NEWTON TWP. — About 75 vendors, offering everything from cupcakes to discounts on Disney vacations, will set up shop at the the Abington Heights Middle School (AHMS) PTA Marketplace from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the school. The event will also feature food and basket raffles. Admission is free.
The AHMS PTA Marketplace was started last year as a fundraiser for the Abington Angels and will once again support that cause.
“We had a larger amount of families in need than in previous years and we didn’t have the allocated funds for that in the PTA,” said Erin Osterhout, AHMS PTA vice president. “So we came up with this as a way to supplement for those families so we could give them what they needed.”
The program currently provides Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, clothing and Christmas gifts to between 10 and 15 families within the district.
AHMS PTA President Amy Asencio explained people often get a false impression that everyone who lives in this area is financially “well off” and, for those who aren’t, pride can often get in the way of them receiving the help they need. Abington Angels, however, moves beyond that.
“This is a way that they don’t have to go out of the area to ask for anything,” she said. “No one ever knows. There’s a wonderful system that the guidance program put in; it’s completely private and they can get the things they need without having that stigma.”
Proceeds from the vendor fees and raffles will directly benefit those families.
According to Osterhout, last year’s event brought in $1,300 for the cause and this year’s goal is to raise $2,000.
A list of vendors is available on the group’s Facebook page at on.fb.me/1MJasB1. Vendors may still sign up through Friday by calling 570-904-4824. The cost is $20 per table and one donated item for the raffle.
