Hatfield leaders closed 2024 by recognizing a handful of heroes who have made a big difference to those in need.
At their final meeting of the year, township commissioners thanked several local businesses and volunteers for delivering supplies to those hit hard by hurricanes in North Carolina this fall.
“It seemed like the world was falling apart, and this feeling of helplessness about how can you do something for these people? “How can we in Hatfield, in our area, make this something for them?” said Commissioner President Tom Zipfel.
“We turned to our Hatfield residents and said, 'We're going to start a fundraiser here in our foyer and let's see what we can get and let's see how we can reduce it.'” the people who met it on most need.”
Hatfield Township Commissioners President Tom Zipfel (center) poses with a group of University of Tennessee students who helped unload a truck full of supplies donated to hurricane and flood victims at a warehouse in Tennessee on Oct. 25, 2024 became. (Source: Hatfield Township)
Hatfield Township officers and police officers help move and load a stack of paper materials donated to hurricane and flood victims in North Carolina on Oct. 25, 2024. (Source: Hatfield Township)Shop Rite does it right
Those fundraising appeals to support Hurricane Helene victims initially resulted in a trickle of donations, Zipfel recalled during the Dec. 18 council meeting, before several local businesses began getting involved. A few strategic phone calls also helped, including to Jim and Kathi Madanci, the owners of the Hatfield Shop Rite, whom Zipfel recalled asking for help.
“I said, ‘Jim, this is what we do. Can you help?' I try to explain to him that we have this big van and we want to fill it up and he tries to tell me that you don't have enough room in this van for the amount I'm going to donate. said Zipfel.
“It turned out to be over two tons of food and water, seven or eight thousand cans and a few cases of water that we brought down, and we weren't prepared for that. “We were going to save the world in a van. We didn’t realize our residents would make such an overwhelming contribution,” he said.
This van, donated by Bergey's Auto Dealership, and a semi-truck donated by Shop Rite, were loaded on Oct. 25 by employees, commissioners, township police officers and volunteers, including a crew from North Wales-based Penn Pro Roofing, with the goal of getting off the trail about 1,000 miles south to Asheville, North Carolina, one of the cities hardest hit by hurricanes and flooding.
“These conversations last minutes. It didn't take hours, it was straight away: “Okay, how do we do this?” These are the people who are helping to save the world, here in Hatfield, who jumped in without hesitation and gave as much as they did have. So we did that on Friday, and then we took a long drive down and a long drive back,” he said.
As he spoke, church staff showed a video of the effort: a small pile of donated water and paper products in the lobby of the church building, growing over time, and then a large Shop-Rite truck full of food and even water a generator that almost immediately benefited a family in need.
“Asheville was basically inaccessible because there were switchbacks and we just couldn't get them there with the van and trucks. So we ended up driving to Newport, Tennessee, which is about 30 minutes outside of Asheville, and that's where they collected the Asheville donations,” Zipfel said.
Hatfield Township staff, police and volunteers transport a stack of supplies donated to hurricane and flood victims in North Carolina on Oct. 25, 2024. (Source: Hatfield Township)
Hatfield Township officials were joined by a group of University of Tennessee students who helped unpack supplies donated to hurricane and flood victims at a warehouse in Tennessee on Oct. 25, 2024. (Source: Hatfield Township)
Jim and Kathi Madanci of ShopRite of Hatfield accept the Hatfield Hero Award from Board of Commissioners President Tom Zipfel. (Source: Hatfield Township)
Jim and Kathi Madanci and the family from ShopRite of Hatfield, who donated pallets of food, water and other items. (Source: Hatfield Township)
(Source: Hatfield Township)“Once the generator showed up, within half an hour it was in the back of someone's truck, and we were told it was going to a single mother and her daughter who had lost everything – along with an RV that someone had had just donated. The camper showed up right when we arrived, the generator showed up, and then within an hour it was out and on its way.”
Penn Pro Roofing honored as heroes in North Wales
More photos followed showing the Penn Pro crew and Hatfield's delegation unloading supplies at the Tennessee warehouse, along with a group of University of Tennessee students who decided to help out.
Tom Zipfel, president of the Hatfield Township Commissioners, left, and Alex Zebluim, president of Penn Pro Roofing. (Source: Hatfield Township)“Woke up out of the blue that morning, hadn't told anyone they were coming, drove two or three hours to the facility and arrived at exactly the same time our Hatfield van and the Penn Pro people showed up. If they hadn't shown up, it would have taken us a day to unload all the stuff. We did it in just a few hours,” said Zipfel.
Additional photos: The Bergey van, the Shoprite truck and the Penn Pro crew pack up at the Hatfield administration building, then head south and unload the supplies into the massive warehouse with the help of the Tennessee students. At the end, mother and daughter stand next to a donated motorhome and generator. Along with the pallets and packages came a message that Zipfel said was best summarized on a card that Jay Gordon, the church's community relations coordinator, sent with the shipments and that Zipfel delivered to a church leader in Tennessee with a promise to deliver them deliver to Asheville.
“It was a beautiful note that Jay wrote saying we sent them everything we could with our thoughts and prayers. And then she hugged me and said she was going to put this on the Internet where it would be read next Sunday in every church in the Asheville, North Carolina area. “So Jay’s message of faith, love and healing from Hatfield reached everyone,” Zipfel said.
After the slide show, gifts from the community came to the helpers: Zipfel presented everyone with a “Hatfield Hero” sculpture as a thank you for their efforts. Alex Zebluim, president of Penn Pro Roofing, said staff approached him with the idea of helping him and made it happen.
Alex Zebluim, owner and CEO of Penn Pro Roofing, speaks at the Hatfield Commissioners meeting after receiving the Heroes Award. (Source: Hatfield Township)“I said, 'My heart is there, but our time and budget aren't,' but he kept pushing,” Zebluim said, thanking the North Penn Volunteer Fire Company for helping with the loading and several other companies for their assistance: ” There are so many more people who need thanks and recognition. I would like to thank these people very much for playing a role in this. We are happy about our help and happy about the recognition.”
ShopRite's Jim Madanci also thanked them for the award and said they were proud to apply.
“As we have been part of the Hatfield community for 13 years and are a family business, we feel like our community is part of our family. And when our community is in need, we are there for them, no matter what. We are truly blessed to be part of such a wonderful community,” he said.
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