"The Vital Mission of Food Banks in Pennsylvania." [2025] Inside Pennsylvania Boroughs is produced by the PA State Association of Boroughs.
00:00 - This program has been paid
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00:05 - Hello and welcome to Inside
00:08 - Pennsylvania Burrows.
00:12 - Food insecurity
00:14 - is a household level economic and social condition
00:17 - involving limited or uncertain access to adequate food for a healthy life.
00:23 - It can be caused by factors such as low income,
00:26 - high food prices, financial hardship,
00:29 - and disruptions to food supplies.
00:32 - The adverse impacts of food insecurity are significant
00:36 - and can impact physical, mental, and social health.
00:40 - Food insecurity is highly common
00:42 - in our communities, yet it is not always obvious.
00:46 - Feeding Pennsylvania has estimated that over 1.5
00:50 - million Pennsylvanians are confronting food insecurity.
00:55 - Even more concerning is the fact that 1 in 6 children
00:58 - across the Commonwealth is experiencing hunger.
01:02 - This significant issue is adversely impacting
01:04 - urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania.
01:08 - Numerous federal and state programs, such as Snap
01:11 - are intended to help address these policy challenges.
01:14 - However, more funding is needed to properly address food insecurity.
01:19 - Food banks across Pennsylvania have proven to be reliable
01:23 - and dedicated to the mission of assisting families, seniors, and children in need.
01:30 - Joining us today
01:31 - are Julie Bancroft, CEO of Feeding Pennsylvania.
01:34 - Shiela Orrick, CEO of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank,
01:39 - Tony Mark, resource development director at the Salvation Army, Harrisburg
01:43 - Capital City Region, and David Council, executive director of Neighbor Helping
01:48 - Neighbor Food Bank in New Bloomfield, Perry County.
01:51 - Now, here is your host and executive director
01:54 - of the Pennsylvania State Association of Burros, Chris Katz.
01:58 - Good day everyone.
01:59 - Food security is a moral imperative.
02:02 - All people should have equal access and unrestricted access to food.
02:07 - Our food banks across this great commonwealth are helping
02:10 - those in need, and we appreciate their exceptional efforts.
02:13 - Julie, welcome to the set.
02:14 - Tell us about the mission of your organization. Sure. Thank you.
02:17 - So feeding Pennsylvania is the state association
02:20 - of nine Feeding America affiliated food banks.
02:23 - So we are really there to support them in driving their mission
02:27 - and serving the communities.
02:30 - We help with
02:31 - securing resources like funding to help them do more for the community.
02:36 - We're also a collective voice and advocacy, really trying to,
02:40 - have that statewide presence on, state
02:44 - advocacy issues and policy issues
02:46 - and working in tandem with Feeding America on federal policy issues.
02:51 - I would also say that we administer some statewide programs,
02:54 - including the PA Agricultural Surplus System,
02:57 - which is an incredible program that connects Pennsylvania
03:00 - agricultural products with the charitable Food network,
03:04 - and also the what we call the Healthy Pantry initiative,
03:07 - which is really designed to help, resources flow through the food banks
03:11 - and into pantries to help individuals make healthy decisions
03:14 - and use those, everyday pantry products in their own homes.
03:18 - And Shiloh Central PA food Bank is a tremendous organization.
03:22 - Thank you.
03:22 - Thank you so much.
03:23 - Central Pennsylvania Food Bank endeavors to strengthen, lives, fight hunger,
03:28 - and, strengthen our communities within this, 27 county area that we serve.
03:33 - So we have a big swath of Pennsylvania.
03:35 - We cover, from the New York border down to the Maryland border.
03:38 - And as far west as Clearfield County and as far east as Lancaster County.
03:42 - And so we have 1130 agency partners who, do kind of the boots on the ground work.
03:49 - So we bring in the resources, of, of food and dollars to be able
03:53 - to support the agencies and put that back into the system
03:56 - so that the agencies who are serving neighbors directly are able to do that
04:00 - in a more efficient and, and an easier way, hopefully.
04:03 - And, Tony, the Salvation Army, a long standing legacy of helping people.
04:06 - Tell us about the mission.
04:08 - Absolutely. Yeah.
04:08 - The salvation Army since, 1865, has been seeking
04:12 - to meet the basic needs of individuals that were struggling.
04:15 - And we know that, access to food and hunger is one of the very basic needs.
04:20 - And if that need is not met, it is so much more difficult to support,
04:25 - you know, the other issues that a person is experiencing.
