HARRISBURG, Pa. — Note: The video is from Dec. 4.
The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank on Wednesday announced that it has received a $50,000 grant from the Bayer Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Bayer corporation in the United States.
The money will be used to source and distribute fresh, grocery store quality food to Lebanon County residents who are experiencing food insecurity, Central PA Food Bank CEO Joe Arthur said in a press release. The USDA defines food insecurity as the lack of access or uncertainty of access to adequate food needed to sustain an active, healthy life.
"Grants like this one from Bayer Fund are what fuels our ability to meet our mission of fighting hunger, improving lives, and strengthening communities, and Lebanon County has some significant challenges, particularly with ensuring sustainable access to healthy meals for children, 1 in 6 of whom are facing food insecurity," Arthur said.
"Through Bayer Fund's giving, we're enabling and strengthening organizations that are working to make real, sustainable impacts in their local communities across the United States," said Al Mitchell, president of the Bayer Fund. "Organizations like the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank help combat the critical issue of food insecurity, and we're proud to play a role with helping even more people in our community have access to healthy, nutritious food."
The Bayer Fund grant will help the food bank provide 2.4 million pounds of food in Lebanon County to about 12,500 people, Arthur said. The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank anticipates serving Lebanon and the other 26 counties in its service territories at levels even higher than at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.
"Our neighbors face tough choices right now between paying their rent, gas, and medical bills, or buying food," he said.
The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank works with a network of 35 partner agencies and programs to distribute food across Lebanon County, including smaller food pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, and child and senior care centers, including The Caring Cupboard in Palmyra, Lebanon County Christian Ministries, and the Myerstown VFW.
Lebanon County has an overall food insecurity rate of 9.8%, Arthur said. The child insecurity rate is at 14.4% in the county. Children are 71% more likely to be food insecure than adults, giving Lebanon County the 14th highest discrepancy in Pennsylvania, according to Central Pennsylvania Food Bank data.
The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank has undertaken a county-by-county hunger mapping initiative. Groundbreaking reports and recommendations were made in August by the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank after its in-depth hunger mapping research in Lancaster County.
A similar report will be issued in January on hunger in Lebanon County, and research is either underway or will be launched next year in Dauphin County, Union, Snyder, and Northumberland Counties, and Franklin Counties. This work provides communities with the data and roadmaps needed to address the barriers to healthy meals for neighbors and understand the connection between hunger and the “upstream” issues of historic marginalization, housing insecurity, financial exclusion, and low and irregular pay.
In 2022, Bayer Fund awarded more than $13.4 million to over 2,700 charitable and nonprofit organizations to help address essential needs in Food and Nutrition, STEM Education and Health & Wellness. Since 2017, nonprofit organizations across the U.S. have received nearly $90 million.
For more information on the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, go here or call 717-564-1700.