The Clearfield County Charitable Foundation recently released $6,800 from the Basic Needs Fund to food banks serving communities across all of Clearfield County.
Receiving funding will be the food banks operated by Central PA Community Action in Clearfield, Curwensville, Philipsburg, Burnside/Mahaffey, Westover, Houtzdale, Osceola Mills, Karthaus, West Branch/Allport and the DuBois Ministerium Food Pantry and DuBois Salvation Army.
Additional organizations getting funds are Salvation Army in Clearfield, Living Bread Ministries, the Anti-Hunger Program operated by the Moshannon Valley YMCA that services communities in the Philipsburg-Osceola, West Branch and Moshannon Valley areas and the Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging meal programs.
New this year to the funding list is the Lightner Food Bank serving Coalport/Irvona and surrounding areas that is operated by CenClear.
Recently CCCF Board Member John Harpster and CCCF Executive Director Mark McCracken met with YMCA Branch Director Mel Curtis to review the work they are doing with the Anti-Hunger Program in Clearfield County.
Curtis reported the YMCA has recently completed several Farmer’s to Families food distributions in both Clearfield and Centre counties with one at the Clearfield Driving Park that distributed 400 food boxes.
Each 30- to 50-pound box contained produce, cheese, liquid eggs, meat and a gallon of milk. In total, the Farmer’s to Families distribution events held in recent weeks in both counties has seen over 6,400 food boxes distributed to families.
Curtis noted that the Anti-Hunger Program has seen an increase in participants over the last year attributing a lot of the increase to COVID-19 impacts on the economy.
McCracken said “the Charitable Foundation is grateful for the work all the area food banks are doing to help families.” Harpster also noted “members of the CCCF board all agree that we want funds collected in our Basic Needs Fund to help the needy and releasing these funds to area food banks will have a direct impact.”
Anyone interested in donating to the Basic Needs Fund to help with future distributions to local food banks, please visit the Web site at www.clearfieldcharitablefoundation.org.
There is a DONATE NOW link for the Basic Needs Fund on the main web page for secure online donations or, donations may be mailed to Clearfield County Charitable Foundation, P.O. Box 1442, Clearfield PA 16830.