DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. — September is nationally known as Hunger Action Month, an annual campaign to raise awareness about hunger in the United States. During September, some food banks experience an increase in food donation, especially so close to major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christimas. However, food banks across Pennsylvania are still struggling to collect food donations.
On Saturday, Central Pennsylvania Food Bank hosted its annual Pack-a-Thon, an event meant to raise awareness on the issue of hunger across the state. The event took place all day and brought in dozens of volunteers from the community. But while the event had enough volunteers, there were fewer food pallets to load and unload.
With many covid emergency food programs at their end, food insecurity is on the rise across south-central Pennsylvania.
“Either they’re skipping meals, they don’t have or can’t afford meals, or they’re watering down their food, or they’re making very difficult choices like paying a bill instead of paying for food,” said Jennifer Powell, Chief Development Officer for Central Pennsylvania Food Bank.
According to data from Feeding Pennsylvania, more than 1 million people experience food insecurity. 1 in 8 of those people are children. Central Pennsylvania Food Bank also reports 70% of those experiencing food insecurity are those within working class families.
Individuals facing food insecurity range, but the most common demographics are veterans, people who live in rural areas, and single-parent homes.
The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank is struggling to meet the demands of hungry Pennsylvanians.
“We are now really scrambling, and that means Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, as the regional food bank is having to purchase more and more food to get out,” Powell said.
Food banks are also reporting fewer food donations compared to a few years ago. Many food banks received government grants during the Covid-19 pandemic, which made access to food easier.
“We have seen a shrink in our donations and donated food was about 80% of what we distributed,” Powell noted.
Despite the obstacles, Powell and her team still manage to feed more than 500,000 families a year through cooperate partnerships and volunteers.
“It doesn’t take a lot of time to give back to make a difference,” said Kirsten Page, Public Relations Director for West Shore Home.
“You have to manage your time, you can always find the time and get out and do it,” added Scott Karns, President, and CEO of Karns Food.
Although action hunger month ends in September, food banks are always in need of donations and volunteers. The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank calculates more than 86,000 volunteer hours a year. That is the is equivalent to having 40 full-time employees. The overall mission of the food bank is to advocate, donate, and volunteer.