Food Drives
Each year, food donations to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank bring in millions of pounds of items. Food drives are a great way for a community or civic organization to get involved in hunger relief. The Food Bank can provide collection boxes and barrels, as well as promotional posters to make your food drive a success.
What kind of food donations does the Food Bank need?
Non-perishable items like these are the most valuable:
- Canned tuna
- Canned meats and stews
- Soup
- Peanut butter
- Canned fruits and vegetables
- Packaged meals
- Packaged pasta and rice
- Canned and dried beans
- Pure fruit and vegetable juices
- Baby food, cereal and formula (must be within code date)
Please remember that the Department of Health requires that all cans have labels and that packaged goods must be factory-sealed, in good condition, without rust or severe dents. Also, health laws prohibit the distribution of home-canned or home-packaged foods.
Contact Jim Burns at 717-564-1700, ext. 3012 or jburns@centralpafoodbank.org regarding food drives.
Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act
In 1996, Congress created a federal Good Samaritan Act to protect food banks and their donors from liability. The bill was named for Rep. Bill Emerson (R-Missouri) who fought for the proposal but died of cancer before it was passed and signed into law by President Clinton on Oct. 1, 1996. To find more information on this or any other federal legislation, check out the Library of Congress' Thomas Database.