Zion’s free dinner

A free community dinner is being hosted by Zion Lutheran Church in Brodheadsville today from 5-6 p.m. It is a drive-thru event in which people can pick up a hot meal.

Legion meetings

The Building Committee for Legion Post 927 is slated to meet tonight at 6, while the Scout Troop 102 Committee will meet at 7 p.m. at the Legion Post home in Gilbert.

Soup sale set

The Youth Group of Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, Brodheadsville, will be selling all kinds of homemade soup after all Masses on Saturday and Sunday.

Food pantry open

The Supplemental Food Resource Center at Effort UMC will be open from 10 a.m.-noon Saturday.

New help shared

A new transportation help program called Care Connects has been announced.

Care Connects is a partnership between MCTA and Pocono Mountains United Way and provides transportation to medical appointments and pharmacy visits for individuals who do not qualify for other MCTA transportation programs. There are no income or age restrictions. This program is good for trips that begin and end in Monroe County only and was made possible by funding from Sanofi.

Eligibility includes being a Monroe resident, not yet 65, and who does not qualify for any other Monroe County Transit Authority program. People can call the MCTA at 570-839-6282, Ext. 434, and speak to an enrollment specialist.

Souper Sunday

Effort UMC reported that a total of 308 canned goods/nonperishable items were donated to the church’s Supplemental Food Resource Center, with the Eagles soup pot having 223 items and the Chiefs 26, with all others at 59.

Community Supper

At 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Our Lady Queen of Peace Church is hosting its next Community Sunday Supper.

Anyone who would like to sponsor the supper can contact the church office via 610-681-6137.

Active ticks

The Tick Research Lab of Pennsylvania announces that there are two species of tick that are active in the winter.

The brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, can be found throughout the United States, and can carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever, canine ehrlichiosis and babesia.

The other species of tick that is commonly active in the winter is the blacklegged deer tick, Ixodes scapularis. In Pennsylvania, 78% of tick bites are from this tick. These ticks transmit most tickborne diseases diagnosed in the U.S. They carry Lyme disease, Powassan virus, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, tickborne relapsing fever and ehrlichiosis.

To learn more, follow the lab at @paticklab on Instagram and at PA Tick Research Lab on Facebook.

The lab is located at 562 Independence Road, Suite 114, East Stroudsburg; wildlifedna@esu.edu.

PVEN numbers

The January monthly statistics for the West End Pleasant Valley Ecumenical Network’s outreach include: 871 individuals (289 families) served via the Food Pantry; 229 individuals (64 families) served via the Clothing Closet; 101 families served via the Diaper pantry; and 240 individuals served via the Menstrual Hygiene Pantry.

Visit the PVEN website to learn more about PVEN’s services at www.pven.net.

A current listing of all things needed include:

• Food Pantry — cereal, peanut butter and jelly, canned chicken and tuna, and pasta and pasta sauce.

• Clothing Closet — winter clothing and gloves (all sizes), winter coats (junior girls sizes), blankets/comforters, sheets and towels, toothbrushes and toothpaste, cleaning products, deodorants and shaving supplies.

• Diaper Pantry — baby formula and baby food, adult size pullups and bed protector pads.

Evening hours

The Western Pocono Community Library in Brodheadsville is open to 8 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Saturday hours are from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday and Friday hours close at 5 p.m. The library opens at 9 a.m. Monday through Saturday.

Polk Historical Society

The Polk Township Historical Society will meet at the municipal building on Polk Township Road at 11 a.m. March 1.

Additional springtime meetings are scheduled on April 5 and May 3. All citizens interested in local history are invited.

Anyone with questions can call Norm Burger at 610-681-7561.

Chili Cook-off

Austin’s Blue Line is holding a Chili Cook-Off from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, March 1. Everyone is invited.

For additional information, check out Austinsblueline.org.

Scholarship offered

The Effort Women’s Group is seeking applicants for this year’s scholarship program. It is open to Effort UMC’s young people who will be entering a college or university in the fall.

Applications and criteria can be obtained by emailing Jan Decker at eumc103@ptd.net, with all applications and related documents being returned April 1.

For more information, contact Decker at 570-629-1890.

Sweet event ahead

For the cost of sponsoring a maple tree at the Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center’s Sugarbush, each sponsor receives a pint of fresh maple syrup; a certificate; free admission to one of the Public Day Programs on either March 1 or 8, for up to four people; and a map showing the location of the sponsored tree in KCEEC Sugarbush.

For more information, call the center at 570-629-3061, from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, or visit www.mcconservation.org to download a sponsorship form. People can also call staff to pay by credit card and sponsor a tree by phone.

Lent events shared

Zion Lutheran will begin its Lenten journey with Ashes to Go, as in previous years, on March 5, the first day of Lent.

Those Ashes to Go will be distributed from 8-9:30 a.m. and again from 4-5:30 p.m. for anyone unable to attend an in-person worship service. Evening worship will be at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary for Imposition of Ashes and Holy Communion.

The Rev. Robert Simon will lead the Lenten services at Our Lady Queen of Peace church, the Great Adventure Journey through the Gospel of Luke, at two different times on March 12, 19, 26, April 2 and April 9.

The first session is from 10 a.m.-noon, with coffee and treats, or 6-8 p.m. with dinner.

Scholarships available.

Assembly 980, Knights of Columbus 4th Degree Scholarship Applications are available at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church office. Applicants must be graduating high school seniors who have been registered members of one of the Monroe County parishes for over one year. A $2,000 scholarship will be awarded to two selected candidates.

Completed applications must be submitted before April 16. See instructions on the application.

VBS planned

Our Lady Queen of Peace Church will hold its 2025 summer Vacation Bible School, True North, for students entering prekindergarten through sixth grade, July 28 through Aug. 1.

Registration is required but there is no fee.

Volunteers are needed. Each must attend one of the following one-hour VBS training sessions: Tuesday, July 8, at 7 p.m. or Wednesday, July 23 at 9 a.m.