Collaboration and Community at the PA Farm Show Build a Stronger Food System

The Pennsylvania Farm Show may be best known for milkshakes, butter sculptures, and goat cuddling, but this January it also served another important role; it became a convening space for collaboration.

Across one packed week in Harrisburg, leaders from agriculture, business, government, and the anti-hunger organizations came together with a shared purpose to strengthen Pennsylvania’s food system and ensure families across the Commonwealth have access to fresh, affordable food. For Feeding Pennsylvania and our member food banks, the PA Farm Show offered a unique opportunity to deepen partnerships, elevate on-the-ground expertise, and highlight what is possible when public and private sectors work together to address hunger.

“Whether it’s highlighting talented chefs using their skills to feed neighbors in need, or farmers donating their surplus products toward the same cause,” said Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, “One of the best parts of the Pennsylvania Farm Show is bringing together people who care deeply about their neighbors to find solutions to our shared challenges. Starting the year side by side with Feeding Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Food Policy Council, and so many others committed partners, and bringing that wealth of expertise, resources, and ideas to bear on fighting hunger is the best way to kickstart the work we do together for Pennsylvanians all year long.”

Fill a Glass with Hope ^®

Feeding Pennsylvania kicked off Farm Show week by celebrating the launch of the 2026 Fill a Glass with Hope^® Charitable Milk Program alongside our partners, PA Dairymen’s Association, Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program, and American Dairy Association North East, featured speakers, Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding and Super Bowl Champion Charlie Batch, and supporters from across the dairy, business, and nonprofit sectors.

Thanks to record-breaking support from our kickoff sponsors, the 2026 program year will help food banks distribute more than 1.13 million servings of fresh, Pennsylvania-produced milk to neighbors experiencing food insecurity. This milestone reflects the power of partnership, with corporate sponsors, dairy farmers, statewide organizations, and food banks working together to ensure families have access to one of the most requested, but least donated items at food banks. This year’s Supreme Champion Sponsors included Columbia Gas and the NiSource Foundation, Coterra Energy, The First-Energy Foundation, and Weis Markets.

Fill a Glass with Hope donations allow food banks to purchase milk at discounted prices directly from local dairies, strengthening Pennsylvania agriculture while increasing access to a nutritious food staple in communities across the state.

Bid. Buy. Donate.

The PA Farm Show’s Junior Livestock Auction once again demonstrated how agriculture, business, and hunger relief can intersect in meaningful ways through the Bid. Buy. Donate. program. The program allows donors to support the next generation of farmers while providing high quality, in-demand proteins for neighbors experiencing food insecurity.

This year, 80 animals were donated, including turkeys, hogs, goats, lambs, and steers. Bell and Evans was the top supporter this year, purchasing and donating twelve animals, including the Grand Champion Jr. Market Lamb raised by Clayton Heisey from Lebanon County that they purchased in partnership with Congressman Glen Thompson. Hoss’s Steak and Sea House donated the Reserve Champion Jr. Market Steer raised by Jayce McKinney from Somerset County. Other top donors included Seneca Resources with seven animals and Coterra Energy with six animals.

Bid. Buy. Donate. wouldn’t be possible without the support of our state legislators and the PA Dept. of Agriculture’s for the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System (PASS). When buyers at the junior livestock auction choose to donate animals to local food banks, PASS covers transportation, processing, and packaging costs.

Public Officials Day

Public Officials Day brought elected leaders together with agriculture, business, and charitable food network partners to celebrate the historical significance of Pennsylvania agriculture and the critical role it must play in our future.

Governor Josh Shapiro highlighted the importance of ending hunger in Pennsylvania and the critical role food banks play in communities across the Commonwealth. Feeding Pennsylvania staff and member food banks were honored to be part of the conversation, helping connect policymakers with the real-world impacts of hunger in their districts.

There was shared sentiment throughout the day and in our conversations with leaders from across sectors that food security and a strong agricultural economy are deeply connected.

Pennsylvania Hunger Action Coalition

During the Pennsylvania Hunger Action Coalition’s bi-annual meeting, a broad range of anti-hunger organizations and allied partners came together to align policy priorities for the year ahead. Participants included food banks, pantries, food policy councils, community groups, businesses, and state agencies.

Feeding Pennsylvania’s director of public policy, Ryan Prater, joined Stephen O’Brion, advocacy coordinator from Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, to lead a discussion to map out shared advocacy priorities for 2026 and 2027. The session focused on how organizations across sectors can work together to elevate the most pressing food insecurity issues with a unified voice.

Rep. Emily Kinkead joined to share insights on effective advocacy strategies. Participants also heard from business and philanthropic partners about innovative approaches to food access, reinforcing the value of collaboration across public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

Pennsylvania Food Policy Council Summit

The Pennsylvania Food Policy Council Summit showcased collaboration at every level, from community leaders to state agencies, focused on building a more resilient and equitable food system.  

Feeding Pennsylvania member food banks played a key role throughout the summit. Katie Kerr, government relations coordinator from Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, joined a panel with representatives from philanthropic organizations, food cooperatives, and local food policy councils to discuss how communities are responding to rising food costs, federal policy shifts, and increasing food insecurity through local partnerships.

Feeding Pennsylvania’s Ryan Prater also partnered with Steph Hardman, deputy director of policy and legislation for the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, to discuss how food policy councils and community organizations can more effectively engage elected officials and agencies.

A highlight of the summit was the fireside chat featuring Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding, Secretary of Health Debra Bogen, and Deputy Secretary, Department of Human Services, Office of Income Maintenance, Hoa Pham, that modeled what effective collaboration can look like. The conversation centered on honest dialogue, shared responsibility, and human dignity.

A recurring theme was clear: partnership and collaboration will be critical as we navigate the current food policy landscape. In Pennsylvania, agriculture and food systems must remain interconnected. Partnerships between farms and food banks are urgent and crucial.

We also need partners from healthcare, insurance, faith communities, and employers at the table. These sectors must understand how closely connected food production, food access, and health outcomes truly are. The panelists also stressed the role state agencies can play to help facilitate these relationships.

Helping Harvest Community Kitchen

Farm Show attendees also saw collaboration come to life on the PA Preferred^® Culinary Connection stage, where the Helping Harvest Community Kitchen demonstrated how rescued food, local ingredients, and professional culinary expertise can come together to nourish communities.

Featuring dishes prepared with Pennsylvania-produced ingredients, the demonstration highlighted how community kitchens transform surplus food into nutritious, ready-to-eat meals for neighbors facing hunger. It was a powerful reminder that food access is more than calories. It is about dignity, health, and community connection.

A Shared Commitment to Ending Hunger

From the food court and show floor to policy discussions, the 2026 Pennsylvania Farm Show made one thing clear: ending hunger in Pennsylvania will require collaboration across agriculture, business, government, and the charitable food network.

Feeding Pennsylvania is proud to stand alongside our member food banks and partners who bring expertise, leadership, and lived experience to this work. Together, we are building solutions that support farmers, strengthen communities, and ensure all Pennsylvanians have access to the nutritious food they need to thrive.