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

SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM IN 2022, THE SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM SFSP PROVIDED OVER 27,002 MEALS TO AN AVERAGE OF 600 NEEDY CHILDREN A DAY AT 16 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 JEANNETTE, NORTH HUNTINGDON, NEW STANTON AND ADAMSBURG WERE SELECTED AS THE AREA OF FOCUS FOR THE FOOD BANK'S OUTREACH AND EXPANSION EFFORTS DURING 2022. 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 2022, AN ADDITIONAL 351 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 956 SNAP APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED DURING 2022 CONTRIBUTED TO APPROXIMATELY 902,189 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 EACH WEEK DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR. IN 2021-2022 WESTMORELAND COUNTY FOOD BANK SUPPLIED 497 WEEKEND MEAL KITS TO STUDENTS AT 15 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, WESTMORELAND INTERMEDIATE UNIT, DONEGAL ELEMENTARY, SETON HILL CHILD SERVICES IN IRWIN, GREENSBURG, NEW KENSINGTON 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, 1015 INDIVIDUALS SERVED BY THE WESTMORELAND COUNTY FOOD BANK LAST YEAR IDENTIFIED THEMSELVES AS 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 2022, THERE WERE TEN DISTRIBUTIONS THAT SERVED 120 VETERANS 127,179 POUNDS OF FOOD. HEALTHY COMMUNITY PROGRAM LAUNCHED IN JUNE OF 2022, THIS PROGRAM PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE FOOD BANK TO PARNTER WITH HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS/ORGANIZATIONS, HUMANN SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS AND SCHOOLS TO PROVIDE EMERGENCY FOOD ITEMS AND NUTRITION EDUCATION TO PATIENTS, PARTICIPANTS OR STUDENTS WHO SCREEN POSITIVE FOR FOOD INSECURITY. PARTNERSHIPS WERE DEVELOPED AT THREE LOCATIONS BEGINNING IN JUNE OF 2022. GROWING THIS PROGRAM WILL ASSIST IN PROVIDING EMERGENCY SERVICES AS IDENTIFIED, AND ALSO SERVE AS A REFERRAL SOURCE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES IN NEED TO LEARN OF THE OTHER PROGRAMS AND SERVICES THE FOOD BANK PROVIDES. FILL A GLASS WITH HOPE ALL 40 FOOD PANTRIES WITHIN OUR NETWORK RECEIVE FRESH MILK FROM TURNER'S DAIRY ON A MONTHLY BASIS THROUGH THIS STATEWIDE INITIATIVE. MOBILE MARKET MOBILE MARKET IS OUR NEWEST PROGRAM THAT BEGAN IN OCTOBER OF 2022. THIS PROGRAM IS A TRAVELING MOBILE PANTRY THAT DELIVERS FOOD, FREE OF CHARGE, DIRECTLY TO COMMUNITIES THAT ARE LOCATED IN AREAS THAT HAVE LOW ACCESS TO FOOD. WESTMORELAND COUNTY FOOD BANK HAS HAD 16 DISTRIBUTIONS AT HOUSING SITES AND SOME OF THE LOCAL COLLEGES THROUGHOUT WESTMORELAND COUNTY. THE PROGRAM HAS DISTRIBUTED A TOTAL OF 7,462 POUNDS OF FOOD TO NEARLY 954 HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS. OTHER OTHER EXEMPT PURPOSE PROGRAM SERVICES INCLUDE VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES, DEVELOPMENT, GRANT WRITER, FOOD SOLICITATION, AND FOOD DRIVES.

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 2022, FRESH EXPRESS PROVIDED OVER 539,986 POUNDS OF SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD TO ROUGHLY 4,582 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 PACKAGES DESIGNED 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 2022, NEARLY 515,392 POUNDS OF FOOD WAS DISTRIBUTED TO ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS.