There are many opportunities for Pennsylvanians looking to volunteer over the holidays. Whether you want to dress up in festive gear and go running for a good cause, make sure your fellow Pennsylvanians have enough food for a holiday meal, or provide gifts for families in need, there are many ways to give back this year. 

Run for a good cause

Want to stay in shape this winter while raising money for a good cause? There are numerous ways to do so this year.

The Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis takes place on Saturday, Dec. 13 in Philadelphia. On the other side of the state, the Fleet Feet Running Club of Pittsburgh will hold its Holiday Lights Charity Run to benefit the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank on Thursday, Dec. 18.

You can support the Greater Scranton YMCA’s financial assistance program, which ensures people can access the YMCA programming regardless of income, by participating in the Jingle Bell Jog on Saturday, Dec. 13. 

In West Reading, don your most festive gear and bring homemade cookies for the Pagoda Holiday Run on Saturday, Dec. 20. The annual event will raise money for Bethany Lutheran Church’s food pantry.

Support a food bank or pantry

Around one in eight Pennsylvanians are food insecure, meaning they don’t know where their next meal is going to come from. As congressional Republicans and the Trump administration cut federal food aid, known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, more Pennsylvanians are expected to lose the benefits they use for groceries and will likely turn to already struggling food pantries and other food distribution sites for support. 

In Pennsylvania, there are nine food banks that are affiliated with the national nonprofit Feeding America and work to stock thousands of pantries throughout the state. A food bank collects and distributes food to pantries, which then directly provide food to those in need.

During the holiday season and year-round, you can donate time, money and food to these food banks, as well as your local food pantry. To find a food pantry near you, click here.

Here are the nine food banks in Pennsylvania: 

The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank partners with 1,100 local agencies and programs in 27 counties to serve about 268,000 people every month. You can find out about donating funds and food, volunteering, and fundraising on the group’s website.

The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank has worked with more than 1,000 community partners and thousands of volunteers to serve nearly 53 million meals to people in 11 counties in southwestern Pennsylvania over the past year. You can learn about donating money and food, volunteering, and hosting a food drive on the food bank’s website.

In southwestern Pennsylvania’s Westmoreland County, Westmoreland Food Bank serves close to 40,000 people annually and provides food to more than 8,000 households each month. To support the food bank, you can donate money and food and volunteer.

With its mobile pantry, summer food program for children, senior food box program, and other initiatives, the Mercer County Food Bank provides food for close to 6,000 households every month. To donate, go here, and find out more about volunteering here. 

The Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania works with food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters and other community groups to annually distribute millions of pounds of food for children, families, seniors, people with disabilities, and others in 11 counties. To get involved, you can donate funds and food and volunteer.

Philabundance partners with hundreds of community groups to serve hundreds of thousands of people in the greater Philadelphia and southern New Jersey areas. To volunteer, click here, and for information about donating, go here. Philabundance also lists area food pantries.

Helping Harvest annually provides more than 9 million pounds of food to hundreds of community sites, including pantries and after-school programs, in Berks and Schuylkill counties. Learn about volunteering, donating money and food, and hosting a food drive.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania each year gives out millions of meals in six counties. You can volunteer with them or donate as well. You can find a nearby pantry on their website to volunteer and donate as well.

In northeastern Pennsylvania, the Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank distributed more than 16.4 million pounds of food to some 356 community partners, including food pantries, homeless shelters, group homes for people with disabilities, and day care centers last year. If you’d like to support the food bank, you can donate, volunteer, and organize a food drive.

Serve a holiday meal 

Throughout the commonwealth, there are opportunities to make sure families have festive holiday meals.

Pennsylvania’s 211 helpline provides information about groups that offer holiday meals. You can search the site based on your location and connect with a listed organization to see if they need help serving upcoming meals. 

The Philadelphia-based Jewish Relief Agency distributes food year-round, including for Hanukkah. Learn more about volunteering for the JRA here.

United Way chapters often provide holiday meals, or can connect people with groups that are offering them. You can find your local chapter on the United Way of Pennsylvania website.

Additional food resources for Pennsylvanians can be found here.

Adopt a family 

Holiday adoption programs connect you with a family in need. As part of the program, the family typically provides specific requests for gifts, food or other items. Find a list of groups offering holiday adoption programs through Pennsylvania’s 211 helpline. Don’t forget to click on “Add my location” at the top of the screen to find groups closest to you.

There’s also a range of organizations that provide holiday gifts to families, which can be found here.

The Domestic Violence Center of Chester County offers a program through which you can donate holiday gifts to survivors of domestic violence. More information can be found here.

Your local department of human services may also offer similar services. Allegheny County Human Services, for example, runs a holiday project in which you can sponsor a child accessing DHS services. To purchase gifts for the holiday project, click here.

Volunteer for Kwanzaa celebrations

Pennsylvania is home to Kwanzaa celebrations across the commonwealth. Kwanzaa celebrates African American culture from Dec. 26 through Jan. 1. 

There are numerous ways to volunteer for Kwanzaa events in Pennsylvania, including at the African American Museum as part of its celebration that will include family-friendly activities, live performances and more. The museum will hold events every day of Kwanzaa, including a unity ceremony to kickstart the festivities on Dec. 26. To volunteer, fill out this form on the museum’s website.

The PairUP Society and the Mercer Museum in Bucks County’s Doylestown will host a free Kwanzaa event from 4-6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 26. The celebration will include music, vendors, children’s activities, and more. To learn more about volunteering, call the Mercer Museum at 215-345-0210, email [email protected] or fill out the contact page on the Mercer Museum’s website.

The Black Scranton Project holds annual Kwanzaa festivities. To connect with the group about donating or volunteering, email [email protected], call 570-871-0539 or click here.