Welcome to our 2023 Lenten Calendar filled with fun things you and your church members can do throughout the Lenten season to bring awareness to hunger in your communities. The Central Pennsylvania Food Banks provides millions of pounds of food to more than 144,000 people in need each month through its network of more than 1,100 partner agencies and programs in 27 counties.
We look forward to working with you and wish you a very Happy Easter!
To download the full, printable version of our 2023 Lenten Calendar, please click here.
Ash Wednesday
DID YOU KNOW?
1 in 7 children and 1 in 10 people in central PA live with hunger.
We never know the burdens our neighbors carry.
ACT OF KINDNESS ❤
Start your day with an act of kindness! Skip your morning coffee ☕ purchases.
Donate the money to the Food Bank.
Challenge yourself and fellow church members to see if they can make it the whole month!
Visit our YouTube channel to learn how the Food Bank works, hear stories from our neighbors in need and much more!
Jayden, 10, knows he needs healthy food to be the best soccer ⚽ player!
“I couldn’t concentrate or listen to the coach if I was hungry. I’d be confused and I’d need energy.”
The Food Bank works with 35 school pantries and 87 Backpack programs to provide food to children and their families.
FILL A BACKPACK
$6 a week can fill a backpack to feed a child when they are not in school.
Start a collection!
How much can your church collect to fill backpacks?
Save your change for the month, start a church penny war, and donate the change to the Food Bank.
Every penny counts!
DID YOU KNOW?
The Food Bank serves more than 144,000 neighbors in need each month.
VIRTUAL FOOD DRIVE (VFD)
Organize a VFD with friends, family & co-workers, near & far.
For more information, visit our Virtual Food Drive page.
CRUNCH
Visit our website to learn more about Crunch, the Food Bank apple.
Follow along as Crunch goes on a journey from the orchard to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, to the tables of our neighbors in need.
https://www.centralpafoodbank.org/crunch/
“The best kept secret about volunteering…as a volunteer, you always get way more than you give.”
~ Neil and Dixie Burke, volunteers for three years.
VOLUNTEER
Volunteer as a group or individually.
To schedule a time to volunteer, contact Kir Evancho.
#HELPIE
Take a selfie (#Helpie) and share it on social media, tagging the Food Bank. 🤳
Facebook: @CentralPAFoodBank
Twitter & Instagram: @centralpafb
SUPPORT WHILE YOU SHOP
If you find yourself at the checkout of your local CVS, you can round up at the register to help support the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Food Bank is thankful to have more than 16,000 volunteers who have contributed 77,000 hours of volunteer time.
That is equivalent to 37 full time employees.
Reach out to Kir Evancho to schedule a time for her to speak about the Food Bank and the impact your church has made in our community.
SHARE YOUR STORY
Tell us why you choose to support the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank.
Click here to share your story.
“I usually max out on my bills during the month. This is beautiful. God sent you. It’s great.”
~ Gia, a senior, who like many seniors, is living on a fixed income and in need of a helping hand.
Many seniors in central PA experience food insecurity.
Through the Food Bank’s Senior programs, we feed more than 7,500 seniors each month.
LEND A HAND
Volunteer with one of our partner agencies right in your community.
To find an agency near you, email Kir Evancho.
Many seniors experience transportation challenges, especially in rural counties.
The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank provides home delivery for seniors who cannot come to our programs sites in certain counties.
We currently provide home delivery to more than 1,500 seniors in 13 counties.
We will offer home 🏡 deliveries to every senior across our 27 counties by 2027.
Visit our cause marketing events page to learn even more ways you can help to support the Food Bank with your regular shopping. 🛒
ACT OF KINDNESS ❤
Spend time writing a few friendly notes to your local senior center.
A kind word goes a long way!
“So continue encouraging each other and building each other up, just like you are doing already.”
~ 1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV
FRESH FOOD
Tune into Mondays with Maryann for virtual real-time cooking demonstrations, play-along games, tips on storage, and fun food facts.
To join the fun, email Kir Evancho for the Zoom link.
DID YOU KNOW?
Last year, the Food Bank distributed more than 13 million pounds of produce 🥕 and 5.2 million servings of fresh milk 🥛.
TEXT TO END HUNGER 📱
Text PAFOOD to 243725 to donate.
Set aside a few minutes at the end of a service and see who can text the fastest.
MOVIE NIGHT 🍿
A Place at the Table is a great movie to learn more about the power we have to end hunger.
Click here to watch it tonight!
FOOD WASTE CHALLENGE
40% of food goes uneaten every year while many in our country go hungry.
Can you have zero food waste next week?
Living on a fixed income means Donald, an Air Force veteran, faces challenges in affording daily necessities.
Attending the MilitaryShare distribution, “gives us one less thing to worry about.”
26% of Pennsylvania households receiving charitable food assistance have a member who is currently serving or has served in the military.
MilitaryShare is a program specifically designed to serve those who have served us.
SHARE YOUR STORY
Tell us how hunger has affected you or people you love.
Click here to share your story with us.
TAKE A TOUR
See all of the ways the Food Bank works to fight hunger.
Reach out to Kir Evancho to schedule.
BE A SOCIAL MEDIA AMBASSADOR
Use your social media powers for good by raising awareness. Follow us and share Food Bank facts from our social sites.
Facebook.com/CentralPAFoodBank
Twitter & Instagram: @centralpafb
Reach out to a local MilitaryShare distribution to become a volunteer.
Visit our MilitaryShare page to find one in your area.
ACT OF KINDNESS ❤
Write thank you cards for veterans at Veteran’s Affairs Hospitals or Veteran’s Homes.
Let them know their service has not been forgotten.
Palm Sunday
“Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”
~ Luke 3:11, NIV
KEEP UP THE KINDNESS ❤
Food is connection and community.
Invite someone to share in a meal with you.
DID YOU KNOW?
More than 40% of households do not have enough income to meet their household needs.
Bake some yummy treats to host a bake sale for Easter Sunday and donate the proceeds to the Food Bank. 🍪🥧
HUNGER CHALLENGE
Can you live on $4 a day? Take the challenge and post on social media, tagging us.
Facebook: @CentralPAFoodBank
Twitter & Instagram: @centralpafb
Good Friday
“And do not forget to do good and to share with others.”
~ Hebrews 13:16 NIV
To prepare for tomorrow’s day of renewal and celebration, share on social media and with Kir Evancho all of the fun activities you did this Lenten season.
Thank you for being a Hunger Hero!
We ask that as we move out of the Lenten season, your church and community continue to partner with the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank to support and uplift our neighbors in need.
Together We Can End Hunger.
To learn more about the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, contact:
Kir Evancho, Development Coordinator, Individual Giving
kevancho@centralpafoodbank.org