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United Churches Elizabethtown Area (UCEA) has been serving the Elizabethtown area for almost 60 years. United Churches Elizabethtown Area (UCEA) was founded in 1969. To meet the need for affordable, high-quality childcare, UCEA created the Elizabethtown Child Care Center, which later became its own organization. Over the years, UCEA supported community projects and organizations while exploring ways to increase its impact. UCEA provided leadership for Meals on Wheels, The Community Cupboard, and The Clothing Barn.
After dreaming of a centralized location for services, UCEA purchased property on Washington Street in 2018. The property consisted of a house that had formerly served as a convent, a one-story school (with a basement), a disrepair garage, and a Lot that could support the addition of another building. The property was named Community Place on Washington. The school was remodeled and opened in mid-October 2018 with spaces for UCEA’s Community Cupboard, a training room, a conference room, and independent service providers: Elizabethtown Area Communities that Care (EACTC), Elizabethtown Area Community Housing and Outreach Services (ECHOS), Tabor Community Services (currently TenFold), and Lancaster Community Action Partnership’s Parents as Teachers. The Social Enterprise Institute also provided on-campus services from July 2019 until it moved into its new location.
In 2019, The Clothing Barn was resurrected and opened in the newly built barn in the same footprint as the garage that was in disrepair. They had a store and sorting on the first floor, and storage on the second floor. Originally, this program operated out of the GEARS Senior Center, then a board member’s rental property’s garage. It has grown over the years, and in 2024, it expanded into the main building of CPOW, taking over Reception (which dissolved in 2020) and an office suite.
In 2022, the fourth building on the property was completed (105 E. Washington Street). The building houses the Winter Shelter (a program of ECHOS), ECHOS offices and programs, including transitional housing with 6 apartments through the Homestead Housing program. The building is also the home for Elizabethtown Education Foundation’s Bear Bags, and GEARS’ spinning classes.
Today, UCEA serves the Elizabethtown area.with 4 programs: Community Place (formerly CPOW)- a campus where non-profits can serve together and have less rent to pay, Community Cupboard- montly food support, Community Closet (formerly The Clothing Barn)- seasonally clothing support, and Community Meals on Wheels- meals for seniors & those unable to cook due to health limitations. Through the Community Cupboard we also partner with Central Penn Food Bank and Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s State Family Program to provide a box of food to veterans (monthly), called Military Share.
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