West Scranton anchors, Gerrity's Supermarkets and Fidelity Bank, back NeighborWorks NEPA

Jim Lockwood, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
·4 min read

Feb. 21—SCRANTON — The Gerrity's Supermarkets chain began in 1895 in West Scranton with a small meat shop on Railroad Avenue. The store bopped around several spots before settling at 702 S. Main Ave., its flagship location.

Now a chain with four other stores in Lackawanna County, four in Luzerne County and one in Bethlehem, Gerrity's deepened its commitment to the neighborhood where it all began.

The nonprofit NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania announced Tuesday that Gerrity's and another West Side anchor, Fidelity Bank at 400 S. Main Ave., will financially support NeighborWorks with annual, unspecified contributions over the next six years.

NeighborWorks will receive a total of $850,000 in public and private funds, coming from state grants and tax-credit contributions from Gerrity's and Fidelity. The money will go toward implementing the agency's 10-year West Scranton Neighborhood Plan, a revitalization blueprint unveiled in 2020, NeighborWorks President and CEO Jesse Ergott said during the announcement at Fidelity Bank.

The revitalization plan has many supporters, including local businesses, stakeholders and elected officials.

"There is a proverb we like to quote that says, 'If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,'" Ergott said. "Our work here in West Scranton is really about going far. It's about a long-term investment. It's about strengthening a neighborhood over time."

The funding will go toward cleaning up blighted lots, including two on Hampton Street, as well supporting small businesses and repairing homes of older adults, said NeighborWorks' Community Development Manager Todd Pousley.

"We're well-aware that without funding, we can't implement that (10-year) plan," Pousley said. "This funding that we're announcing today is an important component of that."

The $850,000 comes from "Elm Street" program funds and tax-credit dollars, said Paul Macknosky of the DCED. An Elm Street designation for West Side qualifies it for certain grants to implement neighborhood improvements. The state also gives tax credits to private companies that contribute to nonprofit organizations and the firms get part of that money back in tax credits, he said.

"As a result, what we see here is leveraging taxpayer money to further the priorities of the (governor's) administration and Legislature to do great work in our communities and that is exactly what NeighborWorks does," Macknosky said.

State Sen. Marty Flynn, D22, Dunmore, who also spoke, recalled growing up in West Scranton.

"For far too long, I think West Scranton has been under-served with public resources," Flynn said. "It's time that we finally start investing our state dollars with public-private partnerships back into this neighborhood, because I think this neighborhood is part of what has made the city a great place to live."

Founded in 1902, Fidelity Bank was the first to introduce a drive-through bank window in 1951. Fidelity also committed to "green" business practices in 2008 with the opening of its West Scranton branch.

"We really believe that strong communities have the presence of a very strong community bank," Fidelity Bank Marketing Director Noelle Krempasky said. "Part of our effort is to always support the causes and organizations that give back to the widest group of individuals."

Gerrity's co-owners Joyce "Mom" Fasula and her son, Joe Fasula, also attended. Joe Fasula noted his family's roots in West Side go back to his great-grandfather.

"We invest in all of the communities that we operate in, but West Scranton has a particularly special place in our heart" as the birthplace of Gerrity's Supermarkets, Fasula said.

When the first Gerrity's opened on Railroad Avenue, Grover Cleveland was president in his second nonconsecutive term.

"Gerrity's predates refrigeration," Joe Fasula said with a laugh.

Two of the prior Gerrity's locations in West Side had fires. His father, Neal Fasula, had worked for former owner Joe Gerrity since high school and the second fire was the impetus for Gerrity to take on Neal as a partner, to help rebuild after the second fire, Joe Fasula said. The Fasulas kept the Gerrity's name.

"We truly appreciate your investment in your neighborhood," Ergott told Fasula.

emailto:Contact the writer: jlockwood@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5185; @jlockwoodTT on Twitter.