Opportunities.

For more than 150 years, Humane Pennsylvania has been a leading voice for animals and the people who love them across Pennsylvania. Rooted in the belief that every animal deserves compassionate care, protection, and the opportunity for a healthy life, Humane Pennsylvania has evolved from a traditional humane society into a comprehensive animal welfare organization addressing the needs of animals, families, and communities throughout the region. Humane Pennsylvania’s roots date to The Humane Society of Berks County, founded in 1889, and The Humane League of Lancaster County, founded in 1917, reflecting a long-standing commitment to protecting animals and promoting humane treatment in the community. Since merging the two organizations in 2014, Humane Pennsylvania has greatly expanded its reach and services in response to the changing needs of people and pets. That evolution ultimately brought together animal welfare organizations and resources serving Berks and Lancaster counties under the Humane Pennsylvania umbrella, creating a broader and more integrated approach to animal welfare. Today, Humane Pennsylvania operates with a philosophy that animal welfare is inseparable from community welfare. Rather than focusing solely on sheltering homeless animals, the organization works to prevent animals from entering shelters in the first place by helping families access affordable veterinary care, food, spay/neuter services, and other resources. This approach recognizes that keeping pets healthy, safe, and with the families who love them is one of the most effective ways to create healthier communities and reduce the number of animals needing shelter. Humane Pennsylvania’s programs span the full spectrum of animal welfare. Its shelters provide refuge, medical care, enrichment, rehabilitation, and adoption opportunities for homeless and surrendered animals. Through its Healthy Pets Initiative, the organization provides accessible veterinary services, including reduced-cost and pay-as-you-can clinics, spay/neuter services, and other preventive care designed to make veterinary medicine available to families regardless of their financial circumstances. Among its most important community-based initiatives is Spike’s Pet Food Pantry, which helps ensure that financial hardship does not force families to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their pets. By providing pet food and related assistance, the program helps keep companion animals in their homes and strengthens the human-animal bond. These services are particularly important during times of economic uncertainty, when rising costs can make routine pet care increasingly difficult for families. Over its history, Humane Pennsylvania has helped thousands of animals find new homes, receive lifesaving medical treatment, and remain safely with the families who love them. Its work has expanded beyond traditional sheltering to include proactive programs that address the underlying causes of animal homelessness and improve access to care. This continuum of services—from shelter and adoption to affordable veterinary medicine, food assistance, education, and prevention—has established Humane Pennsylvania as a model for progressive, community-centered animal welfare. The organization's history is also marked by an ongoing commitment to innovation. Humane Pennsylvania has embraced the idea that the future of animal welfare depends not simply on building better shelters, but on building stronger communities. By investing in preventive care and removing financial barriers to responsible pet ownership, the organization works to reduce shelter intake, improve animal health, increase access to veterinary services, and help families remain together. Humane Pennsylvania's impact extends beyond the animals directly served. Companion animals are beloved members of millions of Pennsylvania households, providing companionship, emotional support, and a sense of connection. By helping people care for their pets, Humane Pennsylvania also helps support families, seniors, children, and vulnerable members of the community. Its programs demonstrate that compassion for animals can be a powerful vehicle for strengthening the broader social fabric. From its nineteenth-century beginnings as a humane society dedicated to protecting animals to its present-day role as a comprehensive animal welfare and community resource organization, Humane Pennsylvania has remained committed to one enduring principle: animals deserve our compassion, and people deserve the resources they need to care for them. With more than a century of experience, an expanding network of services, dedicated staff and volunteers, and a community of generous supporters, Humane Pennsylvania continues to build on its historic legacy while looking toward the future. Its goal is not simply to respond when animals are in crisis, but to create a Pennsylvania where fewer animals experience crisis in the first place—where families have access to the resources they need, pets receive quality care throughout their lives, and every animal has the opportunity for a safe, healthy, and loving home. Humane Pennsylvania's history is ultimately a history of progress: from protecting animals in need to preventing that need, from sheltering animals to keeping families together, and from responding to individual cases to transforming the systems and communities that affect animal welfare. That legacy continues to guide the organization as it works every day to create a more humane Pennsylvania for animals and people alike.

RegenAll is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit incorporated in 2021 to build nonpartisan partnerships that drive local climate action and create resilient, thriving communities in South-Central Pennsylvania. We are a low-overhead convener and project catalyst. RegenAll completed Lancaster County's first greenhouse gas inventory, finding 51% of emissions controlled by businesses, 37% by households, and 11% by agriculture. We built the Community Climate Summit into the county's largest annual gathering on climate and local economy. In 2026, with High Foundation support, we convened residents, businesses, farms, and municipalities to create Lancaster's first Community Resilience Plan, organized around five Elements of Resilience: energy independence, food security, ecological regeneration, carbon neutrality, and thriving communities. RegenAll is led by a full-time Executive Director hired in March 2026, with 2 full-time and 4 part-time staff, 8 board members, and 20 active volunteers.

GiGi’s Playhouse in Lancaster, PA opened on January 11, 2020, thanks to a great community of families, friends, educators, therapists and community members who worked together to make the dream a reality. We believe that by opening GiGi's Playhouse, we now have an even greater opportunity to impact more families in Lancaster and the surrounding counties. GiGi's Playhouse is the only worldwide network of Down syndrome achievement centers; changing lives through free, results-driven programs for individuals of all ages, their families & communities. In helping individuals with Down syndrome achieve their best of all, we also advance our larger vision of global acceptance for people of all abilities. GiGi's was established 20 years ago and has 60+ locations. GiGi's Playhouse Lancaster is unique because we are able to provide a physical location for participants of all ages and their families to participate in educational and therapeutic-based programming. Programs are always free to families, as cost will not be a barrier to achievement or acceptance. Programs are typically about one hour and held on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis. Programs are specific to certain age groups. They are usually based on a theme and facilitate learning for participants through fine and gross motor activities, play, books, games, art, music, sign language, sensory activities and more. We want to be a positive light for participants and their families because we believe that individuals with Down syndrome have a unique ability to touch someone's heart and change their life in a positive way. We believe that every person with Down syndrome can make a big difference in the lives of their families, friends and community! Through GiGi's Playhouse, we want to empower participants with Down syndrome to overcome obstacles, reach their goals, and achieve their Best of All!

ECHOS serves Elizabethtown, Bainbridge, Rheems, Mount Joy, Maytown, and Marietta. The agency has a team of over fifteen staff who assist more than 800 households annually through ten programs, including housing stability programs, eviction prevention, emergency shelter, and information and resources.

Neuro Neighborhood was created in 2025 to better support adults with neurological conditions in Lancaster County. We believe that despite these neurological diagnoses, people should be able to enjoy their life, and with the right support, anything is possible! In order to provide that support, we are creating three primary paths of action. Carol's Community incorporates all of our community events, support groups, and educational sessions. This is our primary focus at this time; however, as we grow, we plan to add in specialized therapies and wellness programming to help give better support throughout the continuum of care. The resources in Lancaster are lacking for this population and we look forward to continue growing our impact in the coming years.

The Arc Lancaster Lebanon assists individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD)/Autism, alongside their families, in navigating an often complex system, exploring what makes a meaningful life, and identifying what is needed to create that life. We believe a person with a disability has equal worth and value, and it benefits our community when people with disabilities are included. We work to counter the stigma that people with IDD/Autism face daily and help overcome barriers to inclusion and achievement.