Get connected. Get help.
Connect with pa211
Need help with food, housing, transportation, social services, and more?
For free and confidential help connect to pa211.
Call: 211 to speak with a resource specialist to get connected to help today.
Visit: pa211.org to learn more and chat.
Scan: The QR code below to connect to the pa211 website for more information.
211 is sponsored by the Lycoming County United Way.
Also, check out the Programs tab at the top of the page for more resources.
Adopt a Family for the Holidays Program (AFH)
Struggling with a hardship? Need help this holiday season?
If you’re a resident of Lycoming County, click on Adopt a Family for the Holidays Program at the top of this page for more information and to complete the Resident application (coming soon!). If you qualify, you’ll be matched with a sponsor to help make your holiday season a little brighter!
Want to spread joy and kindness this holiday season? Be a sponsor for a child, family, senior, or veteran!
Click on Adopt a Family for the Holidays Program for more information and to complete the Sponsor application (by November 24th). You’ll be matched with a child, family, senior or veteran help make their holiday season a little brighter!
Our giving options include: a monetary donation, purchasing Christmas gifts, donating gift cards, certificates or an activity such as a YMCA membership, summer pool pass, music lessons, art classes, therapeutic horseback riding sessions, and more!
Thank you sponsors! This joy is not possible without your support!
Partners to Promise Youth Initiative (PPYI)
The Favors Forward Foundation recognizes that the effects of family hardship are most profoundly felt by children living with the uncertainty of a dying parent or sibling, or the absence of a parent due to unemployment, separation, or other life challenges. The
Partners to Promise Youth Initiative was developed to systematically identify and evaluate youth experiencing adverse childhood experiences and immediately connect them to youth enhancement programs. The Foundation provides an
all-expense-paid, one-year membership to an activity of the child’s choice, with donors supplying any needed materials or instruments. These opportunities have been shown to reduce stress-related health risk behaviors and promote resilience.
Currently, Favors Forward partners with over twenty youth skill-building organizations to enrich the lives of children affected
by family dysfunction, illness, death, domestic disturbance, or military deployment. Because such hardships are linked to increased risks of depression, substance abuse, chronic illness, and premature mortality, this program represents a public health model of community-based prevention, strengthening protective factors that support emotional and physical well-being.
The history of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE)
Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) are potentially traumatic events that can have negative, lasting effects on health and well-being, and can last a lifetime. These experiences range from physical, emotional, or sexual abuse to parental divorce, domestic violence, substance abuse, death or the incarceration of a parent, and witnessing or being the victim of neighborhood violence. Ace's especially when they cause toxic levels of stress, have been found to impair multiple aspects of health and development. These effects are especially
likely when children have had exposure to multiple adversities. In fact, the more adversities an individual has experienced, the higher the likelihood that individual will have serious mental and physical health problems later in life. (childhealthdata.org)
Early childhood trauma is a risk factor for almost everything from adult depression to PTSD and most psychiatric disorders, as well as a host of medical problems, including cardiovascular problems such as heart attack, stroke, cancer, and obesity. People suffering from traumatic memories may try to escape them from participating in risky behaviors such as drinking, smoking, drug use, overeating for comfort, and others.
ACEs Facts
Recent data indicates ACEs remain a public health issue, with CDC data showing roughly 64% of adults reporting at least one ACE, and about 61% experiencing one or more in a 2019 CDC analysis. Over one in five adults have experienced four or more ACEs. ACEs are prevalent among youth, with 2022 data showing that 39.7% of U.S. youth aged 12 to 17 experienced at least one ACE.
Non-Hispanic, African American children and youth are more likely than their non-Hispanic white and Hispanic peers to have had three or more adverse experiences (17 percent, compared to 10 and 11 percent, respectively, in 2017).
Poor children are more likely to have experienced three or more adverse experiences, In 2018, 13% of children living below the poverty level had three or more adverse experiences, compared to 5% of children in households with incomes more than twice the poverty level.
Adopt a Student Back to School Program (ASB)
Families facing extraordinary hardships often struggle to afford essential school supplies for their children. When students lack basic necessities such as clothing, shoes, or backpacks, especially while coping with stress or a loss at home, their ability to learn and thrive is deeply impacted. Each year, Favors Forward Foundation partners with local guidance counselors to identify students in need and match them with sponsors who provide back-to-school supplies, clothing, and tutoring if necessary. This initiative ensures that children can return to school with confidence, dignity, and the tools required to succeed academically and emotionally.
Spring Clean Up Partnership Program (SCP)
Each spring, FFF partners with Lycoming College, engaging over 125 student athletes and coaches to assist senior residents, individuals with disabilities, and families in crisis, as well as to help maintain local public parks and cemeteries. Together, they provide cleaning, yard work, and outdoor maintenance to 45 to 50 households each year. This collaboration not only supports those physically unable to maintain their properties but also fosters civic engagement, service learning, and a intergenerational connection between students and community members in Lycoming County.
Our programs have transformed countless lives, built enduring community partnerships, and proven that genuine human connection is the foundation of lasting rural health and resilience.
Time, Talent, and Treasures Program (TTT)
Our network team of 200+ volunteers offer their time, talents, and treasures to help residents in numerous ways in Lycoming County facing hardship.
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Rural Health Program
Nomination: The Favors Forward Foundation exemplifies the spirit of the Rural Health Program through its compassionate, creative, and community-driven approach to addressing health and human service gaps n Lycoming County, Pennsylvania.
Established in 2009 in response to state and local budget cuts that left working-class and underinsured residents without critical support, the Favors Forward Foundation has become a cornerstone of hope and strength for our region. At its heart, Favors Forward serves as both a bridge and a lifeline, connecting individuals and families facing life-changing hardships such as illness, disability, domestic violence, homelessness, job loss, or the death of a loved one with volunteers and community resources ready to help.
What makes Favors Forward truly remarkable is its ability to respond rapidly, often within forty-eight hours of a referral, ensuring that immediate needs are met before families spiral into deeper crises that can lead to chronic health issues, heightened stress, and long-term financial struggles. This rapid response system not only provides critical supports such as transportation, home repairs, and food assistance, but also prevents deeper instability that can result in homelessness or prolonged health decline. Volunteers bring a wide range of skills including cooking, cleaning, home repair, tutoring, transportation, and the donation of essential goods, allowing the organization to meet people where they are with no physical, economic, or social barriers to care.
Every client undergoes a thoughtful intake process that includes needs assessments, background checks, and referrals to local health and human service agencies, creating a vital bridge between formal care systems and community compassion.
By engaging local partners including Children and Youth Services, women’s shelters, homeless shelters, schools, churches, businesses, youth development organizations, and civic leaders in both planning and evaluation, Favors Forward ensures that each initiative reflects community priorities and sustains long-term impact. Over the years, the Foundation has served hundreds of residents annually, helping them navigate crises while preserving dignity, stability, and health.
Through specialized programs such as the Partners to Promise Youth Initiative, the Adopt a Student Back to School, the Adopt a Family for the Holidays, and the annual Spring Clean Up Partnership, the Foundation addresses the broader social determinants of health that shape well-being in rural communities. These initiatives nurture youth development, strengthen family resilience, and foster community pride, proving that timely, compassionate action can prevent hardship from evolving into long-term health decline.
Those receiving assistance are encouraged to pay it forward once they are back on their feet, reinforcing a cycle of generosity and healing that strengthens the entire community.
At its core, the Favors Forward Foundation embodies the belief that when a community unites to lift its most vulnerable members, it creates a ripple effect of healing, empowerment, and shared humanity that enhances the health and strength
of all.
“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller