Bethesda Mission in Harrisburg
Bethesda Mission this week began its annual fall food drive, with a goal of collecting more than 100,000 pounds of food by Christmastime.
The drive, which runs through Dec. 22, will help the mission distribute more than 1,200 bags of food and serve more than 20,000 meals this holiday season, according to the mission.
“Recently, it’s been challenging to keep our inventory stocked year-round with staple, non-perishable food items, but the food drive continues to be a way for us to receive the food we need for the holidays and into the upcoming year,” said Zachary Kinard, director of outreach for Harrisburg-based Bethesda Mission. “It’s amazing to watch how generous our friends and neighbors in Central PA have been in providing these food donations.”
There are several donation options:
- Non-perishable food items (no glass containers) may be dropped them off at Bethesda Mission (611 Reily St., Harrisburg), M&T Bank branches, Dauphin County Library branches and Fred Beans Ford and Kia dealerships in Mechanicsburg.
- Businesses, churches and community groups may hold their own food drives. To do so, groups are encouraged to contact Jessica Henry at 717-257-4442 x229 or jhenry@bethesdamission.org for support materials.
- Financial contributions to purchase fresh meat, produce and dairy are accepted online at bethesdamission.org/donate or by mail to Bethesda Mission, P.O. Box 3041, Harrisburg, PA 17105.
For suggested food items and a full list of collection points, visit BethesdaMission.org/event/food-drive.
As a result of last year’s drive, Bethesda Mission collected 98,305 pounds of food, distributed 1,050 food bags and served 20,805 meals. The mission estimates that 65 churches, schools and businesses participated by collecting canned goods through December 2017.
For more information about Bethesda Mission, visit www.bethesdamission.org.
