Latest USDA Statistics Confirm Escalating Hunger Crisis in Central PA

A Newsletter for Supporters of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank
Winter 2009
Latest USDA Statistics Confirm
Escalating Hunger Crisis in Central PA
The U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s Economic Research
Service (USDA) recently reported
that 185,000 residents of Central
Pennsylvania are “food insecure,”
meaning that they lack consistent
access to adequate amounts
of nutritious food. In total, 49
million Americans, including
nearly 17 million children, are
food insecure. The 2009 report on
Household Food Insecurity in the
United States paints an alarming
picture of the pervasiveness of
hunger in our nation.
Emergency food assistance is
a critical link in Central PA’s
response chain to help people
through times of crisis.”
“National socio-economic
indicators, including the escalating
unemployment rate and the
number of working-poor, lead
us to believe that the number
of people facing hunger will
continue to rise significantly over
the coming year,” adds Vicki
Escarra, president and CEO of
Feeding America. “Research
Demand at local food
on previous economic recessions
assistance agencies
indicates that people who fall into the
Demand at local food assistance
grips of poverty in a time of recession
agencies served by the Central
served by the Central
Pennsylvania Food Bank is up
Pennsylvania Food Bank often times never recover. Many of
those people are likely to be in need
approximately 30-50 percent over this
is up approximately
of our services now or in the future.”
time last year, according to Kendall
30-50 percent over
Escarra observed, “Feeding America
Hanna, Executive Director of the Food
and its network food banks, including
Bank.
this time last year!
the Central Pennsylvania Food
Bank, will continue to work closely
“These are alarming numbers. It is
with our partners at USDA to ensure that the public
tragic that so many people in Central PA don’t have
and charitable sectors are keeping pace - as best we
regular access to food,” said Hanna. “It is important
can - with the dramatically increasing needs for food
to note that the USDA numbers reflect the state of the
assistance.”
hunger crisis in 2008. Since then, the economy has
significantly weakened, and there are likely many more
people struggling with hunger than this report states.”
Inside This Edition
“We continue to work on the front lines feeding more
than 185,000 people each year, through area food
pantries, soup kitchens, and emergency feeding centers
- more than 500 agencies in total,” said Hanna. “These
establishments, many of which are grass root and faithbased centers operated solely by volunteers, serve as
an oasis for the more than 35,000 people who seek
relief weekly to help feed themselves and their families.
22nd Annual Taste of Central PA............. 2
We Couldn’t Do it Without You............... 2
Chambersburg Cold Storage – Making
Hunger Their Business...................... 3
Donors – Making a Difference.............. 4-5
Recent Grants......................................... 5
Food Drives............................................ 6
Turkey Drive Meets Rising Demand......... 7
Eight New Members Named
to Board of Directors................. 8
Volunteers Keep Food Moving......... 9
New Warehouse Up & Running..... 10
Donor Spotlight – David A. Elias
& Marie Graupner Elias........... 11
Planned Giving.............................. 11
Save the Dates............................... 12
Visit our website at
Page 2
22nd Annual Taste of Central PA
Event raises $95,000 to feed hungry families
Over 1,200 people attended
the event held at Harrisburg’s
Strawberry Square on November
1. $95,000 was raised to support
the Food Bank’s mission of
fighting hunger, improving lives
and strengthening communities!
3908 Corey Road
Harrisburg, PA 17109-5929
717-564-1700
Fax 717-561-4636
www.centralpafoodbank.org
2009 Board of Directors
Ron Smalstig – President
Joel Hopkins – Vice President
Tanya Gentry – Secretary
George West – Treasurer
Melissa Bard
Sherry Baskin
Sean Connolly
Rev. Dr. J. Richard Eckert
Robert Gillard
Timothy Grunstra
Kirk Hallett
Charlie Linn
John Linnenbach
Mark S. Merrill
Bridget Montgomery
Tracy Pawelski
Don Roth
Matt Schlosser
Tona Shaver
Douglas Shuff
Jamie Strong
Executive Director
Kendall Hanna
Associate Director
Joe Arthur
Editor, Food for Thought
Melissa Etshied
The official registration and financial information of the Central
Pennsylvania Food Bank may be
obtained from the Pennsylvania
Department of State by calling tollfree 1-800-732-0999. Registration
does not imply endorsement.
HACC, Olewine Center for Culinary Arts
takes both Best Food and
Best in Show honors!
The event featured music from
local entertainers, food and
drink from 53 area restaurants,
caterers, food and beverage
purveyors, a raffle and silent
auction.
Prize-winning participants included:
Best Drink.................... Lancaster Brewing Company
Best Food..................... HACC, Olewine Center for Culinary Arts
Best Dessert................. The Hotel Hershey
Best in Show................ HACC, Olewine Center for Culinary Arts
People’s Choice........... Messiah College
We are so thankful to the many
corporations, individuals, restaurants
and other participants who gave
their time, money or other valuable
resources to yet another successful
event!
The 22nd Annual Taste event was
made possible by the support of
many sponsors, including Giant
Passage to India served up chicken
Food Stores and Panera Bread as the
tikka masala, vegetable korma rice
Master Chef Sponsors. PSECU was
and lamb rogan josh.
the Executive Chef Sponsor for the
event. Other sponsors included Belco Community Credit Union, Fischer
Financial Services, Fulton Bank, The Hershey Company, Joan Ruffle,
M.D., Nationwide Insurance, 193rd Special Operations Wing, The Phillips
Group, Rowan Associates, Lois Lehrman Grass, George M. Leader Family
Corporation, Dauphin Electric, Warden Asphalt, Capital Blue Cross,
Prudential Financial, Members 1st, LEPCO and Susquehanna Bank.
Media sponsors were WGAL TV-8, 105.7 the X, Mix 106.7 and RED 102.3.
www.centralpafoodbank.org
We Couldn’t Do
It Without YOU!
A message from the
Executive Director
Kendall Hanna
Executive Director
As the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank
responds to the growing need for emergency food in today’s uncertain economy,
we rely on the generosity of many likeminded individuals, foundations, corporations, and civic and religious organizations.
2009 saw an increase in the struggle to
maintain some sort of normalcy amidst
rising prices, home foreclosures, high
unemployment rates, layoffs, etc. The
ability to put food on the table became a
difficult task for thousands of people for
the first time in their lives.
Because of your support, the Food Bank
continues to distribute food to our neighbors in need through our network of over
500 nonprofit partners that include food
pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, and other
low income meal providers. The efforts
from volunteers and community members
through donated time and donated food
and funds, help us continue our mission.
As we embark into this New Year, the Food
Bank thanks everyone who has helped us we couldn’t do it without you!
Page 3
Making
Hunger
THEIR
Business!
Donors come in
all shapes and
sizes and this
issue’s focus is on a very
important community partner –
Chambersburg Cold Storage, located in Chambersburg,
PA. Oftentimes the Food Bank has an opportunity to
benefit from large donations of frozen food that we
might not be able to afford or store.
For over three years, Chambersburg Cold Storage has
provided enormous amounts of freezer space to the
Food Bank at no cost. The availability of freezer space
at a moment’s notice allows us to take advantage of
donation opportunities that we might otherwise have to
pass up. This in turn allows us to store and distribute
more nutritious food - often times much needed highprotein frozen meats, to our struggling neighbors. Much
appreciation to the folks at Chambersburg Cold Storage
for helping to support our mission of fighting hunger,
improving lives and strengthening communities.
Become a fan of The Central Pennsylvania
Food Bank on Facebook and follow us on
Twitter (@centralpafb) to get regular updates!
Page 4
Visit our website at
Donors —Making
Tammy Bottini-Lynch, Independent
Director with The Pampered Chef, recently
presented a check for $19,310.98 to the
Food Bank. Through the Round-Up From
the Heart charitable giving campaign,
Pampered Chef customers can make
donations by “rounding up” their purchases
to the nearest dollar or more.
Representatives from Giant Food Stores and Mrs. T’s Pierogies
present the Food Bank with a $10,000 check to fight hunger in
central PA. Mrs. T’s donated .25 per package of pierogies sold
during a two week period at Giant Food Stores!
Disc Golf
The Creekside Disc Golf Club will again be hosting their annual food/fundraiser to benefit
the Food Bank. Tee-off is 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 6, 2010.
Wegmans Food Markets delivers 20,000 pounds of food to
the Food Bank, as part of a cooperative project with WITF-FM
listeners.
Representatives from Rutter’s Markets present
check to Food Bank Associate Director Joe Arthur.
www.centralpafoodbank.org
Page 5
a Difference
The Food Bank recently received $500 from an
anonymous donor of the Camp Hill Community
Foundation, a regional component of The
Foundation for Enhancing Communities.
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance
recently held a “6 million patient” celebration
with Jerome Bettis and helped to collect food
items to support the Food Bank. Kendall
Hanna with “The BUS,” Jerome Bettis.
