State Rep. Manuel Guzman D-Berks recently announced that a project that impacts his legislative district will receive a $50,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to help improve the services of Helping Harvest in the county.
The grant of $50,000 will allow Helping Harvest to purchase a new transit van to deliver food to the Weekender Program at elementary schools and to pick up donations from retail grocer partners.
“I celebrate this investment because it will greatly support the monumental work of Helping Harvest in Berks County. This is a much-need investment. It is my priority to support the ongoing efforts of institutions like Helping Harvest and provide them with the appropriate resources,” Guzman said.
Jay Worrall, president of Helping Harvest, emphasized that the organization has been partnering with school districts to expand our Weekender Program, which delivers a bag of food on Fridays to students in the community to supplement the food they get at school during the week.
“This year, we will be distributing over 5,000 bags each week, up from 1,300 each week last school year. As you might imagine, getting those bags delivered each week can be very challenging, so this funding will be used immediately to purchase a van that our volunteers will use to bring bags to schools. Thank you so much!” Worrall said.
