The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank secures and distributes more than 1 million pounds of food and grocery products to support programs at approximately 500 local agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, community programs, after-school programs, each month.

Through our network of agencies in Central PA, the Food Bank is able to feed more than 162,000 people each year, including 51,840 children and 22,680 senior citizens. Learn more about special programs for children and seniors in PA.

Children's Programs

A hungry child today risks becoming a sick and underperforming adult tomorrow.

Hungry children can suffer from chronic malnutrition, which contributes to serious health problems such as impaired cognitive development, growth failure, poor overall health, more ear infections, diabetes, physical weakness, anemia and more. Children who are hungry have also shown poor performance in school, have shorter attention spans, poor test taking skills, and are less likely to become productive and break the cycle of poverty.

Kids Cafe®

Kids Cafe programs provide free meals and nutritious snacks to low-income children through a variety of existing community locations - like schools, community centers and civic clubs in large and small towns across Central PA.

In addition to providing meals to hungry kids, these programs also offer a safe place, where under the supervision of trustworthy staff, a child can get involved in educational, recreational and social activities. The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank operates Kids Cafes at 41 sites in 10 counties.

Power Pack

Unfortunately, there are children that rely on resources such as free or reduced-priced school breakfast and lunches in Pennsylvania. But what happens when those children aren’t in school? That’s where the Power Pack program fills in the gaps, providing food for meals during weekends and school vacations.

Through this program, children can fill backpacks with nonperishable and vitamin fortified foods to take home on weekends. In 2007, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank was able to provide more than 280 children with backpacks to carry home and sustain them through the weekends. There are 11 Power Pack distribution sites in Central PA.

Senior's Programs

Hunger can have life-altering consequences for older Americans. Studies indicate insufficient nutrient intake by seniors can compromise the efficiency of prescription drugs and reduce the quality and longevity of life.

Elder Share

Because so many seniors live on fixed incomes, they often find themselves choosing between food or medicine - or other necessities. We know from experience that the budget crunch for seniors usually comes at the end of the month, so during the third week of each month Elder Share provides much-needed supplemental food boxes containing nutritious food that is designed to last through the end of the month. More than 500 seniors benefited from the 91,652 pounds of food that the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank distributed this year.