FOOD DRIVE DONATION POLICY
Background:
Like many organizations, our Food Bank reflected on the challenges and learnings of the COVID pandemic and the high-cost-inflation environment that has extended the hunger crisis. After thorough consideration, we decided to greatly reduce our engagement with local food drives. The cost of the mismatch between small food drive volumes and our regional food bank scale is now simply too large to overlook. The following paragraphs explain our policy.
Policy:
The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank no longer sponsors or promotes local food drives. When appropriate, we refer related inquiries to interested Partner Agencies. The Food Bank no longer picks up or provides barrels for local food drives. However, we will accept wholesome donated food that is dropped off at our Harrisburg or Williamsport Healthy Food Hubs if it follows the Food Donation Collection and Drop-Off Guidelines.
Why doesn’t the Food Bank promote local food drives?
Promotion of local food drives was discontinued to better manage our expensive trucking fleet and to better allocate employee and volunteer time. The expense of coordinating, collecting, transporting, sorting, and disposing of unusable food drive items is greater than the wholesale cost of our purchased food. However, many of our Partner Agencies engage in local food drives and we are pleased to refer inquiries when appropriate.
If not a local food drive, what is an impactful way to support the CPFB mission?
The most impactful way the community can help the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank is with direct financial donations, or a fun, interactive virtual food drive. The flexibility of financial resources allows us to leverage our vast buying power, generous volunteers, and keen stewardship to acquire, move and distribute millions of pounds of the freshest, and most nutritious food.
What is a Virtual Food Drive?
The Virtual Food Drive is an online tool that allows groups of individuals, colleagues, friends, or family members to “shop” for the food items they would like to donate online. The financial value of these virtual groceries is donated to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank to purchase and distribute large quantities of healthy foods at deeply reduced rates. Visit the link, email vfd@centralpafoodbank.org, or call 717-564-1700 for more information.
When can someone drop off local food drive donations?
Drop off hours are Monday – Thursday 8:00 am – 4:30 pm; Fridays 8:00 am – 2:00 pm at either the Harrisburg or Williamsport Healthy Food Hubs. If the amount is larger than a few bags or boxes of items, we ask them to please call ahead to schedule a delivery time (717-564-1700). If someone cannot arrive during those hours, there are storage bins outside the roll-up garage doors on the front left of the building. Alternatively, one of our local partners that do accept food drive items may be more convenient. Follow the link for contact information to work with them directly.
Where do the food drive donations go?
The amount of food collected from community food drives is a relatively small amount; but the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank will gladly accept the donated product. Food that is dropped off is put into the emergency food boxes given to neighbors in need who occasionally come to our Healthy Food Hubs looking for help.
Where can I learn more?
Contact the Food Donation Line at 717-564-1700 x1004 or donatefood@centralpafoodbank.org