Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank
Alliance Hall
245 North Sixth St.
Allentown, PA 18102
Open Monday-Friday
9:30-11:45 a.m.
Give to the Allentown Food Bank
The Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank is Allentown’s only daily food bank, assisting families in need from Monday through Friday. Every dollar of your support helps provide this crucial support to approximately 25,000 people or more each year.
Give to the Allentown Food Bank
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines hunger as a physiological state of discomfort resulting from a chronic shortage of food intake. The USDA defines “food insecurity” as the lack of access, at times, to enough food for… Read More
Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank offers a variety of opportunities to become involved in supporting the fight against hunger. Participation in the work of the Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank shall not be restricted. Any individual, congregation, organization… Read More
Our Location and Hours
News and Updates
Rodale Institute, The Seed Farm Provide Organic Produce for Food Bank Clients
Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank clients have been enjoying healthier, organic produce this fall and will continue to do so throughout the winter thanks to the efforts of prominent community organizations and dedicated volunteers.
Both the Rodale Institute in Kutztown, Pa., and The Seed Farm in Emmaus, Pa., have been providing produce to the food bank since October. The Rodale Institute’s produce is provided through its Agriculture Supported Communities (ASC) program. ASC Program Manager Cynthia James said that there will be enough supply to support the Allentown Food Bank through the winter months. Local nutrition consultant Stephanie August also has been helping the food bank offer healthier items for its clients.
“We deeply appreciate this donation of nutrient-dense food that not only feeds people, but nourishes them,” said Beverly Levenson, President of the Food Bank’s Board of Directors. “Our consumers enjoy receiving fresh produce, and our partnership with the Rodale Institute, The Seed Farm, and others will provide ample benefit for the people we serve.”
The food bank’s board also would like to thank Amy Cook, Program Coordinator for The Seed Farm; Lindsay Parks, Executive Director for The Seed Farm; Brooke Kohler, Co-chair of The Seed Farm; and all the volunteers of the farm’s Food Recovery and Respect working group.
Image Courtesies: Rodale Institute and Stephanie August
News and Updates
Allentown Food Bank Grieves the Loss of Board President Dennis Zehner
The Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank mourns the passing of its Board President, Dennis W. Zehner, Sr., on Oct. 1, 2016.
Zehner served as the food bank’s Warehouse Supervisor for several years, and was elected its Board President in 2014. While he was an intensely private man, those who knew him understood that he had a deep and powerful love of humanity and a passion for giving to others.
“Dennis touched many lives, especially those at the Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank, where he was beloved, and he will be surely missed,” said Beverly Levenson, who succeeds Zehner as the food bank’s Board President. “It was here where his dedication to those less fortunate was passionately displayed every day.”
Born in Philadelphia and raised in Croydon, Pa., Zehner was a volunteer firefighter for the Croydon Fire Company #1 for eight years, holding several offices before relocating to Allentown, Pa. He further pursued his passion when he became a City of Allentown firefighter and served on the force for three years. He went on to work in the trucking industry working for 20 years for several transportation companies as a dispatcher, distribution manager, and general manager.
His leisure activities included rooting for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Philadelphia Eagles, reading, completing crossword puzzles, and visiting different baseball stadiums with his son, Dennis, Jr.
Zehner’s family has asked that contributions in his memory be made to the food bank. Contributions can be sent to the food bank at 245 North Sixth St., Allentown, PA 18102, or made on the web at AllentownFoodBank.org.
News and Updates
Allentown Food Bank Mourns Passing of Former Board President
The Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank mourns the passing of Richard Keim, Ph.D., former President of its Board of Directors, who passed away on June 20 the Phoebe Home in Allentown.
Keim served on the food bank’s board for more than 20 years, and served as the board’s chairman from 2004-2014. His community service also included tenures as a member and President of the Emmaus Borough Council and as the borough’s acting Mayor.
Keim worked as an educator in the East Penn School District before becoming a faculty member and psychologist at Kutztown University.
Keim will be missed by everyone at the Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank whose lives were touched by his dedication to the less-fortunate families and children of the Lehigh Valley, said Dennis W. Zehner, Sr., current President of the food bank’s Board of Directors.
News and Updates
Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank Issues Urgent Call for Donations with New Website
The Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank – the only food bank that serves Pennsylvania’s third largest city five days a week – issued an urgent call for financial donations as it introduced its new website at AllentownFoodBank.org.
Officials from the food bank say that a combination of rising costs, decreases in contributions, and the protracted Pennsylvania state budget standoff have forced the bank to spend an “alarming” amount of its funds and could potentially put its future in jeopardy.
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