THE LINK

e-newsletter

November 2026

In this month's edition:

• SNAP: Where Are We a Year Later?
• Our Thanksgiving Meal Distribution Feeds Families and Hearts!
• Our Highlight: 2026 Community Partnership Award Winner Mary Young
• Operation Holiday Cheer is Gearing Up for Another Merry Season!
• November Volunteer Opportunities- We Need You!
• Code Blue Corner 2026-2027 Has Begun!
• Upcoming TOL Events
• Fall 2026 Pantry Needs
• The Center Events: AARP Driver Safety Course and More

SNAP: Where Are We a Year Later?

by Marianne Lynch, Executive Director

Thank you to Rep. Milou Mackenzie and District Legislative Aide Cheryl Urmy for volunteering in our Pantry in October! By shopping for and packing grocery deliveries, volunteers like you help our Pantry participants access nutritious, healthy food.

Around this time last year, a federal budget impasse led to a government shutdown that interrupted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly called food stamps) benefits. As a result, 42 million Americans went without their SNAP benefits in early November.

So, what’s happened with SNAP and the Pantry since then?

Our Thanksgiving Meal Distribution Feeds Families and Hearts!

This holiday season, we need your help to ensure that each of our Thanksgiving meal program participants is fed and cared for. Please consider donating the items listed above to our Pantry! Click on the image to view a PDF flyer.

Our 2026 Thanksgiving Meal Distribution begins today!

From Tuesday, November 3, through Monday, November 23, program participants will receive a Thanksgiving meal bag, each tailored to household size and including side items, ingredients for a Thanksgiving dinner, and a turkey or gift card for a turkey or ham while supplies last.



For additional program information, including sign up details and donation drop off times and location, click the 2026 Thanksgiving Meal Distribution button below!

Operation Holiday Cheer

is Gearing Up for

Another Merry Season!

Thank you to the many donors who make Operation Cheer possible, including Upper Perk Child Care Center!

Operation Holiday Cheer 2026 is back for another year of festive fun!

Each year, our Operation Holiday Cheer toy and coat room provides Valley parents and grandparents with the opportunity to shop for toys, gift cards, stocking stuffers, and coats for their children and grandchildren at no cost.

Our toy and coat room opens to Valley families on Monday, November 23, and is open through Wednesday, December 23.

To learn more about this year's program, including intake information, donation wishlists, and important program dates, click the Operation Holiday Cheer 2026 button below!

November Volunteer Opportunities- We Need You!

Thank you to Upper Perkiomen High School's Leos Club for volunteering at Community Day this fall!

Volunteering is a great way to make a positive impact on our Valley community! Here are some of the ways you can help out this holiday season:

Operation Holiday Cheer (OHC) Shop - Spread some holiday cheer and help Holiday Shop guests choose gifts for their children and/or grandchildren, bag up presents, and carry items out to the car. OHC volunteers also help carry in shop donations at our Penn Street location's (452 Penn Street, Pennsburg) front door, sort them in our Gift and Coat Room, and restock the Holiday Shop each day. Signups are out now!

Code Blue Shelter - Help our unhoused neighbors by volunteering at our Code Blue Shelter this season! 8 volunteers are needed per night to open and operate the shelter, so please consider donating your time in such a compassionate way. Training provided.

Click below to view our other current volunteer opportunities and to fill out our Volunteer Interest Form!

Upcoming TOL Events

November is filled with many community events, program kickoffs, and more! Here are a few of the events coming up this month:

• This year's Scouting for Food Drive, our largest food drive of the year, is on Saturday, November 21. If you receive a hanger on your door on Saturday, November 14, you are eligible for Scout pickup. Please place your non-perishable food donations in recycled bags or boxes outside of your home by 8:30 AM the morning of Saturday, November 21. Read our Fall 2026 Pantry Needs section below to see what our Pantry is most in need of this month!
• Both of our locations (Penn Street and The Center) will be closed on Thursday, November 26, and Friday, November 27, in observance of Thanksgiving. Both locations will reopen with regular operating hours on Monday, November 30.

Click the Event Calendar button below to view our additional November events.

The Center Events:

AARP Drivers Safety

Course and More!

Stay informed and road-savvy with this informational course!

On Tuesday, November 10, and Thursday, November 12, from 10:00 AM-2:00 PM both days, The Center will host an AARP Drivers Safety Course! The event will be held at The Center, 517 Jefferson Street, East Greenville. The course is $20 for AARP members, $25 non-members.

