Making a Difference in Gettysburg

Story by Tamyra Horst

Members of the Gettysburg church are committed to taking small steps to make a big difference in their community.

In August, they launched a school supply drive and collected enough donations to fill 117 backpacks with supplies for local children. A few weeks later, the team hosted “Pack the Pantry”—an outreach event at a local grocery store. With tables, signs, balloons and a lot of enthusiasm, they invited shoppers to give back. The response was overwhelming: more than 1,400 pounds of food and $480 in cash donations were collected and distributed to local food pantries.

And the momentum didn’t stop there. The team spent a day in Harrisburg serving the homeless in early October. They packed 100 backpacks filled with coats, gloves and hats, prepared bagged lunches, and served a hot meal at a local soup kitchen for 150 people.

All of this began with a simple idea the team calls “The $5 Difference.” Members were invited to donate just five dollars periodically—and from that small act of generosity, big things have grown.

“We really wanted to start finding small ways that we could impact our community,” says Brittany  Noss, Personal Ministries director at Gettysburg.

“From backpacks to food donations, we’ve seen how God multiplies even our simplest efforts. Our hope is to inspire other churches to look for little ways to make a difference right where they are.”