Several Berks County nonprofits are set to benefit from a new round of state funding aimed at reducing food waste and strengthening hunger relief efforts across Pennsylvania.
The Shapiro administration announced this week that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is investing more than $4.1 million statewide through its Food Recovery Infrastructure Grant (FRIG) Program. The grants help food banks, pantries, soup kitchens, and other nonprofits purchase equipment needed to safely store, prepare, and transport recovered food for redistribution.
In Berks County, five organizations were awarded a combined $184,519 through the program:
- Berks Latino Workforce Development Corp – $39,728
- Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank – $39,750
- Opportunity House – $49,924
- Rehoboth Seventh-day Adventist Church – $41,047
- St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church – $14,070
The funding can be used to reimburse the cost of equipment such as refrigerators, freezers, stoves, microwaves, and vehicles—both refrigerated and non-refrigerated—used to store, transport, or prepare recovered food. Individual grants were capped at $50,000, with special consideration given to projects serving Environmental Justice areas.
“This program is all about getting good, fresh food to the Pennsylvanians who need it most instead of going to waste in landfills,” said DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley in a statement. “Nonprofit organizations such as food banks and soup kitchens play a vital role in providing sustenance to Commonwealth communities, so it’s important that the food they provide is transported and stored properly.”
Beyond addressing hunger, the program also targets the environmental impact of food waste. According to the state, food waste is the largest single component of Pennsylvania’s waste stream, with nearly 1.6 million tons disposed of in landfills. As food decomposes, it releases greenhouse gases, contributing to climate change.
State officials cited estimates from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency showing that, nationwide, more food is sent to landfills than any other single material in everyday trash.
The Berks County awards are part of a broad distribution of grants to nonprofits across the Commonwealth, supporting food recovery infrastructure from urban centers to rural communities. In neighboring counties, organizations in Schuylkill, Lancaster, Lehigh, and Chester counties also received funding through the program.
The FRIG program is designed to strengthen the capacity of local organizations already working on the front lines of food insecurity, helping ensure that safe, fresh food reaches residents who need it while reducing the amount of edible food discarded as waste.