Our Story

Over sixty years ago, Bill Buffington founded  Kennett Area Community Service. He had spent most of his life helping those in need. He delivered his first basket in 1954 after he had returned from his service in the Navy.  Buffington stayed involved with KACS for 39 years and served as chairman for 18 of those years.  He passed in 2011, however his mission lives on. Continuing the tradition that Buffington started so long ago, our special food projects like the yearly Thanksgiving Turkey giveaway and Christmas Basket event now serve more than 500 families. 

Mission:

Strengthening the community in Southern Chester County through food, housing and crisis services.

Vision: 

A community without poverty where everyone can live well. 

Values:

  • Self-Determination- People have a right to make choices about how to live their lives and work toward their goals. 
  • Community Led- Everyone benefits when those experiencing resource gaps lead us toward solutions. 
  • Integrity- We are authentic, ethical and transparent.
  • Effectiveness- We value and maximize the resources given. 
  • Social Justice- We advocate within political, economic and social systems to promote distribution of resources and opportunities. 
  • Collective Impact- We are committed to collaborate with every sector of the community in building solutions to confront the causes and effects of poverty. 
  • Community Benefit- Every individual, institution and sector has varying resource gaps and strengths. We seek to make connections to benefit all. 

What is ALICE?

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United Way of Pennsylvania launched a statewide data project, ALICE, which provides a comprehensive measure of financial hardship across our state. ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. The ALICE report tells the story of our community members who are going to work but are still struggling to survive, through a standardized methodology that assesses the cost of living in every county. ALICE is our neighbors, friends and family who may earn more than the official Federal Poverty Level, but still cannot afford the basic necessities for their family. ALICE lives in every county in Pennsylvania. Equipped with this data, the Pennsylvania network of United Ways will convene, advocate and innovate in our local communities to highlight the issues faced by ALICE households, and to generate solutions which help them on their path to financial stability.
​Click here for more information about ALICE  and here for our local United Way. 

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Annual Report

So much is happening at KACS! Click on a report below to learn more.

2018 Annual Report
2017 Annual Report
2016 Annual Report
2015 Annual Report
2014 Annual Report

Meet Pedro

Pedro, age 77 emigrated to the United States from Puerto Rico over 40 years ago eventually settling in Southern Chester County where he worked for years in the agriculture industry. After a series of difficult personal circumstances led him to lose both his home and his employment nearly 20 years ago, Pedro moved around between several temporary housing situations before settling in a homeless encampment just outside the Borough of Kennett Square.
Pedro lived outside for 9 years in a make-shift hut until volunteers during the 2013 Point in Time Count brought his situation to the attention of the Department of Community Development. He was referred to Kennett Area Community Service (KACS) for case management. KACS helped Pedro get accepted into a subsidized housing program, which provided him with ongoing rental assistance to supplement his low income. Pedro is now affordably housed in Kennett Square. “I cook and eat in my own apartment,” he says, “it’s much better.”