Christian Services, HOPE Sharing Old Bowling Alley

12 Lanes Stay, 12 become food pantries

By Mandy Catoe
June 7, 2017

In a spirit of collaboration, two nonprofits have joined forces to expand their services at the former Lancaster Bowling Alley, which has been empty since last July.
Christian Services and HOPE have begun sharing the building to broaden their reach to those in need.
“We will work together on the massive project of renovating and reopening a part of the bowling alley and renovating the remainder of the facility to meet the needs of both agencies as we continue to serve Lancaster County residents,” said Eric Kramer, executive director of Christian Services.
Kramer was on site Tuesday morning with Bekah Clawson, executive director for HOPE.
Clawson said she and Kramer began talking last summer about the lack of transportation for many of their clients.

Kramer, Clawson, Addison enjoy watching the kids bowl

“That limits their ability to follow through on our referrals,” she said.
Kramer said the bowling alley sits within two miles of 18,000 people who live in a food desert, an area beyond walking distance of a grocery store. About a fifth of them do not have transportation and more than a third live in poverty.
“So, when you are within walking distance, all of a sudden you open a new resource for them,” Kramer said.
Both agencies are faith-based and admit the building’s location and availability were beyond their control.
“We are people of faith, and we can see the higher power at work here,” Clawson said.
Christian Services, which will maintain its store on Great Falls Highway, initially bought the facility March 31 for its food pantry and classroom space. HOPE will move its entire operation to the building by next summer.
Christian Services bought the building from owner Mike Sistare at cost.

“I sold it for exactly what was owed on it,” Sistare said. “I felt so good about them getting it.”
Sistare said he was glad a Christian group bought it and he knows it will be beneficial to the community.
Twelve of the 24 bowling lanes will remain open for use by daycare centers, church groups and seniors.
The other 12 lanes will be removed to make room for the food pantries.
The building will be opened in phases.
“The first phase is opening the bowling alley up to schools and daycares for their summer programs,” Clawson said.
That stage is well under way. About 15 children from Universal Karate Studios, ranging in age from 5 to 10, were bowling Tuesday morning with their teacher, Felicia White.
“We love bowling and that was one of our biggest things for the summer programs,” White said. “We were really bummed out that the bowling center was closed here. We went to Rock Hill, but it wasn’t the same; we missed this place.”
Both agencies will expand existing services and create new ones. They will teach classes on relationships, parenting and anger management. Adult education and English as a second language classes will also be available.
HOPE will have space for its senior pantry and choice food pantry, which allows clients to browse and choose healthy foods their families will eat.
A 12,000-square-foot room will be renovated into a conference/classroom, complete with SmartBoards.
“One of the most exciting things we will offer will be cooking lessons,” Clawson said. “We will turn the food bar into a teaching kitchen and install stoves and refrigerators and teach our clients how to cook nutritious food for their families.”
HOPE plans to open its senior food pantry by August. It is for older adults who live at home on a limited income and need food they can cook.
Other senior services include over-the-counter medicines; medical equipment such as canes, walkers, shower chairs; and reduced rates for bowling on Wednesdays.
“In the spirit of increased collaboration, we will be seeking to partner with other community nonprofits to create a ‘one-stop shop’ environment, where the services of multiple agencies can be accessed by community residents in one location,” Kramer said.
The architectural plans include space for several cubicles or offices for partnering agencies to bring their services to those in need.
Kramer, a pastor with a business background, hopes to generate enough money to pay the mortgage with a little extra that will go into a building fund for repairs and maintenance.
“We may rent the facility to churches on certain nights of the week for them to enjoy bowling, cooking out, business meetings or church socials,” he said. “We will focus on families, churches and youth groups.”
The bowling lanes will provide some revenue for the nonprofits and offer some much-needed recreation to the community, Kramer said. They will offer bowling to the public later in the summer, probably on Saturdays, he said.
Kramer and Clawson both invite input from other agencies, churches, clients, businesses and donors “to determine how this facility can best be used to provide for the needs that are unmet in our area.”
The agencies welcome volunteers, materials and financial support over the summer months.
“We hope that our commitment to revive this community facility will be an opportunity for us to give back and say ‘thank you’ for the many years of support we have received from donors in this community as we have each served Lancaster area residents in need for more than 30 years,” Kramer said.
For more information, call Bekah Clawson at (803) 286-4673 or Eric Kramer at (803) 804-5482.

Follow reporter Mandy Catoe on Twitter @MandyCatoeTLN or contact her at (803) 283-1152