READING, Pa. – It was a night of food and fundraising in Reading on Thursday.
Helping Harvest held its fourth annual “Celebration of Community and Hope” at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Reading.
More than 400 people came out for the event, all enjoying food from seven local restaurants including Thorn Alley Kitchen, Sweet Street Desserts, West Reading Tavern, Telia Perfect Greek, Sweet Ride Ice Cream, Cheers Bistro at the DoubleTree, and Helping Harvest Community Kitchen.
Those attending also heard from area leaders who stressed the importance of community, especially in a time of growing poverty.
“Today, many of the SNAP reductions that go into place take effect today,” said Jay Worrall, president of Helping Harvest. “So we really are relying on the community more than we ever have before in order to continue to grow, and the community really has stepped up for us.”
This marks a 21.8% increase from the prior fiscal year, the organization says.
The Giant Company was the presenting sponsor of the event, while Customers Bank and Weik Capital Management were gold sponsors.
Helping Harvest says it collects, purchases, stores and distributes food to feed the hungry in Berks and Schuylkill counties. The nonprofit had a recordbreaking year in 2025, distributing more than 11 million pounds of food. It is already on tract for another historic year.
The organization partners with more than 350 charitable food programs to stock food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, after-school programs, mobile markets and senior housing facilities.
Community members can support Helping Harvest in a variety of ways that include volunteering to organize and distribute food donations, hosting food drives, donating money and food, and advocating for policies that eliminate hunger.