How Lebanon County food pantries help to combat hunger during Thanksgiving

As families and friends prepare to gather to celebrate at the Thanksgiving table, many organizations and volunteers try to step up and combat the growing number of residents facing food security in the Lebanon County area.

Starting in November, the holidays can bring a great surge of food donations for pantries, according to Shila Ulrich, executive director of The Caring Cupboard. Last year, the Palmyra-based food pantry brought in over a million pounds of food.

“Organizations are a little more mindful of the holidays, so this is just sort of a benevolent time of year,” she said. “So we’ve grown accustomed to the mad rush, and just trying to get creative about how to store and manage all the food that comes through our doors.”

Ulrich added that the organization tends to be flexible about how to store the influx of food that comes in this time of year, and it partners with groups like Gravel Hill United Methodist Church to store some of the excess.

“You just never know day to day what you are going to get, how much it’s going to be and how many people are going to come through the doors to receive food,” she said. “So it’s just sort of a crap shoot every day just trying to make it all work.”

Food pantries also tend to see an influx of volunteers during the holiday season. On Nov. 16, the Caring Cupboard packed more than 1,000 boxes in advance of the holiday meal distribution with 45 volunteers coming out for the packing party.

“We get calls from all kinds of organizations and folks who are looking to do a service day as part of their giving back during the holiday season,” Ulrich said.

Food insecurity

More than 47 million people in the U.S. face hunger, including 1 in 5 children, according to Feeding America. In 2023 alone, more than 53 million people said they relied on food assistance to stay fed.

Across Lebanon County, 27% of households have at least one person employed, yet struggle to afford basic necessities, including housing, utilities, food, child care and health care, according to the Asset Limited Income Constrained, Employed, or ALICE, report. ALICE records household incomes that exceed the federal poverty level but are not high enough to pay for basic needs.

The City of Lebanon, Annville Township, Myerstown and Palmyra were identified by the ALICE report as having more than 40% of households without incomes to pay for basic needs.

In 2021, more than 4,300 Lebanon County residents reached out to the United Way’s 211 program. It connects families to local programs to help them with financial, housing and food assistance.

In September, The Salvation Army of Lebanon County opened a Client Choice Pantry, which is open every Tuesday and Thursday 9-11 a.m. at their community building on 1031 Guilford St. On its first day opening, the organization served 251 individuals, which included 83 households.

“We’ve seen firsthand the food insecurity in our community, and we’re stepping up to be part of the solution,” officials said in their announcement.

Receiving food from a charitable food network can be scary for residents, but Ulrich said organizations in Lebanon County work hard to make sure that families feel welcome and they can get what they need for their households.

“For Lebanon County, we are fortunate that we have some really great organizations who do this day in and day out,” she said. “Of course the Caring Cupboard, Jonestown Outreach Food Pantry, Lebanon County Christian Ministries. We’re kind of equipped to handle these things on a day-to-day basis, and we do have the ability to have some reach.”

Ulrich added that organizations like the Caring Cupboard take food safety and the transporting and storage of food, very seriously.

What to donate

Most organizations ask that donators provide items that are “shelf-stable” or nonperishable, like peanut butter, canned soup, canned fruits and vegetables, canned stew and fish, pasta and white rice.

Ulrich said that the Caring Cupboard always hopes to provide protein rich and culturally relevant foods to families.

“We actually have a whole cultural relevancy food program that we started here, and we’ve been able to see some really good changes,” she said. “The amount of people who are reporting often receive food that they want.”

Most organizations also accept monetary donations if residents are not able to make food donations. Organizations like the Caring Cupboard actually work with major manufacturers, retailers and farmers to secure healthy food, and a dollar can go a long way.

“We do have some purchasing power through the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank to purchase some things at a much better cost or if we are buying in bulk,” Ulrich said. “But there’s just some things we can’t access from some channels, so we’re always happy when people think of us in any capacity.”

Residents looking for more information on how they can donate and contribute to the Caring Cupboard can visit their website at caringcupboard.org.

Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on X at @DAMattToth.

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Lebanon Co. food pantries combat hunger during Thanksgiving holiday

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