Hunger-Free Pennsylvania began 40 years ago in response to the incredible need families faced shortly after the national recession peaked in 1983. In Pennsylvania, thousands of hardworking men and women suddenly found themselves without a job and without prospects when factories shuttered and mill doors closed. In Pennsylvania’s great industrial cities — Pittsburgh, Erie, Allentown, Bethlehem, Johnstown, Steelton, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and more — unemployment rates reached double digits. Nearly a quarter of residents in some communities were out of work. Pennsylvania has bounced back but hunger remains an epidemic. Nearly 3 million residents turned to food pantries and meal service programs to feed themselves and their families last year. One in seven residents remains at risk of going hungry. That’s why our commonwealth needs a statewide effort like Hunger-Free Pennsylvania to address food insecurity. Today, Hunger-Free Pennsylvania is the state’s largest nonprofit provider of food resources for hungry families and one of the state’s leading advocates in the fight against hunger. HFPA is the single largest provider of meals to older Pennsylvanians and needy seniors. Our statewide network of 18 food banks serves all 67 counties in the year-round battle to ensure a hunger-free Pennsylvania.