“Over $34,000!”

That’s what the Panther Valley Irish-American Association has contributed to its communities in the past decade and a half, having added $2,000 to that total this week when it made check presentations to five entities that help the less fortunate in their needs.

“This year’s donations are special in that we’re making them in memory of our longtime member and officer, the late Emmett P. McCall,” said PVIAA member Bob Crampsie.

He said, “The money represents proceeds from advertisers and supporters of our annual St. Patrick’s Day Banquet, and no one did a better job in raising funds by soliciting ads for the program than Emmett. And he was adamant about sharing our success with the less fortunate. So, tonight, we are able to present $400 to five different groups that all of us know Emmett would be happy about helping.”

Just in time for Christmas, the association presented the checks to the Summit Hill, Lansford and Nesquehoning food pantries, the Salvation Army, Tamaqua, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Joseph Parish of the Panther Valley. Representatives of those organizations were on hand to accept the funds at the Hill Top Community Center, Summit Hill.

“I think it’s fantastic, wonderful,” said Paula Anthony, who heads the Nesquehoning pantry of the association’s generosity. She added, “All donations we receive are immensely appreciated. Any amount of help is important to us, but this check will help us to buy a little extra for the holiday meals we will be providing.”

The pantry serves about 60-65 families per month. Based at Meeds United Methodist Church, 126 W. Catawissa St., it will be providing the food commodities on the third Thursday of each month.

“This $400 will keep us going longer. Every little bit helps, but we truly appreciate the PVIAA for their commitment to the less fortunate,” said Rich Willing, head of the Lansford Food Pantry that serves about 80 families monthly. It is headquartered at the Trinity Lutheran Church, 104 E. Abbott St., Lansford, and issues the commodities on the third Monday of each month.

Meanwhile, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, unlike food pantries that receive government assistance, continues its mission to offer emergency services on a regular basis, said Christine LeClair, its president.

The society is one of the many ministry groups of the consolidated parish that represents Catholic families in the Coaldale, Lansford, Nesquehoning and Summit Hill area and is a continuation of the chapters once held decades ago at the former St. Katharine Drexel Parish, Lansford, and St. Joseph Parish, Summit Hill.

“We do food, utilities, clothing and homelessness support” for about 80 people per month, including seven people for whom the society has made housing quarters available to them, LeClair explained.

“We’re not subsidized so we rely totally on donations, and this check will make a world of difference. It will help us to continue to support our neighbors,” she added.

The concept of giving to the community, Crampsie said, is consistent with the PVIAA’s mission to recognize its ancestry and emulate its predecessors.

“This whole idea started about 17 years ago,” he said. “It was the 150th anniversary of the end of the potato famine in Ireland in 1852, and we thought it would be nice to start raising money for local food banks. After all, they (directors of the food banks) are the people who are aware of the people who need the help.”

That idea was spearheaded by the late Bob Ames of Coaldale, a devout PVIAA member and officer who was instrumental in prompting his PVIAA colleagues to give back to the community.

The PVIAA holds its annual St. Patrick’s Day Banquet every March 17 as a means of preserving the Irish-American heritage and honoring an individual of that nationality who made a difference in the community throughout the years. The association, formed in 1948, celebrated its 71st anniversary in 2019.