04:28 - So we know that for the community members that are they're struggling right
04:31 - now, food is one of the very first things we need to overcome.
04:35 - And David neighbor helping neighbor, a major pillar in Perry County.
04:39 - Yes. Neighbor helping neighbor food bank, serving all of Perry County.
04:43 - And we're a great partner with the central PA food Bank.
04:46 - So we are very thankful and grateful for that partnership.
04:49 - And, we are really the boots on the ground organization
04:52 - helping, helping our neighbors in Perry County.
04:55 - These are tough economic times.
04:57 - There are people in need.
04:58 - What are the demographics of those people that that need assistance?
05:02 - So we talk all the time, and I'm sure the same is for
05:05 - all of our guests here today.
05:06 - Is that hunger has no bounds.
05:09 - It really impacts everyone.
05:11 - It impacts every legislative district,
05:13 - every every corner of every community of this Commonwealth.
05:17 - I think there is often a misconception about what that looks like.
05:20 - And I'm sure everyone else here can tell you more about what they see
05:24 - on the ground, but, we know that it disproportion impacts
05:28 - folks in rural communities seniors, veterans, and children,
05:32 - 1 in 6 children, unfortunately, in the Commonwealth experience hunger.
05:37 - Yeah.
05:37 - We see that, from our hunger mapping that we do within our communities.
05:41 - There's a pretty big, misnomer about who it is that seeking help.
05:46 - And in some communities, it's as high as 90% of individuals
05:50 - who use resources like food pantries are individuals who are either
05:55 - working disabled or elderly and and getting pension or social security.
06:00 - So it sort of flies in the face of what we typically think about,
06:03 - of the individuals who are trying to seek services.
06:06 - It's single parents who aren't making enough to be able to make ends meet.
06:10 - And we also know that children are disproportionately more likely
06:13 - to be food insecure in our communities, and that should be alarming for all of us.
06:17 - So, Tony, there are people living paycheck to paycheck as well
06:20 - that fit in this demographic. What are you seeing on the ground?
06:22 - Absolutely.
06:23 - I mean, just to kind of add on to what they're saying, there's
06:26 - a diverse group of people that are struggling right now.
06:30 - And because hunger is not an isolated issue.
06:33 - Everything that goes along with it, we see folks who are,
06:36 - struggling to meet their medical care, their rent, their utilities.
06:39 - And so they're making these really hard choices between food, medicine.
06:44 - And so when we talk about who are we
06:46 - serving, we're serving those with any kind of medical needs, those
06:50 - who are paying rent, those are paying, you know, utility, increased costs.
06:53 - So it's it's a struggle right now.
06:56 - And we've seen to,
06:58 - you know, of course, we've always served those who are living in poverty,
07:01 - but especially as everything has gotten more and more expensive,
07:04 - we've seen an increase in the working poor, those who are working,
07:07 - but just can't quite meet it all right now.
07:10 - And I would say in Perry County, you know, even though it is very rural,
07:15 - about 8% of the population lives in poverty.
07:18 - And with that, 13% are children.
07:22 - So really trying to bridge the gap between the food insecurity
07:26 - and making sure
07:26 - that they have enough resources that they're able to feed their family.
07:30 - How important is funding not just on the state and federal level,
07:33 - but also partnerships with other corporate nonprofits?
07:37 - And at the same time, whether legislation or regulatory movements
07:40 - are you monitoring or advocating for on the state federal level?
07:44 - So funding is, state and federal funding is really critical for,
07:47 - the charitable Food Network.
07:49 - At the state level, we have currently nearly
07:53 - $26 million invested in the state food line item, and that supports
07:58 - the state food purchase program and the PA agricultural surplus system.
08:02 - And then at the federal level, of course, Snap is the nation's,
08:05 - first line defense against hunger.
08:08 - And also fact, the emergency Food Assistance program.
08:11 - So all of those programs are critical
08:14 - and then that also needs to be supported by philanthropic dollars.
08:18 - Hey, I think most people would find it interesting that at the food bank level,
08:23 - we see about one sixth of our product inventory is through
08:27 - USDA product, through, the Tap program.
08:30 - So it's not as much as you would think, but when you're working in 75 million
08:34 - pounds of food, one sixth of of that gone away,
08:38 - we've seen tremendous decreases in some of that product.
08:41 - Just on the product side alone.
08:43 - We've also seen it decreases in some of the other funding.
08:47 - Like program that was cut earlier this year
08:50 - called, the local food purchase act.
