As volunteers lifted crates of milk, apples, potatoes, and other Pennsylvania-grown foods at the Gettysburg Rec Park on Wednesday, two top state officials joined them — underscoring what they said is a rapidly growing need for food assistance among military families.
Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding and Pennsylvania Air National Guard Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. Lynn Lee visited the Adams County MilitaryShare distribution site to help unload trucks and prepare boxes of food for local veterans, reservists, and active-duty families. Their stop highlighted the Shapiro Administration’s increased investment in food security programs across the Commonwealth as Thanksgiving approaches.
“Pennsylvania’s military and veteran families have sacrificed so much for all of us,” Redding said. “As we enter this season of gratitude, it is our responsibility to ensure they have access to fresh, healthy food.”
The visit comes amid what state officials describe as historic demand on the charitable food system. This year’s state budget includes an $11 million increase for food security initiatives — funding boosts for the State Food Purchase Program, the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System (PASS), and a new Food Bucks program that helps SNAP families buy Pennsylvania-grown produce. Combined with other programs, Pennsylvania is now investing more than $40 million in fighting hunger.
Inside the Rec Park’s distribution area, volunteers and officials worked side-by-side stacking dairy products, butter, yogurt, and produce — much of it sourced from nearby farms through PASS. During conversations with volunteers, Redding explained how PASS purchases Pennsylvania agricultural products that would otherwise not reach retail shelves and directs them to food banks. He noted that the program began with Adams County apples years ago — a pilot effort that paid growers the basic cost to pick and pack fruit that might otherwise have gone to waste.
Today, 290 Pennsylvania farms supply products through PASS, including potatoes from Schuylkill County and apples and dairy from local producers. “It’s a really nice reminder of how this all happens,” Redding told volunteers.
Volunteers at the Rec Park distribution also discussed the pressures facing agricultural families — rising costs, limited margins, and unpredictable seasons. One attendee noted that while communities often talk about hungry families, the public rarely considers the challenges faced by the growers who produce the food. Others said many farmers want to stay on their land but struggle to make ends meet.
More than 9 percent of households receiving food assistance in central Pennsylvania include a current or former member of the U.S. military. MilitaryShare — created by the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank — now operates at 28 distribution sites across 27 counties and serves more than 45,000 people annually.
The Gettysburg Rec Park site provides veterans and active-duty families with boxes of fresh, nutritious foods distributed with dignity and privacy. Maj. Gen. John Pippy, Pennsylvania’s adjutant general, said in a statement that caring for military families is essential to caring for service members themselves.
During the visit, Redding and Lee met with families picking up food and spoke with staff about Adams County’s increasing needs. Volunteers said the need is rising locally. One noted that even farmers markets, which recently closed for the season, were directing significant portions of their budgets toward food support for neighbors in need.
As boxes were stacked and loaded, Redding said he hoped visits like the one in Gettysburg help residents better understand both the supply chain and the people behind it — the families receiving food and the farmers growing it. One participant summed up the mood at the Rec Park distribution: “There’s certainly enough food to go around. It’s just about getting it to the people who need it.”
Photo caption: Redding and Lee
