FEATURE
FEEDING Generations
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ince opening in 1983, Helping Harvest’s mission has been “to feed the hungry.” In that first year, 500,000 pounds of food were distributed to 12 food assistance programs serving low-income sectors of the community. Today, Helping Harvest supplies nearly 10 million pounds of food to 320 local food distribution programs in Berks and Schuylkill Counties, providing nourishment to more than 110,000 individuals annually. All of this food is provided at no cost to partner agencies as well as to those whom are served directly. Since the start of the pandemic crisis in March of 2020, many families and individuals experienced food insecurity for the first time. Thanks to the outpouring of support from the community, Helping Harvest strengthened and broadened hunger relief efforts. To reach more families and seniors in need, the Mobile Market program underwent a rapid expansion, tripling the number of distribution sites since the start of the pandemic crisis. Fresh, frozen and shelf-stable items are now provided monthly at 21 locations in areas throughout the service territory. An extraordinary 1,308,031 pounds of nourishing foods were distributed through the Mobile Market program in 2021 alone! In Fall 2021, Helping Harvest’s Board of Directors launched a strategic planning process that resulted in a set of ambitious goals that will direct their work for the next several years: • Build a service-delivery network that delivers fresher and healthier food to seniors in the community, both by expanding the PA Senior Food Box Program in Berks and Schuylkill Counties and through new initiatives.
24 Women2Women | Summer 2022
• Develop programs to direct as much food as possible to meet the nutritional needs of children during their peak braindevelopment years, beginning in-utero and continuing through the early elementary school years. • Identify ways to provide frozen, healthy, heat-and-eat ready meals to our clients, particularly for seniors and families. • Work with the 300+ food distribution partner – pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, snack programs, school programs – to increase the number of households served, increase the nutritional value and freshness of distributed food and improve the efficiency in which the community is served. In pursuit of those goals, several new initiatives have begun. The well-established Weekender Program provides participating children with a bag of nourishing yet easy to prepare food to sustain them through the weekend. “More than 2,000 kids receive Weekender bags after dismissal every Friday during the school year, a dramatic increase over just the past six months,” according to Jess Umbenhauer, Director of Programs & Community Engagement. “We hope to provide the Weekender Program in all 74 elementary schools in our service territory by 2023.” Recently, this program expanded to serve childcare centers, recreation centers and playground programs. Additionally, this year will be the first time that Helping Harvest extends the Weekender Program distribution through school districts’ summer programs. “By doing this, we hope to reach many children who might otherwise go without,” says Krista Renenger, Youth Programs Manager. By late-Spring 2022, more than 600 kids were enrolled in the Summer Weekender Program.
