Amid rising levels of food insecurity, largely due to the recent federal government shutdown and uncertainty around the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank is prepared to help ensure that Berks & Schuylkill County neighbors will have food on their tables this Thanksgiving.
Over the past month, Helping Harvest has prepared nearly 15,000 Thanksgiving heat-and-eat ready meals at its new Helping Harvest Community Kitchen in downtown Reading. This is the first year that the food bank prepared these types of meals on this scale, and the meals will largely be distributed to area seniors. Helping Harvest will also distribute Thanksgiving pantry boxes and turkeys, as in years past.
The menu for the heat-and eat-ready meals—featuring smoked turkey with house made gravy, sweet potato mash, green beans and cranberry sauce—was created by the Community Kitchen’s culinary team, chefs Melanie Galarza, George Adams and Chris Kochel. Meals were prepared and assembled by the chefs, staff and volunteers over the course of October.
“We wanted to create a meal that is delicious, nutritious and visually appealing,” said Galarza, director of culinary operations at the Community Kitchen. “Our hope is that we created something that neighbors are excited to eat. For those who are not able to cook a meal themselves, we still want them to have that comforting holiday experience.”
In addition to efforts at the Community Kitchen, staff and volunteers at the Helping Harvest warehouse in Spring Twp. have also been busy preparing for Thanksgiving. With a dedicated Thanksgiving box packing volunteer shift on October 25, staff and volunteers prepared 4,752 pantry boxes filled with products that are typically found in Thanksgiving recipes or on holiday tables. Additionally, Helping Harvest will distribute 3,632 whole turkeys and 2,252 turkey breasts to neighbors experiencing food insecurity.
“We know that for some neighbors, particularly seniors, a heat-and-eat meal is more convenient and nutritionally appropriate for them,” said Jay Worrall, president of Helping Harvest. “There are also a lot of families experiencing food insecurity in our community that still want to be able to cook their own holiday meal—we’re happy to be able to provide Thanksgiving boxes and turkeys or turkey breasts to them.”
Helping Harvest’s Thanksgiving efforts would be impossible without the support of volunteers. In the Community Kitchen, volunteers spent hours breaking down turkeys, chopping vegetables, peeling sweet potatoes and packaging meals. In the warehouse, volunteers were instrumental in packing the Thanksgiving boxes. Volunteers are also a critical component of the distribution process.
Food donors were also vital to the success and scope of this year’s Thanksgiving efforts. Donors included Koch’s Turkey Farm (2,114 smoked whole turkeys and 1,100 smoked turkey breasts), The Giant Company (1,000 whole turkeys), C&S Wholesale Grocers (300 whole turkeys), Wegman’s (30 cases of cranberry sauce), The Westy Bar & Grill (300 lbs. of butter), Russo’s Gourmet Foods & Market (220 lbs. of green beans) and Restaurant Depot (special discount pricing on 3,880 lbs. of sweet potatoes). Food drives and individual food donations also brought in 80 whole turkeys and many pantry staples.
The Thanksgiving heat-and-eat meals, boxes and turkeys will be distributed to neighbors in need throughout Berks and Schuylkill counties. Distribution will be facilitated by Helping Harvest’s network of 350 agency partners, such as food pantries, and via direct distributions at Mobile Markets, to low-income senior high-rises and more.
Helping Harvest’s Thanksgiving Efforts by the Numbers
Thanksgiving Heat-and-Eat Ready Meals:
14,386 meals prepared
2,100 smoked turkeys broken down and sliced
7,080 lbs. of sweet potatoes roasted and peeled
3,140 lbs. of green beans used
1,092 lbs. of cranberry sauce scooped (in 96 cans)
1,200+ volunteer hours on meal preparation and packaging
Thanksgiving Boxes & Turkeys:
4,752 Thanksgiving boxes packed
3,632 whole turkeys for distribution
2,252 turkey breasts for distribution
380 volunteer hours on packing boxes
Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank is the leading provider of food to neighbors in need in Berks and Schuylkill counties in Pennsylvania. Helping Harvest delivers food to over 350 partners in its service area. In 2024, Helping Harvest distributed over $20 million in food to neighbors in need. Helping Harvest is a Partner Food Bank of Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization.
