Mentors and Mentees Prepare Thanksgiving Meals

by Christopher Miller

It was a great show of teamwork and collaboration as over 80 meals were prepared Saturday morning for the Reach Out Mentoring Program. Thanksgiving came early to this group of Mentors and their Mentees in Clinton County.

Since 2010, this program has been preparing and serving a Thanksgiving dinner as a way for Mentors to bond with their Mentees, and to say “thanks” for all of the work they do year-round.

The non-profit organization behind the Thanksgiving meals is Reach Out Mentoring Program, or ROMP for short, the former Big Brothers Big Sisters program of Clinton County. They currently have 17 volunteer Mentors in the program, and 44 youth/Mentees enrolled.

“We do monthly activities that include going to local parks, swimming, gyms, walks, hiking, craft nights, movie nights, sledding, making homemade items, baking, cooking, having parties to celebrate holidays, and visiting the Clinton County Raceway,” Program Coordinator Martie Buck explained.

“We also partner with local businesses that provide educational activities such as Full Body Health and Fitness Center, Bald Eagle State Park, Clinton County Conservation District, the PA Game Commission, Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland, Lock Haven YMCA, Penn State Cooperative Extension, as well as individuals in the community that specialize in specific areas such as Josh Day, a local teacher who taught the youth Fly Tying and Roxanne Gotshall who taught the Reach Out Mentoring Group how to make homemade soap and at times our Volunteers will lead the group on a hike.”

“Our program is non-profit and we depend on volunteers as well as local businesses such as the Dunnstown Fire Hall, who offered the space for us to hold our Halloween Party and to cook the Thanksgiving meal this year. We also have businesses who make donations to the program. Those donations have come from local businesses such as Clinton County Children and Youth Advisory Board, Dunkin’ Donuts, Arby’s, Burger King, First National Bank, Central Pa Auto Auction, First Quality, Full Body Health and Fitness Center, Sam’s Club, Weis and a local Veteran who donated money to us.”

“We have an annual Thanksgiving meal for the participants in the program and their families,” said Martie. “We have volunteers and Mentors with their Mentees prepare the meals together. This year, due to COVID, we are having a drive-thru Thanksgiving Dinner instead of our more traditional sit down dinner. The youth in the program and the volunteers will prepare the meals and the families will come to pick them up.”

Thanks to the gracious hosts lending their kitchen and facilities at Dunnstown Fire Company in Woodward Township, Mentors and Mentees with the Reach Out Mentoring Program were able to cook and assemble 85 Thanksgiving meals for those involved in the program.

Those who are interested in volunteering as a Mentor or enrolling as a Mentee are encouraged to visit the website below, contact the program directly at 570-893-2585 ext. 2, send an email to romp@clintoncountypa.com, or find them on Facebook: Reach Out Mentoring Program of Clinton County.

Website: https://www.clintoncountypa.com/departments/human-services/reach-out-mentoring-program-romp