Central Pennsylvania Food Bank Announces Federal Shutdown Food Assistance

Food Bank to Hold Food Distributions for Impacted Workers Weekly in Harrisburg and Williamsport

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Jan 11, 2019, 11:35 ET

HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank announced today that it will begin Federal Shutdown Food Assistance services effective next Tuesday, January 15. Employees and their families that are missing paychecks due to the federal shutdown and are in need of food will be eligible.

Joe Arthur, Executive Director of the Food Bank, gave this statement: "The federal shutdown is becoming a crisis for many employees and their families. We are mobilizing to make sure nobody impacted goes hungry due to this shutdown. Starting today paychecks will be missed by thousands of central Pennsylvanians. Our 27-county service territory includes almost 25,000 federal workers, a portion of whom will not receive paychecks during the shutdown. Also, there is potential for a 'downstream funding effect' and we are concerned that some Pennsylvania state and local government employees and private contractors may also be at risk if the shutdown lengthens. We hope that some of the impacted families will qualify for SNAP benefits or unemployment compensation, but for those who will not, we need to be there for them."

The Food Bank will also continue its normal operations serving with more than 1,000 Partner Agencies and Programs, but will add Federal Shutdown services on January 15 at the following locations:

Central Pennsylvania Food Bank - Harrisburg Hub

3908 Corey Road, Harrisburg, PA 17109
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Central Pennsylvania Food Bank - Williamsport Hub

3301 Wahoo Drive, Williamsport, PA 17701
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The Food Bank will also work with high-capacity Partner Agencies to add additional service sites in closer proximity to impacted employee workplaces as we continue mobilizing.

The Food Bank will provide a nutritious array of food to each recipient household including fresh milk, eggs, fruits, vegetables, frozen meats and nutritious shelf stable food.

Mr. Arthur continued, "We are blessed that we have significant additional stocks of food on hand at our two Hubs due to recent shipments of highly-nutritious USDA commodities. These shipments resulted from recent Trade Mitigation activities by the USDA, and we are thankful for their efforts and those of our Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. With these good foods in stock, and our privately-resourced inventory, we expect to readily meet demand during the shutdown. If conditions change, we will reach out to our generous commercial food donors and other donors and partners."

Instructions for accessing Federal Shutdown food assistance are located on the Food Bank's website at www.centralpafoodbank.org and through a recorded message on the Food Bank's Federal Shutdown food assistance phone line at 717-547-6336.

The Food Bank also offers a Food Stamps Helpline at 1.877.999.5964

About the 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 1,000 local agencies and partner programs, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank serves nearly 140,000 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.

SOURCE Central Pennsylvania Food Bank