Grants Provide Much
Needed Support
Weis Markets’ Fight Hunger Program Generates $60,886
in donations. Funds will be designated to Power Pack
youth program and Elder Share Senior feeding program.
Woodforest Charitable Foundation recently designated a
grant of $6,000 to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank to
further the Food Bank’s mission in the local region. (The
foundation was created by Woodforest National Bank to
support and invest in the communities that it serves.)
Acknowledgement Cards Available
Consider a charitable gift giving alternative! Make a donation
on behalf of or in memory of another person. The Central
Pennsylvania Food Bank will send birthday, anniversary, in
memoriam or general greeting cards to your friends or family,
sharing your wishes and letting the recipient know that you have
made a donation to the Food Bank on their behalf. A sample gift
of $20 will provide 100 meals for neighbors in need.
A special thanks to those grantor
organizations that are playing
a significant role in our ability
to fulfill and extend our hunger
relief efforts.
Lancaster County Community
Foundation
u
Ford-Newman’s Own
u
C&S Wholesale Grocers
u
United Way of the Capital Region
Community Response Fund
u
Highmark
u
Mars
u
M&T Bank
u
Stabler Foundation
Visit our website at
Page 6
Food Drives
Thanks to the following groups
for conducting food drives! If you
would like more information on
conducting food drives, call Jim
Burns at 717.564.1700 or jburns@
centralpafoodbank.org.
St. James Episcopal Church
Preferred Product Network
Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC
Beth el Temple
Temple Ohev Shalom
Chisuk Emuna
C&S Wholesale
Harrisburg Food and Wine
Millersville University
Rite Aid
Cedar Cliff Girls Volleyball
M&M Mars
2009 LDI Class
PEPSI Worldwide Flavors
Mid Atlantic Corporate FCU
New Cumberland Alliance Church
American Income Life Insurance Co.
Fulton Bank, Central Bankers
First Baptist Church of Steelton
National Recovery Agency
KPMG
Valenti
PA Office of Attorney General
Triple Crown Corporation
Cyber
Brown Schultz Sheridan & Fritz
Penn State Hershey Bone & Joint
Institute
American Cancer Society
Color Me Mine
Central Penn Health & Fitness
Eagle’s Crest Apartments
Colonial Park Mall
Jane Mitchell & Friends
Core Source
Legislative Reference Bureau
Quail Run Apartments
We appreciate your generous support!
14 local schools participated in the 2009 Big
33 Food Drive. Students from North Side
Elementary help load food from their school’s
drive into the Food Bank truck. Overall the
food drive delivered 16,254 pounds of food.
The Carlisle Weight Watchers group
really had fun with their Lose for
Good food drive campaign.
Mike Miller and the OC of
KISS FM 99.3 helped to Stuff a
Bus once again this year. The
guys could be found in the bus
at the new Giant Food Store
on Linglestown Road for an
entire week. The bus ultimately
provided over 5,500 pounds in
food donations!
6 year-old Bella from Lemoyne
organized her first food drive in the fall
to help those struggling with hunger.
Bella’s donation came in at 341 pounds!
That’s enough for 272 meals!
Scouting for Hunger provided
21,024 pounds of food. Thanks
to the Boy Scouts for all of their
hard work!
www.centralpafoodbank.org
Page 7
Turkey Drive Meets Rising Demand
Bill Wurster presents check to
Kendall Hanna on behalf of the team
at Quality Digital Office Technology.
Once again, we have our
community to thank for another
successful turkey drive! The
Central Pennsylvania Food Bank
kicked-off the annual Turkey Drive
on October 30 with a generous
donation of 1,000 frozen turkeys
from Giant Food Stores. And
despite the state of the economy,
organizations and individuals
stepped up and helped us exceed
our goal of 4,000 turkeys this
holiday season.
One of those organizations was
Roof Advisory Group - who recently
donated $4,000 to secure 400
turkeys. “We decided to make this
contribution to the Central PA Food
Bank in lieu of our normal practice
of sending holiday gifts to our
valued clients to share our sincere
appreciation of their business,” said
E. Jeffrey Roof, President of Roof
Advisory Group, Inc., a leading
investment management firm
based in Harrisburg.
The Food Bank was able to
distribute over 2,000 turkeys before
Thanksgiving and distributed yet
another 2,000+ turkeys before the
Christmas holiday.
Smooth Jazz 92.7 was a wonderful community partner this holiday
season. Every Friday afternoon throughout the Turkey Drive, Smooth Jazz
broadcasted live from a different
Giant Food Stores location and
collected donations. Smooth Jazz
also hosted a Butterball Blues
Brunch at Stock’s on 2nd in
November. Proceeds benefited
the Food Bank!
