NORTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — Leaders of Parkland Cares, flanked by local officials, cut the ribbon Thursday on a new headquarters, marking a new era in the food bank’s operations.
“It took a village.”Parkland Cares Executive Director Katrina Sundstrom
“Tonight, we gather in celebration not of a project completed, but of a community that has come together in generosity, kindness and unwavering support,” Parkland Cares Executive Director Katrina Sundstrom said.
“It took a village.”
Upstairs at the new facility at 5074 Kernsville Road in Orefield, volunteers will assemble “snack packs,” containing enough food for a few meals.
It's meant to get food insecure students through holidays or weekends without breakfast and lunch at school.
Downstairs, people who live in Parkland School District can "shop" from the organization’s food pantry, selecting from fresh produce and refrigerated goods in addition to shelf-stable staples.
In the adjoining room, volunteers can unpack and sort food coming in from donors and partners.
Previously, the snack packs were put together at a local firehouse and Parkland Cares distributed food from the parking lot of Springhouse Middle School, loading up clients’ cars with pre-assembled bags of food.
Need is rising
The new facility also means that Parkland Cares can distribute food more efficiently and serve twice as many families per hour.
Before shifting to drive-through operation in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the food pantry operated out of a disused dentist’s office.
Readying the new building required months of work and roughly $50,000 of donated design, engineering and other services.
“This is a community that many believe didn't have a hunger issue. ‘Parkland?’ they would say… ‘The place with big houses and fancy cars? Hunger doesn’t exist here. Well, it did, and it does.”Parkland Cares Executive Director Katrina Sundstrom
The total cost of the project is not yet clear, Sundstrom said.
In March, the food bank served 164 families, more people than it ever fed in a single month of drive-through distribution, Sundstrom said.
It’s on track to distribute food to about 180 this month.
Demand for Parkland Cares is growing. According to Sundstrom, the organization feeds five to 10 more families per month, which shows no sign of slowing as food prices rise.
“This is a community that many believe didn't have a hunger issue," Sundstrom said. "‘Parkland?’ they would say… ‘The place with big houses and fancy cars? Hunger doesn’t exist here.
“Well, it did, and it does.”
