Donegal Presbyterian Church

Founded prior to 1721, Donegal Presbyterian Church is rich in both history and mission. Throughout its history, the congregation has met weekly for worship and strived to fulfill Christ's command to love both God and their neighbor. Our roots run deep within the surrounding communities as our members actively serve others through local service and outreach organizations, loving our neighbors as much as we love our fellow congregants. 

Donegal Outreach Team (DOT) is an active, mission-based group of volunteers reaching into the local community to provide assistance to those in need of basic necessities. The team responds to unexpected emergencies and has established a number of community partners with whom they have a strong network. 

The Community Garden on the grounds of Donegal Church provides fresh produce to the food insecure by partnering with the organization Friends of Donegal. Hundreds of pounds of fresh vegetables were harvested and donated from the garden plot this past summer. The Outreach Team works with Friends of Donegal to grow and supply fresh vegetables from our donated garden. These fresh vegetables are provided to seniors in Mount Joy and used to supplement the Power Packs Project for families with food insecurity issues. New opportunities in the Power Packs program are always being explored. To date, the Community Garden has produced over a ton of vegetables. Additionally Outreach has financially supported Friends of Donegal's "Getting Ahead" 14-week program where individuals explore the theory of change while investigating their lives and their community. Participants develop a plan to build a path out of poverty, after exploring the mental models of economic class. Individuals must commit to attending the two-hour classes and are provided with a $25 gift certificate for each class as a way to recognize participants for their engagement and work in their individual and community investigation. For each class transportation, dinner, and child care are provided. The class is free.

The Columbia Dream Center serves the Columbia community and the surrounding area through food, shelter, clothing, and other resources. In summer 2025, the Donegal Outreach Team prepared over five hundred nourishing meals each week for children when school lunches are not available. The Outreach team also prepares food for family meal nights through this program. Additionally, DOT also coordinates church members' donations of coats, sneakers, underwear, socks, and backpacks for Center recipients, and donates and wraps toys for the Christmas party for local children.

In our partnership with Servants, Inc., volunteers from the congregation participate in individual and group service projects to provide critical repairs to substandard housing in the surrounding area, demonstrating Christ's love and ensuring safe and affordable housing for all, particularly older adults and people with disabilities.

Partnering with Eizabethtown Community Housing and Outreach Services (ECHOS) our volunteers help to provide those in need of shelter with lunches, dinners, and other services. DOT will be working with ECHOS to provide meals and other assistance with their overnight shelter for the winter months in Elizabethtown. Furniture donation collections are also being planned to assist in setting up housing.

Through the local Church World Services organization, our donations of personal hygiene products and other supplies aid refugees being placed in permanent housing in the Lancaster area.  

In partnership with the Donegal and Elizabethtown Area School Districts, our outreach team purchases grocery store gift cards to distribute to students and families in distress.

Our Outreach Team collects food and other needed supplies and assists the East Donegal/Conoy Food Bank with distributing these items at established intervals.