CONTRIBUTED BY PFMA Member Feeding PA
Food insecurity in Pennsylvania has increased more than 40% in the past two years, with one in eight Pennsylvanians facing uncertainty about where their next meal will come from. Over the past few months, the persistent rise in need has been exacerbated by changes to SNAP eligibility and a temporary halt in SNAP benefit payments. Food banks across the state expect a significant portion of this spike in demand to persist. While these numbers may sound staggering, hunger in Pennsylvania is solvable when we work together to meet these challenges and support our neighbors.
That is why Feeding Pennsylvania (Feeding PA), works to bring partners together to strengthen food access across the Commonwealth. Feeding PA supports the state’s nine Feeding America–affiliated food banks, which collectively distribute 237 million pounds of food each year to over 2,750 of local food pantries, meal programs, and community partners.
At its core, Feeding PA’s role is to help the charitable food network operate more efficiently, equitably, and sustainably. This includes coordinating statewide food sourcing and logistics through the Mid-Atlantic Regional Cooperative (the MARC), advocating for strong public policies that protect access to nutrition programs, providing a unified voice to raise awareness, and elevating the importance of partnerships that prevent food waste while ensuring safe, nutritious food reaches our neighbors who need it most.
Retail food partners, including many members of the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association (PFMA), are a critical part of this system. Grocery stores, wholesalers, and food retailers help bridge the gap between surplus and need by donating safe, high-quality food that might otherwise go unsold. These partnerships not only help reduce food waste but also significantly expand the volume and variety of food available to families experiencing hunger.
Across Pennsylvania, food banks work hand in hand with PFMA members to rescue food from retail locations of all sizes. These collaborations require coordination, trust, and shared commitment. The impact of these partnerships is significant.
“Philabundance started more than 40 years ago as a food rescue organization,” said Lauren Webb, Chief Food Sourcing Officer at Philabundance. “We continue that food rescue work today through more than 800 weekly pickups at over 350 locations weekly throughout the year. Through retailer partnerships, we distribute the equivalent of 15 million meals to our neighbors each year. The work we do at this scale would not be possible without our food retail partners.”
Stories like this are repeated across the Commonwealth. From rural communities to urban neighborhoods, food retail partners play a vital role in ensuring food banks can meet rising demand. Retail donations help food banks provide fresh produce, dairy, protein, and shelf-stable items that support health and dignity for the people they serve.
Feeding PA also works to strengthen these partnerships by advocating for policies and systems that make food donation easier and more efficient, including recently passed liability protections for food donations. Having PFMA as a partner in our advocacy for strong federal nutrition programs, like SNAP, is invaluable. When the food industry and the charitable food network collaborate, the result is a stronger, more resilient food system for everyone.
As Pennsylvania continues to confront hunger and food waste, partnerships between food retailers, food banks, and organizations like Feeding PA remain essential. Together, PFMA members and the charitable food network are proving that surplus food can become a powerful solution that nourishes families, supports communities, and moves us closer to a future without hunger. ■
