Focus Area
Health and Human Services
A Healthy Community for All
We work to ensure our community has access to the healthcare and quality of life services it needs to function at its best.
- Goal: A Focus on Public Health
For more than twenty years, we’ve worked to improve access to healthcare services and information for residents. We helped create the community’s first Federally Qualified Health Center, Berks Community Health Center in 2012, and supported Berks Teens, a pregnancy prevention program that reduced teen births in Berks County by nearly 50 percent. We have advocated for the creation of a county health department. A county health department would improve public health in Berks County. - Goal: Help Those in Need
Many of our funds help individuals in need, including those in the foster care system, children with disabilities, and veterans who are involved in the court system. Our “Angel Fund” provide grants at critical points in people’s lives, when a little bit of money can make all the difference in the world. - Goal: Access to Services in Rural Communities in Berks
Data from the United Way’s ALICE Report (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) shows that 41% of Berks County households are one paycheck away from a financial crisis. Many leaders noted the lack of social services in rural communities like Hamburg, where 49% of households meet those criteria for living in poverty. This led us to develop an initiative to identify and address gaps in access to social services in the Hamburg Area School District where the need is higher than the county average. - Goal: Support Animal Welfare
Pets and their humans benefit from the funds we manage to support local animal shelters and veterinary treatment services. The public benefits from law enforcement K9 units in Berks County, several of which receive funding from our designated funds.
We turn initiatives into action.
With the help of community partners and committed volunteers, we take what we learn and put it to work through specific programs.
Current Programs
Social Services in Rural Libraries
Meeting needs in a communal space.
The Community General Hospital Healthcare Fund of Berks County Community Foundation supports the provision of staff to work in identified rural libraries in the Bernville, Boyertown, Hamburg, and Morgantown areas.
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Helping Children with Medical Needs
Several funds support unmet expenses for families.
The Arthur O. and Clara M. Schlegel Fund is one of multiple funds that help local families with children who have a catastrophic illness or disability.
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Northern Berks Connects
Inviting proposals from organizations to support a resource networking program.
Berks County Community Foundation and Northern Berks Connects invites proposals from schools and nonprofit entities to support a one-year pilot program. Proposal submission deadline is May 18, 2026.
Learn MoreWhat’s New in Health and Human Services
Our knowledge is your power.
We’ve been creating change since 1994. Our program officers know initatives in Berks County inside-out and can answer all your questions
Health and Human Services Program Officer
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