The Panther Valley School Board on Wednesday heard updates on community outreach and services from two groups working to improve life in the communities the district serves.

Kerri Quick of St. Luke’s University Health Network, which has a presence in both the elementary and intermediate schools, talked briefly about the expanding hospital system and resources available.

She gave board members handouts detailing some of the physical and mental health resources available for students, staff and families, and said they’ll be made available at all of the schools.

St. Luke’s has both a community schools coordinator and family development specialist in two of the district’s schools, Quick said.

“Attendance is big on our radar, so we’re really trying to hit that hard with some of the initiatives we’re doing,” she said.

Also, Nicole Pollinger, the community school coordinator, runs the month food pantry at the elementary school, which had its Thanksgiving distribution on Wednesday, Quick said.

Upward of 1,000 people received food for their families, Dr. Paula Jones, elementary principal, told the board.

“We are also proud to partner with the Blueprint Communities,” Quick said. “They are supporting our food pantry. We’re really glad that the Panther Valley was chosen and they chose the food pantry to be part of that program.”

Justine Trucksess with the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, which coordinates the Blueprint Communities program and its special projects, also spoke to the board.

“I was at the food pantry distribution earlier and the work the Blueprint Communities team is doing here in the Panther Valley is really incredible,” she said.

Representatives from Nesquehoning, Coaldale, Summit Hill and Lansford comprise a team that was selected to go through an 18-month training program to learn how to revitalize the area.

The Panther Valley Blueprint Communities Team is about halfway through that program, Trucksess said.

“In November 2025, the team will graduate, and they will have a five-year strategic plan that will take them up until 2030 with goals that the community has helped them prioritize,” she said.

The Panther Valley team is unique because it representative four boroughs instead of just one, Trucksess said.

“I’m very proud of the Panther Valley Blueprint team, and we look forward to seeing them address some of the common threads that we’ve been seeing across eastern Pennsylvania,” she said.

Among those commonalties are distressed neighborhoods, aging housing stock, low homeowners rates, high code violations, limited availability of affordable housing, feeling pressure of eminent displacement, and fewer recreational and quality of life opportunities, as well as needs for public infrastructure and safe sidewalk, Trucksess said.

“So, if these resonate with you, I think that tells us that this is something that Blueprint can help with,” she said.

The Blueprint team has been asking people to complete short surveys to find out what residents are looking for in their communities and to develop their strategic plan, Trucksess said.

Team members, in addition to providing reusable, insulated grocery totes at the food pantry, also conducted surveys on Wednesday night, she said.

“We look forward to seeing what your team can accomplish over the next year or so,” Trucksess said.

The district’s business manager, Jesse Walck, is a member of the Panther Valley Blueprint Communities team.