Programs We Support

Community food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters

Food supplied by the GBFB provides more than 1,300,000 meals annually at soup kitchens and shelters and an average of 24,000 individuals receive food monthly from the food pantries.

Click the following links to see lists of these agencies: food pantries, soup kitchens & meal/snack programs, and shelters.

If you need food assistance please call the Greater Berks Food Bank at 610-926-5802 to find the location of a food pantry in your community.

Kids Cafes

An after-school program that provides nutritionally balanced meals to children who might not otherwise receive a meal at home. Additionally, the program provides homework help as well as recreational and social activities. The GBFB sponsors 25 Kids Cafes throughout the city of Reading. As many as 1,000 meals are served each weeknight and more than 1,200,000 meals have been served since the program was piloted in 1997.

Click here to see a list of all current Kids Cafe program sites.

Weekender Backpack Program

Provides a bag of food for kids to take home on Fridays after school for the weekend. Currently, the GBFB supports twelve program sites throughout Berks and Schuylkill Counties providing a total of 1,300 backpacks weekly. The GBFB is actively working to expand this program to serve more children.

Click here to see a list of all current Weekender Backpack Program sites.

Produce for Kids

Our newest program for children, piloted in March 2010, provides a bag of fresh produce to elementary school students in the city of Reading. In the 2010-2011 school year, the GBFB distributed more than 20,000 bags of fresh, nutritious food (totaling nearly 60,000 pounds of food) to young children through this program.

Commodity Supplemental Food Program

Provides a tote of food every month to more than 1,250 low-income senior citizens. The tote provides a supplement to the seniors' normal purchases in an effort to ensure they receive foods of high nutritional value.  The GBFB delivers the totes to more than 80 senior living centers throughout Berks and Schuylkill Counties.

Click here to see a list of all current CSFP delivery sites.

If you are 60 years of age or older and want to see if you are income eligible for this program, please refer to these income guidelines.

If you are income eligible, please call Ashley Snyder, Greater Berks Food Bank Program Coordinator, at 610-926-5802 ext. 207, to inquire about receiving an application to participate in this program.

* Please note - the GBFB is allotted a specific amount of totes to distribute monthly. This program typically has a wait list. It may take several months until you begin receiving a tote following completion of the application.