Centre County residents face food insecurity this holiday season. Here’s how to help

Centre County residents are feeling the pressure of inflation this Thanksgiving as prices for traditional dishes rise. A traditional Thanksgiving spread will cost around 20% more this year, according to the American Farm Bureau Association.

The rise in costs is hitting those already facing food insecurity in Centre County the hardest. Allayn Beck, executive director of State College Food Bank, said demand for assistance has been much higher than previous years.

And leaders of anti-hunger programs in the county are responding to changing demographics of those facing food insecurity as well, with more and more working families needing help.

Beck said the food bank is seeing three types of patrons this year: people who needed assistance before the pandemic, people who need help because of the pandemic and people who need help due to inflation.

Even as prices rise, some people are wary about accepting help from food banks or anti-hunger programs, Beck said.

“Some of the biggest concerns we hear from people about not accepting help is that they don’t want to be taken from somebody else,” Beck said. “And I want anybody that is struggling to know that they’re not taking from anybody else by coming here.”

SCFB has been attempting to help struggling working families even before the pandemic, removing any income requirements to register for the food bank. Individuals still need a letter of recommendation from an agency listed on its website.

“We’ve been trying to reach those families and individuals for many years now, I think since the pandemic and now with inflation, we’re seeing more and more of those families,” Beck said.

SFCB recently partnered with Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, State College Area School District and Target to provide Thanksgiving dinners for families not served by a food bank. The Nov. 10 distribution gave out approximately 520 Thanksgiving meals to families, slightly more than previous years, Megan Schaper, director of food services for SCASD, said.

Schaper said the program is targeted to help those who may not be facing food insecurity full time.

“This is for families who don’t typically use a food bank that just could use a little extra help through the holidays,” she said.

Schaper is also seeing food insecurity rising in the district with the amount of families of free and reduced meals programs going from 15% in 2018 to 19% in 2022. The percentage of students on free and reduced meals is not a totally accurate representation, however — due to language barriers, misfiled paperwork or lack of knowledge, some families are not registered despite qualifying.

In the Bald Eagle Area School District, about 30% of the district’s families sign up for the program but close to 50% could be eligible, athletic director Doug Dyke told the CDT this summer.

Mel Curtis, the director of the YMCA’s Anti-Hunger Program, said food distributions around holidays are vital because families don’t have schools helping to provide breakfast or lunch for the days students are off.

Curtis also said food insecurity and the inability to have a traditional holiday meal can also impact people’s mental health, especially children.

“Kids will hold things, they won’t say things and it eats away at them but you know that maybe they’re thinking ‘I’m not as good as my friends are, I don’t have the opportunity to have the meals, to have the different things that my friends do,’” Curtis said.

For families and individuals alike, rising heating costs, gas prices and inflation are making budgets tighter all around, driving up demand for food banks and distribution programs.

“We’re all filling our cars up with gas or going to the grocery store and dealing with higher prices than then a year ago,” Schaper said. “And if this can help you balance your budget a little more easily, I think you definitely should take advantage.”

Where to find Thanksgiving meal assistance

The YMCA is hosting a free Thanksgiving dinner for 250 people on Wednesday from 4-6 p.m. at the Philipsburg-Osceola Area Middle School. Reservations are required, so call 814-801-0111 or 814-342-0889.

The YMCA is also sending out Blessings in a Box, which includes all the food necessary to cook a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Two hundred boxes were prepared and packed by volunteers and are available for pickup Tuesday and Wednesday. Individuals must call ahead to pick up a box at 814-801-0111. More information on the YMCA’s Thanksgiving programs can be found on its Facebook page.

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 208 W. Foster Ave., State College, is hosting a free Thanksgiving meal from noon to 2 p.m. on Thursday. No reservations are required and walk-ins are welcome.

Bellefonte Knights of Columbus, 315 Stoney Batter, Bellefonte, will hold its free Thanksgiving dinner from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday. Eat-in and takeout meals are available.

The YMCA’s Anti-Hunger Program will hold a drive-thru food distribution at 10 a.m. Friday at the former Bowling Alley on Enterprise Drive in Philipsburg.

How to help

Food banks and the YMCA’s anti-hunger programs are always looking for monetary and food donations. One of the items in highest demand is canned fruit, Beck said. A full list of requested items and information on how to donate can be found on the SCFB website.

The YMCA hosts several programs to target food insecurity in Centre County, including distributions sites, emergency food boxes, a backpack program for students and food delivery.

To donate food, money or time to these volunteer programs, contact Curtis or find additional information at the YMCA’s website.