08:53 - And that allowed us to be able to purchase farm fresh foods from,
08:57 - small and mid-sized farmers.
08:59 - It was $170,000 per month that we just are not seeing anymore.
09:03 - So while our budget isn't huge on the the state and federal side, it's
09:07 - still enough to be, a giant, challenge for us to try to make that up.
09:13 - And quite frankly, it's just not something that we can do easily.
09:16 - But we do also work in economy of scale
09:19 - so we can turn $1 into four meals, which is really remarkable.
09:24 - We're able to utilize, all of those contacts that we have in the farm world.
09:28 - And then to end food manufacturers, you know, we we live in a really,
09:32 - a dense place for that.
09:33 - We're, we're lucky to live in a place where we have sort of,
09:36 - you know, the highways and byways of being able to make those connections.
09:40 - And so those are really important things for us so that we can turn those dollars
09:44 - into real good food items that people want.
09:47 - So in our inventory,
09:49 - about 50% of the inventory that we have is either fresh or frozen.
09:53 - Which is also kind of a misnomer when people think about food pantries
09:56 - and food, resources, they think about canned items, that sort of thing.
10:00 - But we really work hard to make sure we're getting center of the plate items
10:04 - milk, eggs, rice and protein producers are are like
10:08 - most, desired items within our service territory.
10:12 - Yeah.
10:13 - I mean, to talk to a nonprofit about funding.
10:15 - I mean, when prices all increase,
10:19 - obviously there's an increased struggle for the community members.
10:22 - More are coming to ask for help.
10:24 - And of course, then our prices, our costs go up, our budget goes up.
10:29 - And then those that support the mission, they might be a little bit
10:32 - more restricted about what they can give because they're restricted as well.
10:36 - So, sometimes we'll see.
10:38 - Need goes up, costs go up.
10:40 - And, support goes down.
10:42 - And so that's why we really rely on partnerships.
10:46 - Like what the Central Pennsylvania Food bank, because they can,
10:49 - you know, do the work that they're doing, you know, get all these millions
10:53 - of pounds of food and then offer that down to us at an affordable price.
10:56 - So this is really a food insecurity ecosystem
11:00 - that is so fragile and so dependent upon each other.
11:03 - So it's so important that we talk like this.
11:06 - And I would say, you know, with, with Sheila and the food bank, you know,
11:09 - being able to leverage their ability to purchase food, and,
11:13 - and us be able to get that through them is very critical for us.
11:17 - Being a smaller food bank, oftentimes we're relying on individuals
11:22 - in the community, to support us, financially
11:26 - and with, in-kind donations with food.
11:29 - We have a very good, partnership with a lot of the churches in the Perry
11:33 - County area, who are very generous in supporting us, through the food bank.
11:38 - So really looking for those individual donors on the community level
11:43 - to help support us and help our neighbors walk us through.
11:46 - For the viewers at home,
11:47 - what were some of the key
11:48 - considerations involved when we had the congressional impasse, the shutdown?
11:53 - The threat, the snap?
11:54 - It's almost it's a doomsday scenario.
11:57 - What are some of the key considerations logistically?
12:00 - How do you engage and mobilize your volunteers
12:03 - to prepare for that type of a scenario?
12:06 - Because it's significant.
12:08 - Yeah, I
12:09 - would say all of our food banks, including central PA,
12:12 - just started bracing for what was to come because like I said before,
12:17 - snap is the largest Anti-hunger program provides
12:20 - nine meals for every one meal that a food bank can can provide.
12:23 - So we knew that
12:25 - there was no way that the terrible Food Network could bridge that gap.
12:29 - So I think it was really lots of education, you know, for the public.
12:33 - And then just bracing for what we could, do to serve the communities
12:38 - and then also advocating for, state resources that were held up
12:42 - in the, in the budget impasse because, you know, we rely on those to,
12:46 - to move resources through the community, especially at a time like this.
12:51 - We've taken a few actions, the Central Pennsylvania food bank,
12:54 - level one, we were able to leverage a few, pretty sizable donations
12:59 - to the food bank, which we put right back into our agency partners.
13:03 - So we took funds that we raised and put them on account
13:06 - for our agency partners to be able to utilize
13:09 - so that they would have money to spend at the food bank.
13:12 - We also invested in, just preparing for more inventory.
13:17 - So, as you might imagine, you know, ordering,
13:19 - truckload of something may take a little bit of a lead time to be able to get in.
