Pa. Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding and Air National Guard Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. Lynn Lee distributed food to local veteran and active-duty families.

GETTYSBURG, Pa. — On Tuesday, authorities with the Shapiro administration assisted with food distribution at the Gettysburg distribution site of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank’s MilitaryShare program.

Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding and Pennsylvania Air National Guard Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. Lynn Lee assisted volunteers in unloading trucks of Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System (PASS) products and distributing food to local veteran and active-duty military families. 

“Pennsylvania’s military and veteran families have sacrificed so much for all of us,” Redding said. “As we enter the season of gratitude, it is our responsibility to ensure they have access to fresh, healthy food. The Governor’s increased investment in food assistance programs is making a real, immediate difference for families across the Commonwealth.”

Redding and Lee unpacked deliveries funded by PASS and prepared boxes for distribution. PASS helps redirect Pennsylvania-grown agricultural products that might otherwise go to waste, benefiting the state’s agriculture sector, farm communities and food insecure residents. Some PASS-supported foods distributed on Tuesday included products from Knouse Foods and Sunset Farms.

“Today is a good reminder to all of us about the importance of food, community and, particularly, our military families who serve and continue to serve,” Redding added.

The MilitaryShare program serves military families of all branches and statuses through 28 distribution sites across the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank’s 27-county service area. In total, the program helps more than 45,000 people annually.

“With programs like MilitaryShare, we ensure military families receive the support they’ve earned,” said Maj. Gen. John Pippy, Pennsylvania’s adjutant general and head of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. “We are grateful for community partners like the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and Department of Agriculture who pull together and remind us that caring for our heroes starts with caring for those they love.”

In total, around 100 families received food today.