Since its inception, the Chester County Food Bank has aimed to do more to avoid becoming like many other food banks in the country that offer little more than canned goods, writes Krystine Sipple for Generocity.

The nonprofit was started by executive director Larry Welsch and local philanthropist Bob McNeil.

“We both realized that we were missing an opportunity to impact the health of those we served by not incorporating fresh food and a focus on self-sufficiency and health into the program,” said Welsch.

With this in mind, the Food Bank used a philosophy that also included educating the public on the benefits of healthy eating. This led to the creation of several programs, including community raised-bed gardens, food boxes for seniors and school-age children, a mobile market, and bilingual cooking classes.

The Chester County Food Bank quickly outgrew its original two-car garage location in Parkesburg and moved into a 36,000-square-foot facility in Exton with a fully certified production kitchen.

Among its newest programs is FRESHstart Kitchen, which was formed in September 2018 to educate and prepare residents with low incomes for sustainable employment in the food service industry.

Read more about the Chester County Food Bank at Generocity here.

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