13:23 - So we wanted to make sure that we had, ample quantities of food
13:27 - and good foods that agencies needed and wanted in response to that,
13:32 - we also were really appreciative of Governor Shapiro's efforts
13:36 - to get emergency pass funds,
13:38 - distributed in quickly to the food banks across Pennsylvania.
13:42 - And so we took that, and again, distributed that to our agency partners.
13:46 - And, now they have the ability to, to buy things like milk, eggs,
13:50 - butter, produce, that sort of thing within our food bank system.
13:54 - So, I think it really was just looking at what our, what we were hearing
13:59 - from the agency partners and the community and what we were able to
14:04 - then just take and and level up a little bit
14:06 - more than we would typically have done at this time,
14:09 - just knowing that we would have an increase.
14:11 - So we looked at data from the first week of November in 2024
14:15 - and the first week of November in this year,
14:17 - and we had a 40% increase of visits to our charitable food network.
14:21 - So when we talk about unprecedented times, I think I'm almost like over
14:26 - that expression. Right.
14:27 - But this truly was because
14:28 - we've never seen a disruption to snap before in the history of the program.
14:32 - And so now we know what that might look like.
14:35 - And, you know, looking at what this might look like in, you know,
14:39 - July of 2027, when the state's going to be responsible
14:42 - for a much larger take of Snap than they've ever been responsible for.
14:47 - So while this was a moment, this is this is a marathon, not a sprint,
14:52 - and I think we're in it for the long haul and food insecurity topics.
14:56 - Yeah.
14:56 - I mean, boots on the ground, we say, okay, well, our phones are getting more,
15:00 - our emails are coming in, people are walking in more.
15:03 - So how are we going to work through this?
15:05 - Our food pantry was at capacity, prior to anything going on.
15:11 - So what we've tried to do here is first take an approach of
15:14 - we can do what we can do, and we're going to serve every person
15:17 - with a dignified, compassionate experience.
15:20 - And then on top of that, how can we up our emergency boxes?
15:23 - We've, doubled the amount of emergency boxes going out every week.
15:27 - We're trying to make it as clear as possible, for a we have a lot of new
15:31 - community members who are looking for support that haven't in the past.
15:35 - So we're making sure that,
15:36 - the instructions on how to get an appointment is very clear.
15:39 - We're providing the assistance,
15:41 - you know, that they might need to be able to make an appointment.
15:43 - And then, you know, each day we're just trying to show up
15:47 - with compassion, grace, understanding and just,
15:50 - you know, do what we can do as we all get through it together.
15:54 - And for us, a neighbor helping neighbor, we really try to bulk up
15:57 - on our inventory leading into, November.
16:01 - So then that way, we had enough inventory on hand for folks
16:04 - that we're going to be coming to the food bank,
16:05 - because we knew that we're going to see an increase in that.
16:08 - And actually, we were pretty fortunate with our volunteers.
16:12 - We have a good group of volunteers who make sure that they're keeping
16:15 - our shelves stocked.
16:17 - And our, our produce out, and just making sure
16:20 - that there's a nice variety for the folks coming through.
16:24 - And actually, the new birth of freedom boy Scout
16:26 - Council recently had their annual food drive, their scouting for food drive.
16:31 - That was a tremendous impact for us.
16:33 - That brought in approximately 8,400 pounds of food,
16:36 - to the food bank, which is going to be phenomenal to help
16:39 - get us through, this time now, I think it's amazing.
16:43 - Our food banks
16:43 - have really been resilient through you look at the 2008, 2009 banking crisis.
16:47 - You look at the pandemic, and they've been so resilient.
16:51 - Tell us about some of the innovations, some of the programs that you're
16:55 - especially proud of.
16:56 - I know Feeding Pennsylvania, anyone that visits that website will see,
17:00 - just tremendous programs far reaching across the Commonwealth.
17:03 - But what are you most proud of?
17:05 - Well, I just want to reiterate, your comment
17:07 - about the resilience of the network.
17:09 - I mean, it's it's so inspiring to see what
17:12 - the food bank network is able to do in a moment like this.
17:15 - And under an incredible pressure and, you know, trying
17:20 - to meet every meet the need with dignity, something that I'm really proud of.
17:24 - And Sheila mentioned in is the past program
17:26 - and the fact that the emergency funds
17:28 - are running through the past program because it's helping to get one.
17:32 - It's investing in Pennsylvania agriculture, one of our top industries,
17:36 - and and then helping to get those really nutritious foods into,
17:41 - you know, homes across the, across the Commonwealth, those who need it most.
