North Central Sight Services awarded grant for equipment upgrades

The First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania (FCFP) has awarded North Central Sight Services with a grant of $21,000 to be used on equipment upgrades.

The funds come from the Lycoming Economic Development Foundation Fund in memory of Joseph L. Rider.

The grant will be used towards the purchase of new equipment for the Sip for Sight bottleless water cooler program. This will help NCSS meet their expansion goals for 2026.

Sip for Sight is a cause-marketing initiative that raises awareness about nonprofits that support vision loss prevention and services allowing revenue to be reinvested into employment and support services for blind and visually impaired individuals. It features a filtered water system that eliminates bottled water, using commercial-grade coolers with included maintenance and filter replacement.

Each unit prevents the use of roughly 200 five-gallon jugs annually, keeping an estimated 1.9 million 16-oz bottles out of landfills. NCSS currently has 231 tankless water coolers at 73 Pa. businesses in 11 counties.

NCSS houses an industry where 75% of employees are blind or visually impaired. Through the AbilityOne Program, NCSS manufactures, packages, and distributes SKILCRAFT products to the Commonwealth of Pa. and the federal government. The AbilityOne program provides federal customers with a variety of SKILCRAFT products and services while providing thousands of people with severe disabilities real jobs and increased independence. Every purchase helps create jobs for individuals who are blind or visually impaired in the local community, enhancing their opportunities for independence.

NCSS is the only provider of support services to six counties in northcentral Pa. The agency’s goal is to give people with visual impairments access to their community, maintain their independence, and maximize their quality of life.