As director of Manheim Community Cares (MCC), Culeen Shaffer has been getting to know the people who call Manheim home.
"I've met so many people who care about this community," said Shaffer, who came on board as director of the nonprofit in December. "People are really invested in Manheim."
That's a good thing for Shaffer and MCC, an organization established in 2018 with the goal of building a thriving community where residents feel empowered to support each other.
"Manheim Community Cares uses data to find issues in the community and to work to solve those issues," Shaffer explained. The most recent data, which comes from various sources, including police department reports and school district reports, indicated that some of the top concerns for Manheim residents are low neighborhood attachment, perceived drug usage and food insecurity.
Although addressing these topics may seem daunting, Shaffer is confident MCC can make a difference in the community. The organization was recently awarded a grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to collect data and develop collaborative relationships with schools to address the disconnectedness of community members and increase awareness of emerging drug trends in the community.
Shaffer noted that the success of MCC relies on involvement from the community. "We are looking to recruit members to help us with our mission," she said. "We have so many opportunities for people to help. Maybe you want to focus on funding. Maybe you'd like to be more behind-the-scenes, and you want to study the data. There is a way for everyone to get involved."
MCC will be working with other organizations and groups in the Manheim community, Shaffer stated, including Teen Central, Hope Served, Supply and the Manheim Area Chamber of Commerce. She noted that because MCC's focus is data-driven, it should be easy to evaluate results and see what's working and what isn't.
As she adjusts to her new role, Shaffer has several goals for MCC. She'd like to eventually list resources in the community as well as volunteer opportunities on the organization's website. She'd also like to create a community garden to help tackle food insecurity, create youth service projects in the community and develop MCC-specific community surveys to determine local needs.
Shaffer encourages anyone in Manheim to get involved in MCC. "This is your community," she noted. "You have the ability to change it for the better. People can say, 'This is wrong' or 'That is wrong' in the community, but the only way for difference to happen is for the community to get involved and make that difference."
She hopes people will reach out to MCC about specific needs in the community. "Come to a meeting and share your voice with our organization," she stated. "MCC is for everyone in Manheim."
MCC will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, March 8, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at The Sink, 31 S. Main St. For more information on MCC, visit https://manheimcommunitycares.org or email Shaffer at director@manheimcommunitycares.org.
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