Partnership Program Spotlighted at International Conference

The innovation, cooperation and success of The Electric City Connection, an effort led during the pandemic by The University of Scranton, Scranton Tomorrow and Friends of the Poor, was presented at the International Town and Gown Association conference. The program, which raised more than $66,500 since its launch in March of 2020, enabled local restaurants to use donations from area residents to supply meals for members of our community who were in need.

Topics discussed at the three-day virtual conference hosted by Marquette University in May included “Partnerships to Mutually Strengthen What Are Perceived to be Disparate Communities.” University of Scranton representatives Julie Schumacher Cohen, assistant vice president of community and government relations, and Carolyn M. Bonacci, community and civic engagement coordinator, with community partners Liz Baldi, project coordinator of Scranton Tomorrow and Meghan Loftus, president and CEO of Friends of the Poor, presented “Electric City Connection – Addressing Small Business Needs and Food Insecurity as an Anchor Institution Amidst COVID.”

The initiative partnered with more than 20 restaurants in Scranton to provide more than 4,400 meals to area residents who were facing food insecurity during the pandemic.

Members of the International Town and Gown Association represent colleges and universities, municipalities, businesses, and strategic partners. The organization is a resource for addressing challenges, emerging issues and opportunities between and among institutions of higher education and the communities in which they reside.