NORTHEAST PA — The Petersheim Fund, a charitable fund established in 2019 by Chuck Petersheim at Greater Pike Community Foundation, recently made major grants to two area nonprofits. The fund awarded $10,000 to the Farm Arts Collective cultural center and $3,150 to Friends of the Delaware Valley Warrior Football Booster Club.

The Farm Arts Collective, based in Damascus, sponsors performances, workshops and special events around the themes of conservation, ecology and sustainable agriculture. Founded in 2018 by farmer and performing artist Tannis Kowalchuk, it hosts a variety of programs including workshops in farming, art, food, and ecology as well as performances and events that highlight environmental stewardship, diversity and healthy ecologies.

“Farm Arts Collective is incredibly grateful for the gift of $10,000 from The Petersheim Fund administered through Greater Pike Community Foundation,” said Kowalchuk. “Chuck has always supported the work of Farm Arts Collective and with this very generous capital grant, we are able to create a thriving Agri-Cultural center at Willow Wisp Organic Farm. The 127-foot barn is an accessible and welcoming space for agricultural education and artistic events to serve the community in Northeast Pennsylvania and the Catskills region.” 

The second grant recipient, the Delaware Valley Warrior Football Booster Club, based in Milford, supports DV high school athletes and their coaches through fundraising for the purchase of equipment and to underwrite travel to meets. Last month, Mr. Petersheim put together a financial literacy workshop for DV students and made a $100 contribution to the football team’s trip to Florida for each participant who attended. 

Mr. Petersheim, who designs and builds homes in the Catskills, set up his donor-advised fund (DAF) at Greater Pike to make “the annual round of giving more like a celebration of well-deserving entities and not an exercise of check writing.” The fund has supported food pantries, emergency services, animal rescue, health services, educational and environmental causes, among other efforts.

A DAF is a private fund for charitable giving that is administered by a third party on behalf of an individual, family, or organization. Greater Pike currently hosts 16 donor-advised funds under its umbrella.

Online donations to the Petersheim Fund or any of the other Greater Pike funds can be made at www.greaterpike.org/fund_list. Scroll down to the fund name for the link.

Greater Pike offers individuals, families, and local businesses an opportunity to provide a permanent and personal way to give back to the community. For more information about opening a fund or contributing to an existing fund, contact Rick Little, executive director, at 570/832-4686, email ricklittle@greaterpike.org, or visit www.greaterpike.org, Facebook.com/GreaterPike and Instagram.com/GreaterPikeCF.