Power Packs Project — Fine Living Lancaster

In 2005, Power Packs Project began in one Lancaster elementary school, serving 14 families.

Now, Power Packs is the largest school pantry program in Central Pennsylvania, partnering directly with nine school districts in Lancaster County (Cocalico, Columbia, Donegal, Hempfield, Lampeter-Strasburg, Manheim Township, Penn Manor, School District of Lancaster, and Warwick) and five school districts in Lebanon County (Annville Cleona, Cornwall Lebanon, ELCO, Lebanon, and Northern Lebanon), serving more than 70 school sites. During the 2021-2022 school year, and during summer distributions, Power Packs provided more than 400,000 nutritious meals, the healthy ingredients for those meals, and nutrition education for families in those school districts who are struggling with hunger.

Power Packs Project’s mission is to provide nutrition to students over the weekend, so that they return to school on Monday ready to learn. Power Packs has developed an innovative and unique model that provides not only nourishing food for children, but also directly addresses the issue of ongoing food insecurity, and empowers parents to prioritize nutrition and cook healthy meals on a budget. By providing families with a “pack” containing a simple recipe and the healthy low-cost ingredients needed to prepare the meal, parents learn to cook nutritious meals that they can replicate in the future. The weekly pack also includes food staples such as cereal, peanut butter, and a healthy snack for the weekend, as well as a fresh produce item, such as apples or green beans, and a quart of fresh milk. Also included is the cost of the ingredients and nutritional information, in order to help parents on a budget stretch their food dollars to feed their children throughout the week.

It truly takes a village for Power Packs to operate. The organization relies on amazing, dedicated volunteers and donors to keep the warehouse well-stocked and to manage weekly distributions. There are many ways to get involved — both as hands-on volunteers and as sponsors or donors. With the number of families involved continuing to climb as inflation stresses budgets, community support is critical for Power Packs to continue to meet the need of families struggling to put food on their tables.

For more information on how you can support Power Packs, please visit www.powerpacksproject.org.