Donation to go directly toward helping children in 27 counties throughout central Pennsylvania
The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank today announced that it received a donation of $128,000 from Sheetz for the Kidz, a charitable organization driven by the employees of Sheetz, Inc., to help provide hunger-relief to children in 27 counties throughout central Pennsylvania through the Food Bank’s summer feeding and youth hunger programs.
As a result of the pandemic, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank has seen an increased need in its community. Families are still making impossible choices between buying groceries and paying for other critical expenses such as housing, childcare and medicine and children do not have access to the meals they need to survive. In central Pennsylvania, more than 330,000 people remain food insecure.
The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank helps to provide more than 2.5 million meals annually to children in need through its network of local agency partners including food pantries, soup kitchens and meal programs. During the summer of 2021, the Food Bank served more than 63,000 meals across 63 Summer Feeding sites in 12 counties with assistance from the Sheetz grant. Funding will also be used for the Food Bank’s school pantry and backpack programs. The Food Bank is a member of Feeding America® is one of 27 food banks to receive this grant from Sheetz for the Kidz. This grant enables the Food Bank to continue to provide healthy, nutritious meals to children in need.
“The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank is proud to continue its partnership with Sheetz for the Kidz to expand its youth programs throughout central PA,” said Joe Arthur, executive director of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. “This is particularly important as families continue to work hard to get back on their feet in the wake of the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. We thank Sheetz for their continued investment in our local communities. Together, we are making sure all of our neighbors have enough nutritious food, every day.”
As a regional convenience store, Sheetz is committed to helping fight childhood hunger in the communities it resides in. Through this Child Hunger Grant, Sheetz for the Kidz is grateful to provide food banks with the opportunity to invest more resources toward their incredible work.
“More than ever, there is a need to address food insecurity in the communities in which we operate,” said Brittany Funcheon, executive director of Sheetz for the Kidz. “Through this donation, Sheetz for the Kidz will proudly support child hunger programs including mobile and school pantries, backpack programs and summer feeding.”
To learn more about the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, please visit www.centralpafoodbank.org.
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About Central Pennsylvania Food Bank
The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to reduce hunger in 27 counties across Pennsylvania. By working with more than 1,200 local agencies and partner programs, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank serves thousands of people in need every month. For more information on the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and its mission to reduce hunger in Pennsylvania, visit centralpafoodbank.org or call 717-564-1700.
About Sheetz For the Kidz
Sheetz For the Kidz is a non-profit organization, designated as a 501(c) (3) charity, independent of the Sheetz Corporation. The organization was created in 1992 by local store employees wanting to help local children. The mission of the charity is to provide support, hope, joy and happiness to children in need within the communities in which Sheetz operates. To date, the charity has impacted more than 139,000 children living in the communities Sheetz serves!