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Central Pennsylvania Food Bank was founded
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counties served in central Pennsylvania

OUR MISSION

fighting hunger, improving lives, strengthening communities

Who are the faces of hunger in central Pennsylvania? More often than not, they are people just like you. In fact, 58% of those served by the Food Bank are working families with children.

One in 11central Pennsylvanians, including one in 10 children, are facing hunger every day. The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank is a non-profit organization whose mission is to reduce hunger in 27 central Pennsylvania counties. By working with more than 1,100 local agencies and programs, we serve over 202,500 people in need each month.

How the Food Bank Works

Who We Are

The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, an affiliate of Feeding America and Feeding Pennsylvania,  serves 27 counties across Pennsylvania. Since its founding in 1982, there have been many positive changes to the organization, including expansions to both healthy food hub locations in Harrisburg and Williamsport and capacity investments in hundreds of our local Partner Agencies to better serve many communities.

Originally, the Food Bank was located in a converted movie theater in Steelton. In 1991, the Food Bank initiated a capital campaign, raising $1.5 million for the construction of a brand-new warehouse. In 1994, the Food Bank relocated to its current facility in Harrisburg. In 2012, the Food Bank’s Harrisburg Healthy Food Hub underwent a second expansion, adding 28,000 sq. ft. onto the existing warehouse giving it a total of 75,000 sq. ft.

In 2002, a second Healthy Food Hub was added in Williamsport, to better serve the northern tier of our territory. In 2016, the Williamsport location underwent an expansion transforming it from a 17,000 sq. ft. facility to 30,000 sq. ft., which is critical to achieving the Bold Goal. By expanding, the Food Bank is able to distribute more healthy food to distant rural areas in particular and provide more fresh and local food as well as creating a space for unique educational and volunteer opportunities.

Our Bold Goal

 By 2025, our collaborative network will provide access to enough nutritious food for everyone struggling with hunger in each of the 27 central Pennsylvania counties we serve, and we will convene and nurture partnerships to make progress toward ending hunger.

To achieve this Bold Goal, we have embraced the concept of working in closer partnership with organizations that are helping families and individuals increase their personal financial stability and resilience. Some folks call this “root cause” work and the desired result is freedom from needing food assistance….truly ending hunger at the household level. We know this is long-term work and that our Food Bank cannot drive all of this effort, but we can surely work together with our partners, donors and friends to leverage our mutual strengths and have a greater impact for our neighbors in need.