Westmoreland County Food Bank Inc

OUR MISSION IS TO ENABLE ALL WESTMORELAND COUNTY RESIDENTS WHO ARE HUNGRY OR AT RISK OF HUNGER TO HAVE READY ACCESS TO FOOD.

FOOD PANTRY DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM AND AGENCY RELATIONS THE CORE OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY FOOD BANK'S WORK IS TO ACQUIRE FOOD TO DISTRIBUTE TO NEEDY PEOPLE THROUGHOUT WESTMORELAND COUNTY THROUGH A NETWORK OF MEMBER AGENCIES COMPRISED PRIMARILY OF VOLUNTEER-RUN, FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS. WHILE A NUMBER OF OUR MEMBER AGENCIES ARE SOUP KITCHENS, SHELTERS AND OTHER ON-SITE FEEDING PROGRAMS, THE MAJORITY OF WCFB MEMBER AGENCIES ARE FOOD PANTRIES THAT MAKE UP OUR FOOD PANTRY DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM. CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O

FRESH EXPRESS THE FRESH EXPRESS PROGRAM DISTRIBUTIONS ARE SPONSORED BY VARIOUS GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS AND ARE HELD WEEKLY AT LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT WESTMORELAND COUNTY. THIS RAPID DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM HELD OUTDOORS PROVIDES MUCH NEEDED PERISHABLE FOOD SUCH AS DAIRY PRODUCTS AND FRESH PRODUCE, THAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE DISCARDED DUE TO BEING CLOSE DATED. IN 2021, FRESH EXPRESS PROVIDED OVER 420,346 POUNDS OF SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD TO ROUGHLY 3,070 HOUSEHOLDS.

COMMODITY SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD PROGAM (CSFP) EACH MONTH, THE COMMODITY SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD PROGRAM (CSFP)/SENIOR FOOD BOX PROGRAM PROVIDES APPROXIMATELY 1,400 LOW-INCOME SENIORS AGE 60 AND OVER WITH FOOD PACKAGESDESIGNED TO PROVIDE NUTRITIONALY BALANCED SUPPLEMENTS TO THEIR MONTHLY FOOD CONSUMPTION. THIS PROGRAM IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT TO THE SENIORS THAT PARTICIPATE IN THAT IT HELPS THEM TO MAINTAIN PROPER NUTRITION TO REDUCE THE RISK OF CHRONIC ILLNESS. THE COMMODITIES PROVIDED ARE CANNED FRUITS, VEGETABLES, AND MEATS ALONG WITH PASTA, CEREAL, MILK, JUICE, AND CHEESE. IN 2021, NEARLY 374,282 POUNDS OF FOOD WAS DISTRIBUTED TO ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS.

SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM IN 2021, THE SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM SFSP PROVIDED OVER 49,351 MEALS TO AN AVERAGE OF 817 NEEDY CHILDREN A DAY AT 18 FEEDING SITES THROUGHOUT WESTMORELAND COUNTY. WCFB CONTINUES TO SPONSOR THIS VALUABLE PROGRAM EACH SUMMER IN ORDER TO PROVIDE PROPER NUTRITION AND TEACH GOOD EATING HABITS TO DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN. EXPANSION PROGRAM THE CENTRAL AREA OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY INCLUDING MURRYSVILLE, GREENSBURG, LATROBE AND DERRY WAS BEEN SELECTED AS THE AREA OF FOCUS FOR THE FOOD BANK'S OUTREACH AND EXPANSION EFFORTS DURING 2021. OUR INTENTION IS TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE FOOD BANK AND ITS SERVICES AND TO BUILD STRONG COMMUNITY SUPPORT TO ASSIST IN REACHING THE UNDERSERVED WHILE MAINTAINING QUALITY SERVICE FOR OUR CURRENT CONSUMERS. AS A RESULT OF THIS PROJECT'S EFFORTS IN 2021, AN ADDITIONAL 276 HOUSEHOLDS WERE ADDED TO THE PANTRY ROLLS. THE OUTREACH AND EXPANSION PROJECT IS AN INDISPENSABLE TOOL FOR WESTMORELAND COUNTY FOOD BANK TO GAUGE PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS AND ENSURE THAT THE MISSION IS BEING FULFILLED. SNAP APPLICATION ASSISTANCE THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP), FORMERLY CALLED FOOD STAMPS, IS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE AGAINST FOOD INSECURITY IN THE UNITED STATES. SNAP PROVIDES BENEFITS TO ENABLE LOW- INCOME HOUSEHOLDS TO PURCHASE FOOD TO NOURISH THEIR FAMILIES. THE IMPACT OF THE 935 SNAP APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED DURING 2021 CONTRIBUTED TO APPROXIMATELY 1,147,290 MEALS FOR FAMILIES IN NEED. WCFB CONTINUES TO TAKE A LEAD ROLE IN DEVELOPING AN EFFECTIVE SNAP OUTREACH PROGRAM IN WESTMORELAND COUNTY TO FURTHER INCREASE READY ACCESS TO FOOD. BACKPACK PROGRAM WESTMORELAND COUNTY FOOD BANK RESURRECTED THIS PROGRAM IN AN EFFORT TO SIMPLIFY THE PROCESS FOR CHILDREN AT SELECT SITES TO RECEIVE A WEEKEND BACKPACK. WESTMORELAND COUNTY FOOD BANK IS WORKING WITH MCCLANE GOBAL TO SUPPLY PRE-PACKED MEAL KITS. THE KITS INCLUDE A TWO-DAY SUPPLY OF FOOD AND THE PACKS ARE GENERALLY DISTRIBUTED AT THE END OF THE EACH WEEK DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR. IN 2021-2022 WESTMORELAND COUNTY FOOD BANK SUPPLIED 497 WEEKEND MEAL KITS TO STUDENTS AT 12 SITES - DERRY MIDDLE SCHOOL, MONESSEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, MONESSEN MIDDLE SCHOOL, RAMSAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN MT. PLEASANT, H.W. GOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN WEST NEWTON, MARIAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN ROSTRAVER, WESTMORELAND CAREER & TECHNICAL CENTER IN NEW STANTON, GRANDVIEW ELEMENTARY IN DERRY, MT. PLEASANT JR/SR HIGH SCHOOL, WESTMORELAN INTERMEDIATE UNIT, SETON HILL CHILD SERVICES IN IRWIN AND JEANNETTE. RECIPIENTS ARE IDENTIFIED BY THE SCHOOLS AND PARTICIPANTS QUALIFY BASED ON THEIR ELIGIBILITY FOR THE NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM. THE BACKPACK PROGRAM IS AVAILABLE BASED ON FUNDING. MILITARY SHARE PROGRAM IN 2014, FEEDING AMERICA RELEASED THE HUNGER IN AMERICA NATIONAL STUDY AND REVEALED THAT, ONE IN FIVE, 20% OF HOUSEHOLDS SERVED BY THE FEEDING AMERICA NETWORK HAS AT LEAST ONE MEMBER THAT HAS SERVED IN THE MILITARY. HERE AT HOME, 1055 INDIVIDUALS SERVED BY THE WESTMORELAND COUNTY FOOD BANK LAST YEAR IDENTIFIED THEMSELVES AND VETERANS. OUR MILITARY FAMILIES ARE FREQUENTLY OVERLOOKED FOR MANY PUBLIC ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS, YET THEY ARE MOST OFTEN THOSE WHO NEED AID THE MOST. IN OUR PURSUIT TO END HUNGER HERE AT HOME, THE WESTMORELAND COUNTY FOOD BANK LAUNCHED THE MILITARY SHARE PROGRAM IN 2016. THE NEW PROGRAM SUPPLIED A LIMITED NUMBER OF MILITARY FAMILIES IN WESTMORELAND COUNTY WITH A BOX OF FRESH, FROZEN, AND NON-PERISHABLE FOOD ITEMS. THE FOOD BANK WORKED WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE PENNSYLVANIA NATIONAL GUARD FAMILY ASSISTANCE CENTER TO DELIVER THIS MUCH NEEDED AID. IN 2021, THERE WERE NINE DISTRIBUTIONS THAT SERVED 108 VETERANS 87,125 POUNDS OF FOOD. FILL A GLASS WITH HOPE 39 OF OUR 40 FOOD PANTRIES RECEIVE FRESH MILK FROM TURNER'S DAIRY ON A MONTHLY BASIS THROUGH THIS STATE WIDE INITIATIVE. OTHER OTHER EXEMPT PURPOSE PROGRAM SERVICES INCLUDE VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES, DEVELOPMENT, GRANT WRITER, FOOD SOLICITATION, AND FOOD DRIVES.