Upper Dublin Lutheran Church to Coordinate UD Strong Thanksgiving

Upper Dublin Lutheran Church located at 411 Susquehanna Road, Ambler, in partnership with the Kiwanis Club of Ambler and Giant Food Stores, will host UD Strong Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 24, 2022. The community outreach program will provide no-cost, fresh, fully cooked, ready-to-heat meals as part of the ongoing tornado relief initiative, UD Strong.

Families affected by storm-related recovery or other financial circumstances may submit a confidential registration form by Thursday, November 10th. Meals will be available for drive through pick up on Thanksgiving Day between 11 am – 12 pm at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church, 411 Susquehanna Road in Ambler.

UD Strong was created to support those impacted by the EF2 tornado that tore through the area on September 1, 2021. Some residents are still living in temporary housing while their homes remain uninhabitable. Many of the 1,400 households that suffered significant storm damage continue to face hardship from unreimbursed costs.

“The reality is that a lot of families are in a more precarious financial situation than they were a year ago,” says Traci Clapham, UDLC Tornado Response Coordinator, “UD Strong has always been about raising up our community with kindness in action, and this Thanksgiving is no different.”

Last year UD Strong Thanksgiving supplied 150 meals to those in need. This year, thanks to a $4,500 contribution from the Kiwanis Club of Ambler and the UD Township Citizen’s Emergency Fund, as well as 30 donated turkeys from Giant Food Stores, the goal is to serve 50 families (200 people).

Gene McGonagle, President of the Kiwanis Club of Ambler explained, “As a follow up to our July 4th Carnival and Fireworks that we’ve been operating for the last 30 years, we were very excited to organize a second annual Tornado Relief Carnival in September in the wake of last year’s devastating storm. Further, this allowed Kiwanis to leverage our carnival “know how” to bring the community together while raising funds to help support UD Strong Thanksgiving.”

UDLC members and community volunteers will come together to prepare and portion the meals. For more information on how to register for a meal, donate or volunteer, please visit udlc.org/tornado.

Upper Dublin Lutheran Church

Upper Dublin Lutheran Church, 411 Susquehanna Road, Ambler PA, remains committed to assisting with tornado relief efforts in Upper Dublin Township. Led by a core group of devoted members, volunteers and donors, UDLC issued over $51,000 in grants, served as a hub for donations, provided a community shop, offered mental health support and collaborated with local, state and national organizations to coordinate the ongoing response. On the one-year anniversary of the tornado, UDLC and Upper Dublin Township hosted UD Strong Week, a series of commemorative events that included a Mental Health Resources Fair and an Inter-Faith Service.