Please call 215-679-6550 or email center@theopenlink.org to RSVP for all events or for additional information.

Click below to learn more about this event and to see The Center's event calendar and other November happenings, including a holiday ornaments workshop, Veterans Day tribute, and more!

Our Highlight: 2026 Community Partnership Award Winner Mary Young

Mary will receive the 2026 Community Partnership Award at our Community Partnership Breakfast on Friday, November 20. Congratulations, Mary, on your

well-deserved honor!

A 30-year resident of Hereford Township, Mary initially became involved with The Open Link during the merger of The Open Line and the Upper Perkiomen Senior Center in 2013. Then a board member for Youth and Family Services, Mary was asked to be President of The Open Link's Board of Directors and has been involved with TOL ever since! Mary was also one of the first individuals involved with our Summer Kids Meal Program (SKMP), is a member of our Development and Finance Committees, and brings her creative touch in the planning and design of our annual Garden Party!

As a community partner, Mary also collaborates with The Open Link through Project Live, a local grassroots organization that provides educational, social, preventative, and rehabilitative support for individuals, students, and families affected by substance use disorder and related challenges. As one of the organization's founders, Mary recognizes how "gratifying" it is for Project Live to have reciprocal community partners like The Open Link. Together, she believes partnerships like these are "force multipliers" of impact, change, building resilience, and supporting a "close-knit community that looks out for each other."

In receiving the 2026 Community Partnership Award, Mary is both grateful and emphasizes that she is "one of many" that makes The Open Link's work possible. She is most thankful for the disparate points of view and diverse group of individuals she has collaborated with in her time of service. Despite varying backgrounds and beliefs, Mary appreciates that all involved with TOL agree that "we should look after our neighbors" and that The Open Link "is a great space and the place to do it."

Mary shares a positive and hopeful vision for the future of the Valley. Between Project Live and The Open Link, she hopes to continue promoting resilience, connection, and "filling up the well" for those in need. She is also eager to continuously support The Open Link's stability, reliability, and continuous improvement, as "so many people rely on [us]." She also excitedly emphasizes that the best way to learn more about The Open Link is to "VISIT!"

We are so grateful to Mary for her collaboration, longtime leadership, and her hands-on, comprehensive approach to creating a more connected Valley community. Thank you, Mary, and congrats on winning the 2026 Community Partnership Award!

Code Blue 2026-2027

Has Begun!

As of Sunday, November 1, the Code Blue 2026-2027 season has started! We look forward to another year of hope, community, and connection.

OUR MAJOR NEWS: We are proud to debut our Code Blue information line! You can call this number to learn if a Code Blue has been declared and if our shelter is open or closed for the night. We will determine if we have enough volunteers to operate our shelter by 4:00 PM each day a Code Blue is declared. The information line number is:

215-541-5290.

We are also in need of volunteers to staff our Code Blue shelter each night a Code Blue is declared in Montgomery County. All Code Blue volunteers must attend one volunteer training prior to volunteering at the shelter. Volunteer trainings are scheduled for the following dates and locations:

• Wednesday, November 18, 6:00 PM-8:00 PM, Upper Perk Code Blue Shelter, 777 Main Street, Pennsburg
• Thursday, January 7, 6:00 PM-8:00 PM, Upper Perk Code Blue Shelter, 777 Main Street, Pennsburg

*If you attended a volunteer training in October, you do not need to attend these trainings.

Can't make one of these trainings? That's ok! We have recordings to get you up to speed quickly, so that you can volunteer this season.

Sign up for a volunteer training by clicking the button below!

Fall 2026 Pantry Needs

Hot cereals, pancake mix, soup broths, and more! Click on the image above to view a PDF flyer of what our Pantry is in need of this fall.

As the cold weather continues, help us feed our neighbors in need by donating items on our Fall Pantry Needs Wishlist!

You can bring donations to the Pantry at our Penn Street location, 452 Penn Street, Pennsburg, Monday-Friday from 8:00 AM-4:00 PM, with extended hours on Tuesdays until 7:00 PM. Please ensure all items donated are within a good expiration date. 

Want to shop online or see other items our Pantry and organization need? Click the Our Wishlists button below and have them sent right to us!

Your Gift Warms Hearts!

This fall, your support helps keep our Valley neighbors' homes warm, bellies fed, and hearts full. By giving to The Open Link, you will not only fund each of our vital programs and services, like our food pantry and rent and utility assistance program - you will ensure that each person who reaches out for our assistance has access to the care and resources they need. Donate today and change lives this holiday season!