{"id":148392,"date":"2026-03-26T23:13:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T03:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=148392"},"modified":"2026-03-26T23:14:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T03:14:39","slug":"boscola-samuelson-present-475000-state-grant-to-new-bethany-for-their-community-center-expansion-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=148392","title":{"rendered":"Boscola & Samuelson Present $475,000 State Grant to New Bethany For Their Community Center Expansion Project"},"content":{"rendered":"

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (March 26, 2026) – <\/strong>State Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-Northampton) and State Rep. Steve Samuelson (D-Northampton) joined New Bethany Executive Director John Marc Rittle today to present a $475,000 Statewide Local Share Account grant to support New Bethany\u2019s Paving the Way campaign and an expansion of their facilities in Bethlehem.<\/p>\n

The grant is in support of their Paving the Way campaign; an expansion of their facilities renovating over 18,500 square feet which will transform their Drop-In Center to a full service community resource. Rittle reports that their client roster has nearly doubled since before the pandemic, stretching resources well beyond capacity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are deeply grateful to the Commonwealth for this investment, especially to Senator Boscola and Representative Samuelson for their leadership. As New Bethany marks 40 years of service and the affordability crisis continues to intensify, this funding comes at a critical moment. As we expand our campus and deepen our offerings, we will pave the way for our neighbors in need,\u201d said Rittle.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Bethany has provided critical services for residents in need of support, shelter, health, and wrap-around services for 40 years and are now serving twice as many people since the pandemic,\u201d Senator Boscola stated. \u201cBy Paving the Way to allowing New Bethany\u2019s dedicated and caring staff to provide their services in a more efficient and effective manner, this state investment will not only improve the quality of life for New Bethany\u2019s clients but will also strengthen the Lehigh Valley as a whole \u2014 reducing the strain on emergency systems, supporting workforce readiness, and creating a healthier, more resilient community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Bethany has provided hope, opportunity, and life-changing resources to thousands of people through the decades,\u201d said Representative Samuelson. \u201cThis state funding will support vital improvements to their facilities and a significant expansion of the service they provide to our community at a time when the needs are greater than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Center will offer a \u201cHealth Hub\u201d, providing primary, mental and telehealth services, a Community Hygiene Center, seven day a week meal service and upgraded fresh grocery choices from their Food Pantry, dedicated training space for education, job and financial literacy, and by enhancing their office and case management space they will be able to double the number of people they can support annually.<\/p>\n

The grant was approved in December by the Commonwealth Financing Authority. The Local Share Account Programs were created through the PA Racehorse Development and Gaming Act (Act 2004-71), which provides for the distribution of gaming revenues through the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) to support projects in the public interest within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

About New Bethany, Inc.<\/h1>\n

New Bethany, Inc., celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2025, offers hope and support to neighbors experiencing poverty, food insecurity, and homelessness in the Lehigh Valley. Formerly known as New Bethany Ministries, the organization was founded in March 1985 and has provided over 1.1 million meals and assisted more than 2,000 residents through its housing programs. New Bethany believes that all people, regardless of circumstances, should be treated with dignity and care without judgment. No one who seeks help is turned away.<\/p>\n

New Bethany offers wraparound services designed to remove barriers and assist individuals and families in reaching self-sufficiency. It starts with a meal and other street-level human services, including showers, laundry services, mailing address, and access to the Choice Food Pantry, and continues with housing assistance, job search support and tools and case management.<\/p>\n

To learn more, visit www.newbethany.org<\/a> or find New Bethany on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram @NewBethanyLV.<\/p>\n

Information provided to TVL by:
\nAmiee Goldy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (March 26, 2026) – State Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-Northampton) and State Rep. Steve Samuelson (D-Northampton) joined New Bethany Executive Director John Marc Rittle today to present a $475,000 … Continue reading Boscola & Samuelson Present $475,000 State Grant to New Bethany For Their Community Center Expansion Project<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":148393,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-148392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/nb-check.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148392"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=148392"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148392\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/148393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=148392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=148392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=148392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}