This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette.
At the State College Food Bank, the shelves may look full, but Executive Director Allayn Beck knows how quickly they can empty.
The nonprofit, which serves more than 500 Centre County households each month, is entering its busiest stretch and one of its most crucial community food drives happens this weekend.
“We’re seeing more people come, and food is costing more,” Beck said during a recent tour. “We’re serving more, and it’s costing us more to serve them.”
The food bank is funded almost entirely by private donations, grants and community giving.
“We do get United Way funding and support from foundations,” she said. “But we are almost entirely privately funded.”
The pantry’s client-choice model allows families to “shop” every 30 days for one to two weeks’ worth of groceries using a point system based on household size. There are no income guidelines, an intentional decision aimed at reaching those who fall outside federal poverty thresholds, including the “ALICE” population (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed).
“If you live in Centre County and identify as needing food, we want to make sure you get food,” Beck said.
Feeding that pipeline depends on volunteers — more than 100 committed helpers each week — and on a steady inflow of donated food. The largest single-day influx arrives with Scouting for Food, set for Saturday, Oct. 25, when Boy Scouts fan out across neighborhoods to collect nonperishables from doorsteps and deliver them to pantries across the region.
“It’s our largest food drive every year,” Beck said. “Last year, the Scouts collected about 27,000 pounds of food for us, all in one day.”
Jefferey Pickett, Scout Executive/CEO of the Juniata Valley Council, said the service project is woven into scouting’s DNA.
“There’s a huge need for food, and there are folks whose needs are not met any other way than by local food pantries or the State College Food Bank,” Pickett said. “This is just a great way to teach young children to be able to give back, to teach our scouts how to do that good turn daily.”
Across the council’s five-county footprint — Blair, Centre, Mifflin, Juniata and Huntingdon — the scope is sizable.
“Last year we actually collected over 80,000 pounds of food,” Pickett said. He emphasized that donations remain in the communities where they’re given. “All that food stays local,” he said. “If they’re giving in the State College area, that’s going to go to serve families right there.”
Coordinating a countywide pickup takes planning, especially in densely covered neighborhoods.
“There are a lot of behind-the-scenes logistics,” Pickett said. “Troop leaders and Cub Scout pack leaders coordinate with one another to develop the maps of which units are covering which areas, especially where there might be overlapping. When you’re down in State College and you have multiple Scouting units, it takes coordination to make sure there’s no overlap, and that there aren’t areas left uncovered.”
Participation is broad. “We have approximately 1,300 scouts in our council, and almost every one of them participates,” Pickett said. “Some distribute door hangers and collect food; others go to a food pantry or food bank and help sort and box items.”
Beck said the timing of the drive matters. The food bank begins Thanksgiving distributions on Oct. 24 and has historically supplied turkeys to smaller county pantries as well. With the state budget still unresolved, the Food Bank plans to bolster neighbors where it can.
“We’re prepping for the possibility of what’s coming if that budget doesn’t get passed,” Beck said. “We’re already planning to provide turkeys and additional food to smaller county pantries this year.”
Pickett said the holidays sharpen both need and generosity.
“We all have a giving heart year-round, but we especially notice it during times like Thanksgiving when many celebrations are centered around food,” he said. “You hate to see any families that aren’t able to partake in that. We hope in some small way our scouts can help folks do that.”
Residents can place clearly labeled, nonperishable items outside the night before pickup; if a home is missed, the Food Bank’s 24-hour donation room accepts drop-offs any time. Beck offered two additional tips: check the Food Bank’s current needs list at scfoodbank.org and avoid donating opened, damaged or expired items.
