From major food bank donations to food rescue, volunteer events and home delivery programs, PFMA members spent September supporting communities facing hunger across Pennsylvania and beyond.
Each September, Hunger Action Month puts a national spotlight on food insecurity and the organizations working to address it. Across Pennsylvania and beyond, PFMA members used the month to turn that attention into donations, food recovery, volunteer work and programs designed to get more food to families who need it.
PFMA Corporate Leadership Sponsor and Member The GIANT Company led one of the largest Pennsylvania efforts, committing $400,000 to 24 food banks. The campaign supported organizations including the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, Chester County Food Bank, Helping Harvest, Philabundance, Sharing Excess, York County Food Bank, State College Food Bank and Project SHARE. GIANT also paired the commitment with volunteer activities, customer fundraising and Pass the Produce deliveries with America’s Grow-A-Row. In Reading, GIANT donated $35,000 to Helping Harvest, where employees volunteered during September.
PFMA Member Feeding Pennsylvania gave the month a statewide frame through its Play Your Part campaign. The organization coordinated food drives, volunteer opportunities, Hunger Action Day activities and events across the Commonwealth. It joined the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank for the release of the 2026 Food Insecurity in PA report and closed out the month at the Capitol Hunger Garden.
PFMA Corporate Leadership Sponsor and Member Weis Markets also participated in the Fill a Glass with Hope campaign, which helps food banks purchase fresh milk. Weis joined Sioux Honey on Sept. 30 to donate 9,720 bottles, or
4,860lbs, of honey to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. The donation moved through the Harrisburg Healthy Food Hub for distribution across its 27-county service area.
PFMA Corporate Leadership Sponsor and Member Walmart marked the close of Hunger Action Month on Sept. 30 with a $15 million grant to Feeding America. The investment will help food banks expand food rescue operations, improve storage and transportation infrastructure, modernize technology and connect more families with nutrition assistance programs.
Other PFMA members supported hunger-relief efforts during September. PFMA Corporate Leadership Sponsor and Member ACME Markets partnered with Healthy Family Project and Safeway. Featuring 13 produce and fresh food brands, the initiative aimed to help provide 120,000 meals through Albertsons Companies Foundation’s Nourishing Neighbors program.
PFMA Corporate Leadership Sponsor and Member Wakefern Food Corp., along with PFMA Corporate Leadership Sponsors and Members Brown’s Super Stores and Burns’ Family Neighborhood Markets, joined a Sept. 28 Philabundance service event in Philadelphia, packing emergency food boxes and supporting a $20,000 contribution to the organization. In Northeast Philadelphia, a McMenamin Family ShopRite also held its annual Help Bag Hunger event, combining checkout donations, raffles and a community fundraiser.
PFMA Corporate Leadership Sponsor and Member DoorDash marked Hunger Action Month by announcing that Project DASH had delivered an estimated 150 million meals and by launching a $150,000 Food as Medicine grant fund. In Pennsylvania, Project DASH is already helping organizations such as The Open Link deliver food to residents facing transportation barriers. PFMA Member Sharing Excess, based in Philadelphia, used Hunger Action Month to build awareness around food access while continuing its large-scale food rescue work.
The work stretched beyond Pennsylvania as well. PFMA Corporate Leadership Sponsor and Member C&S Wholesale Grocers highlighted partnerships with Feeding America, FoodCorps, the Congressional Hunger Center and No Kid Hungry. PFMA Corporate Leadership Sponsor and Member Instacart announced food-access partnerships with YMCA of the USA and Unite Us. PFMA Member The Campbell’s Company was recognized by Feeding America for its role in moving surplus food into hunger-relief channels.
Taken together, the efforts show how many parts of the food and beverage industry touch hunger relief. Retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, delivery platforms and nonprofit partners all approached the challenge differently. During Hunger Action Month, PFMA members put those resources to work across Pennsylvania communities and far beyond them. ■