Central Pennsylvania Food Bank sees sizable jump in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic

(Harrisburg) — The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank has increased its distribution by 40 percent this year as the pandemic left hundreds of thousands jobless in the midstate.

In April, Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate jumped to 15 percent after the state put in place widespread COVID-19 closures. The Department of Labor and Industry reported that number fell to 6.6 percent in November.

The food bank has passed out 15 million extra pounds of food this year to over 200,000 people.

That distribution was in large part made possible by a surge of volunteers, according to Joe Arthur, the food bank’s executive director.

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