Did You Know?

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The Chester County Food Bank collects, stores and distributes food to over 90 food cupboards, meal sites and social service organizations.

Since its beginning in 2009, the Food Bank has increased its distribution over 119% by distributing 2.1 million pounds of food, the equivalent to over 1.7 million meals, to the individuals and families across Chester County struggling to make ends meet.

That food doesn’t just magically show up at the Food Bank’s 36,000 sq. ft. warehouse or 7,500 sq. ft. commercial kitchen in Eagleview.  A big chunk of the Food Bank’s fresh produce is grown locally in the farm fields, garden beds and raised boxes scattered across the county.

Here is a sampling of the Food Bank’s 2014 fresh produce numbers:

  • Distributed 850,000 pounds of fresh produce.
  • Grew 300,000 pounds of the fresh produce distributed. The Food Bank ranks sixth in the nation for percentage of fresh food distributed to total distribution.
  • Distributed an estimated 180,000 pounds of the home-grown fresh produce was mixed vegetables grown by Food Bank volunteers at Springton Manor Farm, Pete’s Produce & Farm and other area farms.
  • Approximately 48,000 pounds of fresh produce distributed by the Food Bank every year is grown in the home gardens of volunteers.
  • Food Bank volunteers sustained 650 gardens at 134 sites.
  • Of these 134 sites, 216 gardens, including 8 covered high tunnel gardens, are located at 52 schools throughout Chester County
  • Vanguard Group in Malvern is home to 20 raised bed gardens

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