Corporate Merger Imperils Pennsylvania Habitat Chapter

A merger involving a key corporate donor might exacerbate the impact of the downturn on a Philadelphia-area chapter of Habitat for Humanity, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Montgomery County, Pa., Habitat branch has received extensive support from pharmaceutical firm Wyeth, which Pfizer has acquired. Marianne Lynch, the chapter’s fund-raising chief, says the unit has already “lost a key individual donor and some foundation support,” so it has laid off two employees and faces additional budget cuts.

A Wyeth spokesman said the company remains supportive of Habitat, but given the acquisition, the status of its future giving “is to be determined.”