Feeding Pennsylvania

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), announced a $1 billion investment in additional funding for emergency food assistance. These funds will help address the extraordinary need for food assistance in communities across the country as the charitable food system is experiencing declining resources. The USDA will provide $500 million for additional food purchases for emergency food providers like food banks, along with $500 million for the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program for states, tribes and territories to purchase foods for their emergency food systems from local growers. Feeding Pennsylvania is grateful to the USDA for its continued commitment to hunger relief, and we urge Congress to pass a farm bill that strengthens nutrition programs like the Emergency Food Assistance Program and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement and brings us closer to being a food-secure nation. Read Feeding America's official statement at https://lnkd.in/eDkzTsU8.

Last Week, Feeding PA CEO Julie Bancroft participated in The GIANT Company's Grocery Grab event to raise awareness of hunger in Pennsylvania during Hunger Action Month. The event benefitted four Lehigh Valley-area food banks and pantries, with GIANT donating $15,000 to each organization. Julie was on the Blue Team playing for ProJeCt of Easton, and she competed against two Feeding Pennsylvania member food banks, Helping Harvest Food Bank and Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania. Thank you again to GIANT for making a positive impact in the communities they serve by helping to support food banks and our neighbors facing hunger. We appreciate all you do!

?? Join us for the Capitol All-Stars Softball Game! ?? Date: Tuesday, October 1, 2024 Time: 5:30 PM Location: FNB Field, City Island, Harrisburg Watch Pennsylvania lawmakers battle it out for a good cause! The game raises money to end hunger in our state. Proceeds benefit Hunger-Free Pennsylvania and Feeding Pennsylvania. Purchase tickets and learn more about the game at capitolallstars.com. Let’s make a difference together! #CapitolAllStars #EndHunger #Pennsylvania

Hunger Action Month is the time to come together to elevate the voices of people who experience food insecurity and inspire everyone to take action in the movement to end hunger. Feeding PA CEO Julie Bancroft was honored to join Sen. Elder Vogel, Jr., Rep. Emily Kinkead, Hunger-Free Pennsylvania Executive Director Stuart I.R. Haniff, MHA, Hunters Sharing the Harvest Executive Director Randy Ferguson, PA Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding, Secretary of The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Dr. Valerie Arkoosh, MD, MPH, and Central Pennsylvania Food Bank CEO Joe Arthur at the capitol yesterday to highlight the impacts of food insecurity in Pennsylvania and how the state is involved in addressing and spreading awareness about hunger.

Mark your calendar for Tuesday, October 1st at 5:30pm ?? The Capitol All-Stars Softball Game is back for its eleventh year! Feeding Pennsylvania is grateful to be a beneficiary of this legislative game played to raise funds for and awareness of hunger in Pennsylvania.

State and federal agricultural programs help to drastically reduce unnecessary food waste while simultaneously supporting local farmers, bolstering economies, and providing people facing food insecurity with the ability to access fresh, nutritious food. See what farmers, policy makers and agriculture professionals had to say about these programs at the first "Connecting Farmers & Food Banks" discussion panel that was hosted in partnership with Pasa Sustainable Agriculture and Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania.

On September 12, members of the Feeding PA team were honored to participate in the eighth annual PSECU "Chips-In" charitable golf outing at Dauphin Highlands Golf Course in Harrisburg, PA. Through this event, PSECU presented a total of $104, 210 to their four charitable pillar organizations: Feeding Pennsylvania (Well-Being), Junior Achievement USA (Education), Pennsylvania Envirothon (Environment), and Children's Miracle Network Hospitals (Children). We are grateful for PSECU's donation of $26,052.50 to Feeding Pennsylvania, and this generous donation will help to support our work in the Pennsylvania charitable food network.

TopStar Express, a family-owned convenience store chain in eastern PA, has been a proud supporter of Feeding PA and our four member food banks serving eastern PA through their "Cup of Hope" campaign since 2023. This initiative helps raise funds for Feeding PA by donating a portion of each coffee sale to our charitable food network. We are thrilled to announce that, from January to July, "Cup of Hope" raised $4,363.85 that will be used to help provide grocery items and important resources to our neighbors facing hunger in eastern PA! We are grateful to TopStar Express for their continued support of our efforts in the movement to end hunger. You can help support "Cup of Hope" by purchasing a cup of ANY coffee at a TopStar Express store. Find a location near you and learn more about TopStar Express at topstarexpress.com ?

Last week, we joined Pasa Sustainable Agriculture and Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania in hosting a panel discussion featuring representatives from local farms, Second Harvest Food Bank, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Buy Fresh Buy Local Greater Lehigh Valley and Congresswoman Susan Wild about how state and federal programs like the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System (PASS) and the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) Program are making a positive difference in the Commonwealth. These programs help farmers to sell their produce locally and greatly reduce unnecessary food waste while simultaneously allowing food banks to purchase fresh produce and food products to distribute to Pennsylvanians facing hunger. Legislative and public support of initiatives like PASS and LFPA are integral to building a more resilient and equitable food network. To learn more about how to advocate for these initiatives and how to get involved in agricultural partnerships, visit https://lnkd.in/eY9ic_x4.

Do you know where the food at your local food pantry comes from? If you live in PA, much of it is probably from one of our nine regional food banks. Learn more about PA's charitable food system and how Feeding Pennsylvania helps to make that system work better so that no Pennsylvanian has to go hungry. Feeding PA's nine member food banks: Central Pennsylvania Food Bank CEO (Commission on Economic Opportunity) Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank Helping Harvest Food Bank Mercer County Food Bank Philabundance Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania Westmoreland Food Bank