17:45 - And so, again, you know, Sheila already mentioned this, but,
17:49 - this misconception that, you folks are getting,
17:53 - you know, processed foods and snack foods from pantries and food banks.
17:57 - And there really is this deep partnership between agriculture
18:01 - and the terrible food system to make sure those healthy,
18:03 - nutritious foods are getting to families.
18:06 - I think one of the things that we do at Central Pennsylvania Food Bank
18:09 - that sets us apart from some other food banks within the Feeding America
18:13 - system, is we've invested heavily into our policy research.
18:16 - And so we've done, community hunger mapping for big swaths of our territory
18:21 - and will continue to invest in that work, because that work really tells us
18:24 - at a census track level where need is, how individuals need to be served.
18:29 - And we've done more than 4000 surveys throughout that service territory,
18:32 - which is really remarkable.
18:34 - But also, really has worked to inform our decision making,
18:38 - but also helps us to inform our lawmakers about what is the need out there.
18:42 - And so we're really proud of the work that we're able to do with Zach
18:45 - and his team are incredible.
18:47 - And have just really put a new focus on what we do at the
18:51 - food bank and how we do it.
18:54 - This I love this question
18:56 - because we've, done a quite a bit of work over the last ten years or so.
19:00 - One is, at least at the Harrisburg Salvation Army Corps, we have a choice
19:04 - shopping food pantry, which means that the folks who come in
19:08 - actually get to shop what they'd like according to their family size
19:11 - and their family just needs and preferences.
19:13 - This is important because if you give a family a box of food
19:18 - and you said this is what you get and they don't like it,
19:20 - or they can't eat it or something like that, it's just waste.
19:24 - And so we're able to bring them in.
19:26 - It's almost like a shopping grocery store experience.
19:29 - And they pick out,
19:30 - according to their family, what it is that they actually, would like.
19:34 - And then we also, over the last few years, put in 34
19:38 - raised garden beds so that we can grow our own food,
19:41 - which is, of course, helpful for our inventory.
19:45 - But the, the individuals we've been serving in
19:48 - this area have diversified a lot.
19:51 - We're serving a lot of different cultures.
19:53 - And in our raised garden beds, we are able to grow some produce
19:58 - that might be really palatable and preference to the different cultures
20:02 - that we're serving.
20:02 - That might be a little more difficult
20:04 - to get from the food bank or, you know, in other places.
20:07 - So we really are passionate about providing a dignified approach,
20:12 - because when you do that, you're able to create trust, create a relationship,
20:17 - and have bigger conversations about life change.
20:20 - That maybe lend to a different experience
20:25 - than needing to come to the food bank all the time.
20:29 - And I think for us, one thing that I'm really proud
20:31 - of is over the past couple of years, we've moved away from the
20:34 - the prepackaged box of food, to more of a grocery style.
20:39 - Families come in, select what that what is best for their family.
20:43 - So I'm really proud of of that movement for us.
20:45 - We make it more of, more of
20:48 - a, almost a regular shopping experience at the local grocery store.
20:53 - And I'm really proud of our volunteers, our volunteers.
20:56 - We have a great group of volunteers who, week in, week out are there.
21:02 - And we had a good group of them come in and say, hey,
21:05 - going forward,
21:06 - we know that there's going to be an increased demand
21:08 - if you need us to help out a little bit more, we're here for you.
21:12 - So we're really proud of that.
21:14 - How important is it for food banks to communicate their wins, their success,
21:17 - to demonstrate to the general public the good that they're doing?
21:21 - Feeding Pennsylvania, I think they estimated 1.5 to 1.7 million
21:25 - Pennsylvanians are experiencing food insecurity.
21:29 - But how do you communicate your wins to create a new generation
21:32 - of volunteers that can add to further advance your missions?
21:36 - So I think for feeding PA, because we are that state association,
21:40 - our role is really to elevate the incredible work of our nine food banks
21:44 - and to make sure that the community knows all of the wonderful work they do
21:48 - and how they utilize these statewide programs
21:50 - to make a difference in their communities.
21:52 - And, you know, I think it's also just, again,
21:55 - that public awareness piece about education.
21:57 - And I think that can really help people to understand the mission of food banks
22:01 - and the terrible food system
22:03 - and really motivate them to get involved with with the mission.
22:07 - Something we learned through our research is that we
22:09 - impact hunger by up to 50% in communities.
