The Fight Against Food Insecurity

working together

It’s 2005, small-town Pennsylvania. The only grocery store in town is shutting down. Helen Lazara, the founder and then-owner of local business IP Services, has some concerns about food insecurity. “When that store closed, I did worry somewhat about food insecurity for people who couldn’t always drive easily to go to an out-of-town store,” Helen…

Read More

Giving Back with the Great Buckthorn Bandits

Giving Back

At IPS, giving back to our community has always been a big part of our culture. We want to help create a better community and a better world. We organize donation drives and fundraisers, host food drives, volunteer at clean-up events, participate in events like Walk to End Alzheimer’s and Erie Gives, raise money for…

Read More

Community Engagement in 2022

hands forming a heart shape

Community engagement has always been a big part of our culture at IP Services. That’s why we formed the IPS Connects committee almost four years ago in 2019. IPS is dedicated to finding new and creative ways to give back to the local Erie community. We want to create a better community and a better…

Read More

3 Tips for Increasing Community Outreach Participation

all hands in together

If you are launching a community engagement program or organizing a community outreach event, participation will be critical to its success. So, what next? Follow these three tips to increase participation: 1. Time vs. money vs. stuff A big decision you’ll need to make when organizing a community outreach event is, “What do you want…

Read More

Over a Decade Later: A Tradition of Giving

hands holding a heart

At the heart of most traditions are three things: people coming together, a celebration of what matters, and a sense of enjoyment. As a company, IP Services has gathered many traditions over its twenty-plus years. Two of the most important revolve around the holidays and community outreach. YMCA Family Charity In 2006, one of our…

Read More

5 Donation Drives That Are Easy & Engaging

hands holding a heart

A hard thing to confront when you first start a community outreach program is your inability to help everyone. There are so many vulnerable members of the community, and if you could, YOU would be the one to help them all. But that’s not how it works. In order to keep your outreach program alive,…

Read More