With a $5,000 matched-contribution grant from Ambler Savings Bank, Mitzvah Circle was able to raise more than $12,000 to help local families in crisis.

The Norristown outreach works to fill the gaps between individual needs and governmental assistance. It helps by answering utilitarian requests for everyday items such as personal care products, children’s car seats, strollers, household items, and other necessities that slide through the cracks of large-scale aid.

In 2020, for example, Mitzvah Circle provided more than two million diapers to 24,432 needy Montgomery County families. Already a budget strain for one-in-three American families, diapers have risen in price and dropped in availability, owing to the pandemic-related slowdowns in the national supply chain.

Ambler Savings Bank’s participation in Mitzvah Circle’s fall fundraiser appeal was a dollar-for-dollar match to participating donors’ contributions.

“I created Mitzvah Circle to meet the unmet basic needs of our neighbors in crisis, said Fran Held, Executive Director of Mitzvah Circle.

“Today, ‘basic needs’ like soap are anything but basic; they are lifesaving.

“I am grateful that families trust us to serve them during their most challenging times. Thanks to donations like the one from Ambler Savings Bank, we are able to continue serving these needs,” she continued.

Roger Zacharia, President and CEO, Ambler Savings Bank, observed, “The pandemic shined a bright light on gaps in our social safety nets. Fran and her team at Mitzvah Circle do incredible work filling those gaps.”