With November taking shape and the Thanksgiving holiday just around the corner, Jennifer Crotsley, the new executive director of SPO is about to see experience her first Thanksgiving holiday distribution, on top of the rise in food insecurity already facing hundreds in the Shippensburg community.
Crotsley is no stranger to helping people. For over 20 years she has been involved with human services and non-profit work. She also comes from a family of farmers who are used to sharing what they have.
Before coming on board with SPO, she was the program director for self-sufficiency case management for Tri-County Community Action, which covers Franklin, Cumberland and Dauphin Counties. Tri County Community Action has an office inside Katie’s Place. “Having been involved with that, I knew about SPO and the good works they’ve done in the community,” Crotsley said.
She started her new role on September 1, 2025, and since that time has been nothing short of amazed at how SPO goes above and beyond to help those in need.
“Honestly I expected nothing less,” she said. “I have heard great things about SPO prior to coming here. I heard about the amazing volunteers, and I’ve heard how much they help the community. Everyone involved with SPO is very welcoming, and very eager to show me the things I need to know. When it comes to Tuesdays and the work gets done, you see the people of the community that we are so appreciative of what we do her. It’s very rewarding, and that’s how I know I’m where I am supposed to be.”
This will be her first experience with the Thanksgiving holiday and the traditional distribution of Thanksgiving baskets to more than 500 families in the Shippensburg area.
The week of October 26th, SPO served 1,339 individuals, approximately 200 more than they had served the week prior. This week’s numbers climbed as well. As they approach the Thanksgiving holiday, she knows the numbers will climb again.
“Last year we served 500 households. This year we are preparing to serve 600 households,” Crotsley said. The distribution will take place on Tuesday, November 18th. It’s SPO’s regular distribution day, on top of giving out the Thanksgiving baskets, which they purchase from the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. She explained that while the baskets have everything families need for the holiday meal, except a turkey, families will be given a $25 gift card to purchase a met if their choice.
“We know there are many who will be skeptical about giving gift cards. People think our families will be able to purchase anything with gift cards, but I can assure you this is not the case. We have parameters in place to assure that doesn’t happen.”
She said often times families don’t have the capacity to keep a turkey, or our families may not like turkey. “I absolutely love that SPO gives our families the opportunity to purchase a meat of their choice verses having to take something they can’t use or don’t like, or whatever the case may be.”
While she is very thankful for the dedicated volunteers who work with the SPO families each and every week, she is also grateful for the opportunity to serve families in the Shippensburg community who need a little extra help, no only during the holidays, but all year through. Crotsley said “Thanks and giving go hand-in-hand with everything we do at SPO.”
A fund drive is currently underway to raise $30,000 in the months of November and December to help offset the extra costs of the baskets and everyday expenses and food costs associated with their weekly distributions. Crotsley said even though we are hosting a fund drive right now, SPO accepts donations all year long to help continue the goods works they do in the Shippensburg community.
