As we moved into June 2023, iHave iNeed was fortunate enough to welcome new business partners into our fold. Back Home Bagels, Egypt Star Bakery, Amazon, and The Flower Tents of the Lehigh Valley have joined our cause and are committed to supporting our programs. During the latter half of June, we were able to rescue and deliver over 105 lbs of baked goods from Egypt Star, 113 lbs of delicious bagels from Back Home Bagels (recently voted Best Bagels in the Lehigh Valley… just saying), and an impressive 500+ sandwiches from Wawa. Additionally, The Flower Tents of the Lehigh Valley graciously donated well over 1,000 vegetable plants. These items were predominantly distributed to the Allentown Rescue Mission and the Northern Lehigh Food Bank. We’ve also applied to Panera Bread’s Day-End Dough-Nation program, which allows us to receive unsold items from Panera restaurant locations each day.
Building on our newfound partnership with Amazon, we are delighted to share that we anticipate receiving between 500 to 1,000 pairs of shoes per month. Such contributions will greatly benefit those in need within our community. Moreover, we are actively working to expand our network of local businesses that participate in our programs to ensure the sustainability and growth of our initiatives.
In terms of our volunteer efforts, we have partnered with Via of the Lehigh Valley to have one of their participants pick up and deliver rescued items every Friday. This collaboration has streamlined our operations and allowed us to serve our partner organizations more effectively while providing opportunities for a person with a disability to give back to their community.
To support our ongoing efforts, we have initiated various fundraising initiatives. We have recently started a GoFundMe campaign and implemented the RaiseRight gift card sale program, which allows us to earn a percentage of each purchase. Please reach out if you regularly buy gift cards or are willing to use gift cards for your regular purchases.
Thanks to the generosity of one of our supporters, we received a monetary donation through Fidelity Charitable. Additionally, we have applied for multiple grants, including those from Just Born, PPL, and the Clif Family Foundation.
We kindly request you to follow us on social media and spread the word about iHave iNeed to your friends, family, colleagues, dentist, gardener, hairdresser, and anyone else you think may be interested. The more people who know about us and follow our mission, the greater impact we can make together.
Thank you once again for your dedication to our cause. We are incredibly grateful to have you on this journey with us as we continue to serve and uplift our community.