Through our 10 programs and 30 agencies, we serve over 4,200 families, in Mercer County.
If you or someone you know is in need of food assistance, please call us at 724-981-0353. We will connect you to your nearest food pantry.
The Backpack Program, a nationwide program of Feeding America, serves over 900 elementary and middle school children in 10 school districts throughout Mercer County. Eligible children deemed to be chronically hungry receive nutritious and child-friendly food for weekends during the school year. The premise behind the program is that there are school children who do not get enough food outside of school as food may be scarce at home due to varied economic reasons. Some children do not get much to eat after lunchtime on Fridays until breakfast at school on Mondays.
This volunteer-driven program boasts a volunteer base of over 200 who pack and deliver food bags and fundraise for their respective school district. Some school districts pack at the food bank and others at sites closer to their schools. A child can be sponsored for $248 per school year.
PA Senior Food Box, formerly known as the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, is a federal food program for seniors 60 and older, designed to improve the health of senior citizens. Food for the program is provided by the USDA’s Agency of Food and Nutrition Service. Once a month, volunteers pack food boxes for senior citizens participating in the senior box distribution. Volunteers may also be needed to assist with deliveries to the senior box distribution sites around the county. Community Food Warehouse of Mercer County provides this food box to over 420 seniors at 27 locations throughout Mercer County.
HARVEST HELPINGS PRODUCE PROGRAM
Harvest Helpings provides fresh year-around produce to food insecure households through the Mid-Atlantic Regional Cooperative and PASS (Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System), as well as local farmers. Fresh produce adds a higher nutritional content to the list of typical shelf-stable food items offered at pantries.
MilitaryShare provides private food distributions throughout the county at specially designated sites for veterans, active duty and inactive military personnel and their families who are struggling to make ends meet. Distributions occur nine times in the year and includes shelf-stable foods, produce, meat and dairy. More than 150 veterans and their families receive support from MilitaryShare. Donations are needed to support this program.
Myron's Meal Mobile, a mobile feeding unit, helps meet the needs of children and their families during the summer months. The renovated school bus has been retrofitted and is equipped with half cafeteria tables, benches, food warmers and coolers. The meal bus travels to low-income neighborhoods throughout the summer months and provides hot lunches to those who need it most in Mercer County.
The Mobile Pantry Program provides access to food to low-income families and seniors who live in rural and underserved areas of Mercer County. This program is a method of direct distribution by CFWMC. The refrigerated truck delivers food to a pre-determined distribution site within communities that do not have direct access to a food pantry or soup kitchen.
Community Food Warehouse, in partnership with Feeding Pennsylvania, American Dairy Association Northeast and Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association helped build the first statewide charitable fresh milk program in recent years. This program made it possible for food banks to offer this highly requested perishable commodity to food-insecure families and individuals that they could previously not supply. Each year, nearly 9,000 half gallons of milk are distributed to people in need.
STATE FOOD PURCHASE PROGRAM (SFPP)
CFWMC is the lead agency for Mercer County for state funding for the purchase of nutritionally sound food items.
STORE DONATION AND FOOD RESCUE PROGRAM
Local store donations of meats, canned goods, produce, and non-food items. Learn more.
TEMPORARY EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (TEFAP)
CFWMC is the lead agency for USDA commodities allocated to Mercer County. Learn more.