22:13 - So individuals who access the charitable food network
22:16 - more than one time per month reduce their hunger by up to 50%.
22:20 - So somewhere in the 40 to 50% range.
22:22 - And I think that's so important to highlight because it's part
22:26 - of an intricate web of how people have to sort of weave,
22:29 - their life together to be able to get the food that they need.
22:32 - With Snap benefits
22:33 - and the charitable Food Network and, you know, I think celebrating those wins.
22:37 - But I think the biggest win of all would to not have to do this work.
22:40 - And so, you know, at the end of the day, working ourselves
22:43 - out of a job would be the biggest win of all.
22:46 - Yeah.
22:46 - Just to add to that, it's hard
22:48 - to take a moment to celebrate because when you close the door
22:51 - and you know another person standing behind it, it's hard
22:54 - to even take that moment to say, let's celebrate.
22:58 - So, I mean, we're proud of the work we do.
23:01 - We're proud of those that we can serve, but our hearts are with
23:05 - those that we can't.
23:06 - And, and and really, you know, for us, a great win
23:09 - would be not having the food bank anymore because there's nobody out in our
23:14 - in our community struggling with food insecurity anymore.
23:18 - So really that would be that would be our huge win.
23:21 - That would be the biggest win that we could have,
23:23 - would be to not have to utilize the food bank anymore.
23:27 - And I think that's really what we, what we want to strive for.
23:31 - And final question today,
23:32 - just to capture the imagination of some of our younger viewers at home,
23:35 - how did you first get engaged in this work?
23:37 - And it's so rewarding.
23:39 - What set the stage for that?
23:41 - So I, spent more than a decade working in both agriculture and human services.
23:47 - So this was really, for me, a perfect marriage.
23:49 - And, to bring both of those, things together.
23:53 - And it is just really incredible to of course, we wish
23:56 - that we didn't have to do this, that hunger wasn't an issue.
23:59 - But it's just incredible to be able to support
24:02 - a network that is here for people in our community
24:05 - and to really let them know that there's, you know, we don't need that.
24:10 - There's a stigma around this that we don't want people to experience.
24:13 - We want folks to know there is a place to turn, and we're here to support them.
24:18 - I always wanted to be a helper.
24:19 - While I was working on my grad degree, I saw that there was a pantry open
24:23 - in Palmyra, where I live, and, decided to go and volunteer.
24:26 - My husband and I began volunteering back when it first opened in 2006.
24:31 - And, the rest is kind of history.
24:33 - I loved being able to be, use my voice in ways that, impacted
24:37 - people in my community and really love that I could come to the food bank
24:41 - having that agency experience, and know, you know, what were the things
24:46 - that kept me up at night and being able to to change that for other people.
24:50 - Very similar. Yeah.
24:51 - I, I from a young girl knew that I wanted to help people
24:55 - and I was told, no, you have to go on business.
24:57 - You have to do this. You can't.
24:58 - You can help people after you retire. And I did.
25:00 - I went into the corporate world and after about a ten years
25:03 - or so, I said, no, I it's stays the same.
25:06 - And so I pivoted into nonprofit work.
25:09 - Sometime ago and have never looked back.
25:12 - I've been
25:13 - doing nonprofit work, my whole professional career.
25:16 - Not necessarily in the in the food bank or food insecurity, realm.
25:20 - Relatively new to my position at the Neighbor Helping Neighbor Food Bank.
25:23 - But for me, I grew up poor.
25:26 - Oftentimes my mom, single mom,
25:29 - we would utilize the food bank in our area.
25:33 - So as I got older, I tried to participate in food drives in my community.
25:37 - And really just wanted to help people, give them, give them a hand up for.
25:42 - So that's all the time we have for this very important subject.
25:45 - Julie, how can we get more information on feeding Pennsylvania?
25:48 - Sure.
25:48 - So, folks can visit Feeding PA Dawg, and we're also feeding pa
25:51 - on all of our socials and central PA food bank, central food bank, dawg
25:57 - Toney, salvation Army, harrisburg.org.
26:00 - Thanks for your work in Perry County. How can we get more information? Sure.
26:02 - And and for us, neighbor helping neighbor go to NH and food bank.com.
26:09 - I'd like to thank our guests for joining us today.
26:11 - Their efforts are making a difference in our communities.
26:14 - Thanks for joining us today.
26:15 - Have a great day.
26:42 - This program has been paid
26:44 - for by the sponsor and does not reflect the views of PCN.