The Manheim Township Church Helping Children in Need

Outgrowing clothes and wondering what to do with them is a problem countless people face. St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church provides a solution that allows you to clean out your closet while contributing to the Manheim Township community.

River’s Place, originally Lydia’s Closet, is a clothing drive that began in 2017 as a joint project of the Manheim Township Ministerium of Churches and Manheim Township School District. When a social worker who had been running a small clothing bank from her office asked for help, St. Peter’s offered to take point, and the project has since grown to clothe over 100 children each month.

“Every single child deserves to have their basic needs met, the one being clothing,” coordinator Beth Yeingst said. “Meeting a child’s basic needs helps them to then meet their complex needs of feeling love and belonging and having self-esteem.”

In front of the church is a collection box where anybody can leave clothes, shoes, feminine hygiene products and laundry detergent. On the first Saturday of each month, after hours of preparation, those donations are distributed to school-aged children for free.

River’s Place volunteers sort through every article of clothing to ensure it is in good condition and is age-appropriate, something a child would feel confident wearing to school. Clothes are also separated into seasonal categories. The clothes that are not kept to be distributed are donated to Community Aid, PA CareerLink Lancaster and, in the case of towels and blankets, Pet Pantry.

With so much work to be done, many helpers are needed. Yeingst herself is primarily in charge of reaching out to partners, coordinating volunteers and brainstorming ideas to improve the River’s Place system, but there are countless people who help. A group of women meet in the middle of the week to sort and organize clothing and there are church employees and volunteers who set up and tear down every month. 

“I feel that there is never a single day when something does not have to be done or could not be done, but we are all enthusiastic about this vital ministry and so it makes it all worthwhile,” Yeingst said. “We could not run River’s Place without our dedicated volunteers who show up weekly, monthly and sometimes daily.”

St. Peter’s has a close partnership with Manheim Township School District and the staff at MTSD, such as the school social workers, helps to send children in need towards River’s Place. Support also comes from neighboring churches Neffsville Mennonite and Blossom Hill Mennonite and the active River’s Place Facebook and Instagram pages. However, according to Yeingst, the most effective advertisement has been through word of mouth.

It has been a goal of the River’s Place team to make clothing accessible to everyone, including families who can’t drive to St. Peter’s. To help these families, they are currently planning a mobile system, which would travel to neighborhoods around Manheim Township bringing clothes to the people without that transportation or time. Yeingst stated that this system is still in the planning stage and will require some fundraising, but they are excited to make the dream a reality.

Yeingst encourages MTWP residents to spread the word about River’s Place so that families who are in need know they have support. Overall, she would like to see people focusing on kindness in some way, whether that be donating, volunteering or something simple such as helping an elderly neighbor clean up their yard.

“We need kindness more than ever in today’s world,” she said. “Do a small act of kindness and create that positive ripple effect.”

If you would like to donate, please visit St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church at 10 Delp Road, Lancaster, 17601 or donate through the River’s Place Amazon Gift List on their Facebook page. The River’s Place team asks that donations be geared towards school-aged children and that they be in good condition. They are currently in need of pants and shorts for kids sizes six through eight. Learn more at riversplace@stpetereslutheran.org.

In Yeingst’s opinion, the most fulfilling thing about coordinating River’s Place is seeing the smiles on the faces of children and their families each month. “We get to know these children and look forward to hearing about how they are doing in school,” she said. “They all become a part of the River’s Place family.”

Photos by Beth Yeingst