Greater Washington County Food Bank Rebrands as Food Helpers
Brownsville, PA (June 28, 2021) – Food Helpers is the culmination of a five-year rebranding initiative that reflects the transformation of the Greater Washington County Food Bank into a comprehensive and proactive food services organization. In addition to its new name and logo, the organization created a new website at www.FoodHelpers.org.
“During the past five years, Greater Washington County Food Bank has been transforming the food banking industry with innovative and proactive approaches to address the unique problems that cause food insecurity,” remarked Connie Burd, Executive Director. “We have grown to be so much more than a food bank and so we needed a new brand to represent that growth. But we are maintaining the Greater Washington County Food Bank name as one of our four divisions under the Food Helpers brand.”
“We are very grateful for the financial and volunteer support from the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, which enabled us to distribute over $3,000,000 of nutritious food since March 2020, the most food we have distributed at any time in our history,” said Board President Chris Claspy. “Our community has proven time and again over the years that it wishes to help, and so we are optimistic that the tremendous community support we received under our previous brand, will continue under our new Food Helpers brand.”
EQT is just one of many companies who have provided both financial and volunteer services to Food Helpers and its programs.
“For years, and especially since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, food insecurity has been a large issue throughout our operational footprint, including here in Washington County,” said Ellen Rossi, President, EQT Foundation. “We are proud to support Food Helpers in the many programs the organization provides to the community. The innovation and education that is taking place on The FARM is nothing short of stellar! And we’ve been so fortunate to have our EQT Qrew volunteers at the Food Bank on a monthly basis to assist with warehouse support and pack food boxes; everyone always looks forward to the time they spend working alongside the staff.”
Taking a proactive approach, Food Helpers is launching two new programs in 2021.
The new Community Outreach Food Program will utilize the Truck to Trunk delivery model that Greater Washington County Food Bank pioneered late in 2019, to distribute food to needy families in rural and underserved areas of the county. Partnerships with local farmers will ensure that the highest quality of food is distributed. To serve as many needy families as possible, the site location will change on a weekly basis.
The new Short Term Emergency Program, STEP, will provide nutritious meals to individuals with short-term medical conditions with no or a limited support system at home, as well as the recently unemployed.
Additionally, Greater Washington County Food Bank, a division of Food Helpers, will also continue as the lead agency in Washington County to administer the PA Senior Food Box Program, which seeks to improve the health of needy seniors 60 years and older, by providing nutritious boxes of food. This program is funded by Feeding Pennsylvania and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, and distributes food boxes to seniors living in low-income living facilities and through community distributions.
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About Food Helpers
Food Helpers is a 501(c)3 charitable non-profit located in West Brownsville, PA. Its mission is to form lasting solutions to hunger insecurity through effective food distribution systems; to educate and empower the needy in seeking positive lifestyle changes; and, to create awareness through individual and community partnerships. It operates under four divisions: The FARM, the Country Thrift Market, the Healthy Habits Training Center, and its flagship division, the Greater Washington County Food Bank. To learn more, visit www.foodhelpers.org