Our wonderful friends at Giant Food Stores
help to kick-off the Turkey Drive with 1,000
frozen turkeys!!
Mark Littles, President Capital Wine & Spirits LLC and Patrick J.
Stapleton III, PLCB Chairman, along with staff members, presented
a check for $10,000 to Kendall Hanna. Associates from Capital Wine
& Spirits - one of the largest wholesalers/brokers of fine wine and
spirits in Pennsylvania
and a member of the
Charmer Sunbelt Group
- volunteered at the
Food Bank. The donation
was used to secure
1,000 frozen turkeys for
holiday distribution. (No
public funds were used
in this donation.)
Visit our website at
Page 8
Eight New Members Named to Food Bank
Board of Directors
Eight new members - Douglas Shuff, Kirk
Hallett, Tona Shaver, Robert Gillard, James
Strong, Melissa Bard, Bridget Montgomery and
Sherry Baskin - have joined the all-volunteer
board of directors of the Central Pennsylvania
Food Bank. All began their three-year terms on
January 1, 2010.
Douglas Shuff, CPA, CMA, is a Finance
Director with Harsco Corporation. He holds
an undergraduate degree in accounting from
Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a MBA
from PSU. He is a member of the Pennsylvania
Institute of Certified Public Accountants and
the Institute of Management Accountants.
Kirk Hallett is the Director and Founder
of The Joshua Group, an at-risk youth
mentoring organization located on Allison Hill
in Harrisburg. Hallett started the nonprofit
ten years ago, as a result of volunteer work
experiences with underserved youth. He
graduated from St. Francis University with a
B.A. in Sociology and worked in construction
equipment sales management for 20+ years
before founding The Joshua Group.
Tona Shaver is the Director, Mid-Atlantic
Sales for the Northern Region of Highmark
Blue Shield. She has over 23 years of
experience in the healthcare industry, earning
designations from the national association of
American Health Insurance Plans. Ms. Shaver
is a member in the Women’s Leadership
Network of the United Way of the Capital
Region. She has also served as a volunteer
with various not-for-profit organizations.
Robert Gillard is responsible for new
business marketing for the West Shore area
for UGI Utilities. He’s been employed by
UGI Utilities, Inc. since 1996, holding various
operations and new business positions in
Carlisle, Harrisburg and Middletown. Gillard
is a member of the United Way Planning
Committee for UGI Utilities, Inc. and is a
United States Navy Submarine Veteran.
James Strong is an attorney practicing in the
Real Estate Group for McNees Wallace & Nurick,
LLC. He concentrates his practice on zoning and
land use law and land use litigation. Strong holds
an undergraduate degree from Wheaton College
and a law degree from Dickinson School of Law. He
is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association
and the Dauphin County Bar Association.
Melissa Bard serves as the Director of Human
Resources at the Pennsylvania State System of
Higher Education, Office of the Chancellor,
in Harrisburg, PA. She received her Bachelor
and Master’s degrees in Human Resources
Management. She also received her SPHR
certification from the Society for Human Resource
Management in 2002. Melissa serves as a member,
mentor and peer reviewer for SHRM.
Bridget Montgomery is a Member in the
Litigation Division, and chair of the Harrisburg
civil litigation group. She handles a variety
of commercial litigation matters on behalf of
Eckert Seamans. Ms. Montgomery is a leader in
professional and legal education affairs. She is
currently Vice-Chair of the PBA’s Federal Practice
Committee, and is in her third elected term in the
Pennsylvania Bar Association’s House of Delegates.
She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania
Law School and holds an undergraduate degree
from Pennsylvania State University.
Sherry Baskin is Director, Corporate Policy
at Capital BlueCross. She holds an undergraduate
degree from Duke University and a law degree
from Temple University School of Law. She has
practiced health law as a partner in Philadelphia
area law firms, served as an assistant regional
attorney for a federal agency, and clerked for a
former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice. She
founded a social services company that helped
incapacitated individuals and their families navigate
the health care system. Sherry is a member of the
Dauphin County Bar Association and participates
as a pro bono monitor in the Dauphin County
Orphans’ Court Guardianship Monitoring Program.
www.centralpafoodbank.org
Page 9
Volunteers Keep the Food Moving!
As the new year begins, we’d like to pay tribute to the more than 1,500 volunteers that passed through
our doors last year. Without you, we could not possibly accomplish our mission!
Volunteers from the Harrisburg
Invasion pack boxes to distribute to
struggling families.
