Noble Streets. Initially it was an information and referral agency principally driven by area churches as a coordinated effort to support their congregations in line with their own missions.

In January of 1988, Friend, Inc. opened up the Northeastern Berks Food Pantry. In May of 1991 the pantry and offices moved to the current location of 658 Noble Street. The student pantry at Kutztown University opened in September of 2015 and the Alburtis Mobile Market in September 2021.

Currently Friend, Inc. provides a self-select food and pet pantry, Kutztown University Student Pantry, Alburtis Mobile Market, and emergency food delivery. In addition to addressing food insecurity Friend, Inc. provides direct and referral assistance in utility and housing support along with, medical assistance, budget counseling, career education, and facilitates relevant partnerships with other service providers. Friend, Inc. continues to explore areas of need and is committed to the resources necessary to help all reach self-sufficiency.
The Board maintains positive fund balances sufficient for 5 months operating expense.

Internal checks & balances to prevent fraud

Authorized signers are distinct from program managers; 2 signers on amounts that exceed established parameters, Board committee for decision making on major projects (i.e. Capital Campaign); conflict of interest and whistleblower policy.

Get Involved

How can volunteers get involved?

In 2025 we had over 6,000 hours of donated time by a committed group of volunteers but we're always looking for more! Contact Cathy Dill at cathy@friendinc.org or 610-683-7790.

How can donors support your mission?

Friend Inc accepts monetary gifts in any number of ways including transfers of stock, Donor Advised Fund transfers, direct monetary donations, all can be arranged on a recurring basis.

Do you accept partnerships?

We always welcome conversations with organizations who share our mission and impactful community outcomes.

Are you seeking board members?

We always welcome meaningful conversations with community members who share our mission and can contribute to that in meaningful ways.

Website & Social Media