Outreach Center for Community Resources was pleased to honor Gerrity’s Supermarkets and the Scranton Primary Health Care Center with a Mighty Oak Award for being pillars in our community since the beginning of the pandemic.
Linda Ciampi, Executive Director for Outreach, Joe Fasula, Gerrity’s Supermarkets, and Jerry Musheno, R.Ph. Esq., Outreach Board President, presentation of Mighty Oak Award.
Over a century ago, in 1895, William Gerrity founded a small meat shop named Gerrity’s Market at 345 Railroad Avenue in Scranton. Though the business has been in the Fasula family for over 40 years, the 126-year-old Gerrity name has remained. From the flagship store in West Scranton, which opened in 1980, to the eight additional locations opened since, Gerrity’s Supermarket stands today as one of the oldest and most well-known local businesses. Today, Gerrity’s is run by Joyce “Mom” Fasula and her son Joe Fasula. The Fasula family attributes their success to the vision of their father, Neal Fasula, and Joseph Gerrity (son of William) and his family. Most of all, however, they credit the hard work and dedication of their 1,100 team members. They are very grateful for the loyalty and support of their customers in Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties. While serving their customers and protecting the health of all those who entered their stores, Gerrity’s maintained operations throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Employees were recognized for their work with a pay increase and a bonus. Gerrity’s is also offering a new hire bonus to those joining Mom’s Team.
Linda Ciampi with Joseph Hollander, CEO of the Scranton Primary Health Care Center, and Jerry Musheno, R.Ph. Esq. presentation of the Mighty Oak Award.
Scranton Primary Health Care Center opened its doors in 1978 as a Federally Qualified Health Center to provide care to the uninsured and under-insured. Scranton Primary provides care to all patients regardless of their ability to pay. Scranton Primary continues to serve that mission by offering pediatrics, family & internal medicine, women’s health & gynecology, perinatal care, infectious disease care, behavioral health and general dentistry, as well as helping people navigate the insurance marketplace. From the beginning of the pandemic, Scranton Primary has been offering rapid testing, and began offering vaccinations as soon as they became available. Last year, Scranton Primary treated almost 12,000 patients which resulted in almost 42,000 visits to their three offices.
Outreach provides critical services with caseworkers increasing support through virtual programs, appointments at the Center, home-visiting, and contactless deliveries during this unprecedented time. Outreach has made helping families thrive our highest priority. By offering resources for life skills, literacy, employment training, parenting, early childhood education, youth mentoring, behavioral health supports, wrap-around case management, and more, Outreach builds strong families and strong communities. The current pandemic does not alter this mission but is a call to action for the organization. Increasing services in this new environment and providing support in new ways is what the families and individuals we serve desperately need at this time. Outreach improves the lives of over 4,000 adults and children each year with evidence-based workforce and family development programs that support individuals as they navigate through life’s challenges.
To understand how Outreach helps individuals gain the skills necessary to achieve family stability and economic self-sufficiency please take a few moments to hear it directly from those we serve.
Outreach Participant James Hanjaras’ shares his story –
Outreach family serving programs help parents gain the skills to support their children and become stable and healthy families. Outreach child-serving programs provide early childhood education to assist children in their early years to prepare for academic success.
Outreach participant, Schrece Graff shares her story: