Northwest EMS has a mission to support the community. To help fulfill that mission, the station signed on to participate with Child Life, an initiative that provides new toys to hospitalized children.

"Our office manager's granddaughter, Taylor, was a patient in the hospital over Christmastime in 2020," recalled Lori Shenk, community outreach manager of Northwest EMS. "She spent about a total of two weeks in the hospital, and she had never heard of Child Life before. She said it made all the difference to her and her experience was so much better because of Child Life." She came home and asked her grandmother if the station wanted to collect toys for the program.

Shenk said the station began collecting in the spring of 2021 and so far, she's made multiple deliveries to both Penn State Health Children's Hospital and Lancaster General Hospital.

"We collect toys year-round at all four of our EMS stations," Shenk said, referring to the locations in Maytown, 186 Rock Point Road; Brickerville, 10 Hopeland Road, Lititz; Elizabethtown, 380 W. Bainbridge St.; and Manheim, 60 W. Colebrook St. "We accept new toys only. When people drop them off, they should either label the toy for Child Life or let the person they give it to know it's for Child Life."

Shenk collects the toys and makes a donation when she has enough to split between the two locations. Her aim is to deliver two to three times a year. Toys are accepted for boys and girls of all ages, from newborn through age 18.

"If a child is undergoing a procedure or having surgery, he or she can come back to a new toy, and it's just a little bit of joy for them," Shenk said. "It gives them something fun to do in the hospital and lets them know someone is thinking of them."

Participating in the Child Life program is part of the station's goal to connect with the community, Shenk said.

"We try to do community outreach because we have a unique window into the community," she stated. "We see the need, and if we can do something as simple as be a drop-off location, we want to do that."

Along with Child Life collection, the station is collecting food for the three food banks in the geographic locations the station serves. "We're collecting for the Manheim Central Food Pantry, the East Donegal/Conoy Christian Food Bank and the Elizabethtown Community Cupboard," Shenk stated. While Child Life collections are accepted at all of the station's locations, food is collected only at the Elizabethtown station and the Manheim station. Personal hygiene items will also be accepted, and no food items may be outdated. Collection will run throughout the month of February, with food delivered prior to Friday, March 4.

A shoe drive is also underway at the Manheim station to benefit Hope Served, a Manheim-based nonprofit that supports people with disabilities.

For more information on the Child Life program or other donations at the station, contact Shenk at 717-371-8282.