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  About Us

The Bernardine Center was founded in February 1986 by the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters to help address the many challenges of low-income Chester residents.

  • Opened as an Emergency Food Cupboard, the Center designed the model Super Cupboard program in 1987. This program seeks to break the cycle of poverty and dependence for low-income mothers by providing weekly sessions that include nutrition education and life skills workshops. The Super Cupboard model has been copied extensively throughout Pennsylvania.

Throughout the years, the Center has provided targeted programming to address short-term needs, and help provide for the long-term needs of the families and individuals seeking our help.

The Center has been a member of The Greater Philadelphia Food Bank since its inception, and is a founding member of the Interfaith Coalition of Food Centers of Delaware County.

 

 

 

 Our Staff   

 Sister Sandra Lyons
Director
Environmental Outreach
Coordinator

 

 

  Sister Rose MacDermott
Educator

  Sister Carolyn Muus
Hospitality Coordinator

 

  

Ms. Mary Lou Laboy
Food Cupboard Director 

Sister Patricia Lynn Farrell
Immigration Outreach Coordinator
(ESL, Civics)   

  
 

 Sister Maria Denise Prorock
Program Assistant  

 

  

 

  •  Bernardine Center Brochure ESL (pdf)
  •  2009 Bochure (pdf)
  •  Bernadine Center Annual Report (pdf)
  •  Newsletters
  •  Photos

  • The Bernardine Center
    Director@BernardineCenter.org  

    2625 West Ninth Street
    Chester, PA 19013

     610-497-3225 phone
     610-497-3659 fax