Regular volunteers like Helen help in the
office.
Our friends at PSECU provided
volunteers on Credit Union Day
to help stock shelves, and during
Hunger Action Month at the
Kipona Festival.
For information about volunteer opportunities,
contact our volunteer coordinator,
Jim Burns. (717)564.1700, ext. 3012 or
jburns@centralpafoodbank.org
Members of the JPL Creative
Team collected food and
spent a Saturday morning
volunteering at the Food Bank.
Visit our website at
Page 10
New Warehouse Up and Running
Although the holidays are a busy and
special time for the Food Bank each and
every year, the 2009 holiday season was
especially significant – mostly for those in
our Williamsport warehouse.
With much anticipation, The Central
Pennsylvania Food Bank opened its new
warehouse for business on December 1,
2009, significantly increasing the amount
of nutritious food we can store and
distribute.
The holiday season is an already carefully
choreographed logistical time for the Food Bank.
“We couldn’t afford to have downtime,” said
Executive Director Kendall Hanna. “We closed on the purchase of our
new warehouse on October 21, completed the necessary renovations
and were up and running in the new facility by December 1. This has
been an incredible accomplishment in a very short time-frame. Our
staff, our architects, and the general contractor made this happen
and as a result, we will be able to continue advancing our mission in
the Williamsport area for years to come. The new 17,000 square foot
facility will maximize our ability to promptly receive, store, refrigerate,
and distribute high quality food.”
Seven years ago the Food Bank assumed responsibility for food
distribution in the 10 northern tier counties of PA. That first year we
distributed 250,000 pounds of food. In 2008, we distributed in excess
of 1,700,000 pounds of food.
www.centralpafoodbank.org
Page 11
Donor Spotlight
David A. Elias & Marie Graupner Elias
The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank is fortunate to have dedicated and
passionate friends like David A. Elias and Marie Graupner Elias. The Food
Bank was recently named in the Elias Estate. The planned gift from the Elias
Estate will help to fuel the engine that keeps the Food Bank going strong, even in
these difficult times.
About David A. Elias & Marie Graupner Elias
Both were lifelong residents of the City of Harrisburg. While both came from
families of status, they never took what they had for granted. Both believed in
giving back to the community, belonged to various civic organizations, were
committed to their church and were well respected.
After David’s death, Marie continued to work with various non-profit
organizations, supporting her church and fundraising. She cherished his memory
and that of her parents.
It is no surprise that Marie’s main focus in her estate plan was to continue to give back to the community that she and
David loved. Through Marie Graupner Elias’ estate, three area churches will benefit, three non-profits that serve the
homeless and people of little means, four Pennsylvania schools, a dozen non-profit organizations in the area and of
course, the arts, which were very close to Marie’s heart.
There is so much that we as citizens can learn from Mr. and Mrs. Elias. First and foremost, we learn to be passionate
about what we do in our daily lives, to give back to the community that serves us in good times and bad, and finally we
learn that the ultimate legacy any of us can leave would be to mirror the generosity and lifestyle of David and Marie.
Planned Giving
Bequests and other gifts – ways in which you can truly be a partner in shaping and developing
the future through your gifts and support of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank
Interested in helping the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank fight hunger, improve lives and strengthen
communities? The Food Bank offers individuals various ways to support our mission through planned
giving, while also receiving the benefit of a tax deduction. A planned gift is a term that refers to the
exchange of a gift between an indvidual and the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. Gifts can include:
• Outright gifts – gifts of cash, stock, real estate and life insurance.
• Testamentary gifts – naming the Food Bank in your will, a revocable trust,
a retirement plan, a life insurance plan, IRA or in an estate plan.
There are as many ways to support the Food Bank as there are needs for your support.
For more information, contact Executive Director Kendall Hanna
at 717.564.1700, ext. 3016 or khanna@centralpafoodbank.org.
Non-Profit Org.
U.S Postage
PAID
Harrisburg, PA
Permit No. 828
3908 Corey Road
Harrisburg, PA 17109-5929
Save the Dates
Food Bank Events Offer a Wonderful
Opportunity to Sample Food and Support
our Mission of Fighting Hunger, Improving
Lives and Strengthening Communities!
Friday, February 26 - 4th Annual
Soup & a Bowl at Genetti’s Hotel
and Suites in Williamsport.
Monday, March 15 - 17th Annual
Soup & a Bowl at the Radisson
Penn Harris in Camp Hill.
Sunday, April 11 - 14th Annual Taste
of Lancaster County at the new
Lancaster Convention Center.