PSFCU Boosts YMCA of Centre County Anti-Hunger Program With $20K Donation

The YMCA of Centre County received a $20,000 donation to support one of its key anti-hunger programs.

Penn State Federal Credit Union recently donated the funds to the YMCA’s Backpack Program, which serves children and families struggling with food insecurity in eight Central Pennsylvania school districts.

“At Penn State Federal Credit Union, community support is central to our mission,” CEO Rick Tabor said. “We are honored to partner with the YMCA of Centre County in support of the Backpack Program and the many children and families it serves throughout our region. Programs like this make a direct and lasting impact, and we are proud to help support that effort.”

Through the program, backpacks full of meals and snacks for the weekend are distributed to children each Friday during the school year. Empty backpacks are then returned to the school on Monday so they can be refilled for the following weekend.

The program started in one school district in November 2014 and now serves more than 2,000 local children.

Aside from oversight and food ordering, the program is run mostly by volunteers who pack the backpacks and deliver them to participating schools.

“Penn State Federal Credit Union’s continued support is vital to the success and sustainability of the YMCA’s Backpack Weekend Food Program,” Mel Curtis, director of the YMCA of Centre County’s Anti-Hunger Programs, said. “Their generous donation makes a meaningful impact in the lives of many children by helping ensure they have food for the weekend. Their sincere commitment to helping others is greatly appreciated, and they recognize that no child should ever go hungry.”

No child is turned away from the Backpack Program, and parents can contact their children’s schools about enrolling.  The program serves Bald Eagle, Bellefonte, Clearfield, Moshannon Valley, Penns Valley, Philipsburg-Osceola, State College and West Branch area school districts.