Thank You 50th Anniversary Celebration Sponsors

Many thanks to all who made the 50^th Anniversary Celebration held on September 17^th a success! This event honored the volunteers, the donors and the vibrant community who have supported the Ecumenical Food Pantry. It was 50 years ago that several church women began offering food to the victims of Hurricane Agnes. Ruth Pry, founding member,  is quoted as saying “We began the Food Bank with eleven volunteers from Messiah and Lakeside Lutheran Churches. A group of women from Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Camp Hill joined the Food Bank and thus it became an ecumenical movement with the merging faiths.” Ecumenical meaning universal, representing the unity in the diversity of churches. The founders had no idea that their efforts would continue for decades, meeting the needs of more than 1.2 million individuals in the Harrisburg area! Volunteers have been the life blood of this organization, delivering and stocking food, packing, and distributing bags and managing the operations of the organization. We also thank the 14 organizations and businesses who sponsored the event, as well as the 60 individuals who made donations in honor of our 50^th anniversary. The food pantry started with individual donations from the community, increased to grocery store and farmer overstock deliveries and ultimately to participation in the State Food Purchase Plan program, now administered by the Central PA Food Bank. The EFP has been very grateful to have financial support from over 40 area churches and many community groups, businesses, and individuals. We are grateful for the partnership we have had with Messiah Lutheran Church, our host for 50 years! We honor the greater Harrisburg community and the network of agencies that serve our neighbors in times of need. The Ecumenical Food Pantry is part of a network of human service agencies meeting the needs of those facing food insecurity in our community. We work with the City of Harrisburg, a variety of Dauphin County agencies and many other human service agencies to give a hand up to those in need. September is Hunger Action Month which acknowledges the on-going needs of so many. If you or someone you know is facing food insecurity, please see one of our volunteers here today for information on how to get food. If you can support the work of the Ecumenical Food Pantry, go to the How You Can Help link for information.