Picking up dinner on Saturday, Aug. 12, will help neighbors in need. Hope Within Ministries will hold a drive-through chicken barbecue from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot of its office, 4748 E. Harrisburg Pike, Elizabethtown. Preorders must be made by Tuesday, Aug. 1.

The meal will feature a half-chicken from Nolt's Chicken BBQ, a baked potato, applesauce, a roll, butter and a drink.

"Hope Within has held our chicken barbecue fundraisers annually since 2021, usually having one in the summer and another in the fall," explained Audrie Zettick Schaller, director of development. "They are popular because donors can help support our work by doing something they already do - eat. Also, when you purchase tickets online, you have an option of picking up the meal for yourself or donating it toward the benefit of one of our client families."

Hope Within Community Health, Counseling and Dental Center provides free primary medical care, many prescriptions and donation-based dental care to medically uninsured residents of Lancaster, Dauphin and Lebanon counties whose household income is at 250% of the federal poverty level or less. "We also offer low-cost counseling to anyone, with no eligibility requirements, on a mutually agreed-upon, income-based fee that starts as low as $5 per session," Zettick Schaller said. "We are able to provide these services via the generosity of 32-plus volunteers, licensed medical and dental providers, therapists and nurses who are with us on their days off. But supporting their work requires us to rely on donations. These donations might help with getting medically necessary supplies, access to medical records management software or any variety of other operational expenses. This is particularly true of our dental area of practice, where one visit might cost us upwards of $250 for consumable supplies for each patient."

She noted that the need is great in the community, adding that Hope Within went from 616 medical visits in 2019 to more than 1,700 in 2022, along with 288 dental visits and 426 counseling appointments. The organization is on track to exceed those numbers in 2023.

Zettick Schaller encouraged people to order a barbecue dinner, noting that it will make a difference in the community.

"Getting a meal helps your neighbors - the hard-working people who are single moms, delivery drivers, child care workers, waitstaff and more," she said. "Statistics show that 27% of Pennsylvanians who work still struggle to survive in today's world. ... With rising prices, these families are making tough decisions. Do I get the car fixed so I can get to work and put food on the table, or do I pay a monthly health insurance premium? These are the people Hope Within helps, filling the gap until they can get a permanent medical home."

To place an order, visit http://www.hopewithin.org/events or purchase in person at the office during business hours. Call 717-367-9797 for more information.