Food Insecurity on the Rise: Navigating the Hunger Crisis
A Virtual Town Talk
Tuesday Sept. 23, 2025
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Join the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and other charitable food agencies across the state on Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 12:30 p.m. for a Virtual Town Talk titled “Food Insecurity on the Rise: Navigating the Hunger Crisis”. The event is part of the food bank’s Hunger Action Month efforts this September to bring greater awareness to the reality of food insecurity and provide clear actions people can take to end hunger.
Hosted by WHTM abc27’s Dennis Owens, a news anchor and state capitol reporter, the Town Talk will discuss the rise in food insecurity and how food and community agencies in our region are attempting to navigate an increasingly complex hunger crisis.
You will hear from Central Pennsylvania Bank CEO Shila Ulrich and Feeding Pennsylvania CEO Julie Bancroft on the current state of the charitable food network and the impact of policy at both the state and local levels. In addition, the South Central Community Action Programs (SCCAP) serving Gettysburg and the Union-Snyder Community Action Agency will share their experiences, current struggles, and examples of successful service in action, including SCCAP’s The Gleaning Project.
Leaders from the Community Action Partnership of Lancaster County and the Adams County Food Policy Council will explore the importance of community collaboration. They also will share best practices that have profoundly impacted them and where their work is focused moving forward.
Why This Town Talk Matters
Food insecurity in America has reached its highest rate in over a decade with 47 million people facing hunger, including 14 million children. In Central Pennsylvania, 1 in every 8 individuals and 1 in every 6 children face hunger.
Food is becoming further out of reach for our neighbors as the challenges facing the charitable food network grow. Hunger in Central PA is now a crisis—but together, we can and will meet this moment. Through this Town Talk, we will lift one another up and share the ways that together, as agencies, community leaders, and caring citizens, we can take action to end this hunger crisis.
