About Central Pennsylvania Food Bank
Reduce hunger and strengthen communities across Central Pennsylvania by ensuring neighbors have enough to eat and by supporting nutrition programs and partnerships.
Focus Areas
food securityhunger reliefSNAP outreachyouth nutrition programssenior programssite sponsorship for SFSP and CACFPadvocacy and policy
Who They Fund
food-insecure individuals and householdslow-income communitiesdisaster-affected populations
Funding Style
direct service/deliveryemergency/short-term relief
About Central Pennsylvania Food Bank
A defining feature of Central Pennsylvania Food Bank is the scale of its food-relief grants to local partner organizations across central Pennsylvania, with awards that reach into the millions for individual recipients. In 2025, Bethesda Mission Lancaster Retail received $6,732,444 for food relief, and Harvest of Blessing in York received $3,329,351 for the same purpose. The pattern points to a funder built around direct food distribution rather than small project grants: large allocations support pantries, meal sites, and community food access points that can move food quickly to households facing hunger. The food bank also funds recurring support for established partners. New Hope Ministries, for example, appears across multiple years and locations, including Hanover and Mechanicsburg, showing an ongoing relationship rather than a one-time award. Other repeated recipients include Moshannon Valley YMCA and The Fb for Central & Northeast Missouri, suggesting that the food bank maintains multi-year food relief ties with organizations that can distribute food at scale. Its grantmaking is anchored in food security, hunger relief, and program support for local agencies working in the 27-county service area.
What Central Pennsylvania Food Bank Funds
Food security sits at the center of the foundation’s grantmaking. Recent awards include $2,397,437 to Lancaster County Food Hub for food relief and $1,972,257 to York County Food Bank for the same purpose, both reflecting support for local systems that move food to households and community sites. The food bank also backs emergency response and direct distribution. It gave $1,771,723 to Project Share in Carlisle for food relief, a grant that fits its emphasis on immediate food access. Partner organizations in central Pennsylvania receive sustained support through this model, with food routed through agencies that already serve people facing hunger. Its grantmaking also reaches organizations outside Pennsylvania when they operate within the same food-relief mission. Grants to Food Bank of Eastern Michigan in Flint and Fb of Central & Eastern North Carolina in Raleigh show support for food distribution partners as part of a broader relief network, while the purpose text remains centered on food access.
How Central Pennsylvania Food Bank Gives
Central Pennsylvania Food Bank’s typical grant size is $13,538 at the 25th percentile, $32,382 at the median, and $92,903 at the 75th percentile, but its recent food-relief awards also include much larger operating-scale commitments. The grant list shows recurring relationships over multiple years, including repeated awards to Moshannon Valley YMCA and New Hope Ministries locations. That pattern suggests ongoing support rather than isolated one-time grants. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Public application pathways are available for several partner programs, including site sponsorship and partner-agency participation.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$388M
Total Assets
$39.7M
Total Revenue
$132.6M
Total Expenses
$134.4M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $14K and $93K, with a median of $32K.
25th Percentile
$14K
Median
$32K
75th Percentile
$93K
Geographic Reach
Local14 states funded
About 98% of grants go to recipients in PA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
SHILA ULRICH
Accepts unsolicited proposals
Unlock Deep Analysis
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeSee Similar Funders
Free Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeWant a Personalized Pitch for Central Pennsylvania Food Bank?
Sign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Free plan available
No contracts
Cancel anytime