is a culmination of a dream of a group of Souderton firemen going back to March 1949. On a very cold night, with near zero temperatures, Souderton firemen were called to assist Harleysville Fire Company at a house fire along Route 113 near Harleysville. Back at the firehouse, after cleaning their equipment, a group of firemen began discussing the need for a canteen service. Within a short time, a
1934 semi-retired school bus was secured from Hagey’s Bus Service, Franconia, on a “we’ll pay you when we get the money” basis. Some used equipment was secured through donations and other items were paid for as funds became available. For several years, we operated as a part of the Perseverance (Souderton) Volunteer Fire Company and all our members had to be Souderton firemen. We can never thank Souderton Fire Company enough for their support throughout those early years. Even today, many of our members are, or were, members of the Souderton Fire Company. In January 1952, after a lengthy legal battle with a similar organization, a charter as a nonprofit corporation was secured and we began operations as a separate organization. As finances permitted, other units were purchased and remodeled. Later, another transit bus from Cincinnati, Ohio joined the fleet and a step-van from Philadelphia. As each unit was acquired and equipped, mistakes in design on a previous unit could be corrected and a standard operational design was developed. A shelter unit was placed into service in April 1981 to allow firemen and workers to relax and warm-up in extreme weather conditions. This unit is also equipped with a marine-type chemical toilet to provide further relief for emergency personnel. Another canteen unit was added in 1983, making available three first-responder, fully-equipped canteen units. In 1993, ground was leased from the Perseverance (Souderton) Volunteer Fire Company to add a 3-bay garage to their existing building across the street from our headquarters. A local general contractor, Roger M. Koffel, began construction and by using fast-time construction and cooperation from subcontractors, the building was finished in record time. In appreciation for a Legislative Initiative grant of $5,000 to begin construction, the new building was named the “Senator Ed Holl Annex.”
The purpose of the North Penn Goodwill Service, Inc. is to provide hot food, hot and cold drinks, temporary shelter from the elements, and a restroom facility to emergency workers including police, firefighters and rescue personnel. We are dispatched upon emergency personnel’s request, to emergency scenes via the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Emergency Dispatch system on a 24/7/365 basis. While on the scene, we prepare food and drinks for the victims of any disaster as requested by those who summoned us. We are a totally volunteer organization relying upon donations of those we serve and the generosity of suppliers.
