Third Annual Cram-A-Cruiser to help stock shelves of local food bank

The James Biever Police-Community Alliance (JBPCA), in conjunction with local police departments from Lebanon County, will hold their Third Annual Cram-A-Cruiser food drive to benefit the Lebanon County Christian Ministries Food Bank on Saturday, May 17, at the Grocery Outlet, located at 1301 Quentin Road in Lebanon from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. 

The Cram-A-Cruiser collection drive is a way for the JBPCA, along with local police departments and the Lebanon County community, to give back and help residents who are lacking the basic necessities of life. More and more people in Lebanon County are suffering from food insecurities due to higher costs of goods, lower income, less services due to lack of government funding, etc. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as “a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life.” 

According to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, “One in ten (9.8%) Lebanon County residents experiences food insecurity, and a similar proportion (9.7%) visited a food pantry in the last year. In total, nearly 14,000 individuals in the county are impacted by food insecurity and the charitable food network’s response to it.” In addition, as published in the Lebanon County Hunger Mapping Report, “Child food insecurity in Lebanon County is a particularly acute issue. Children are 71% more likely to experience food insecurity than adults.” The report also states that, “Food insecurity rates for children are at 14.4% compared to 8.4% for adults. This is one of the largest differentials in Pennsylvania and is driven by elevated child poverty rates.”

Last year, the event collected 2300 pounds of nonperishable items from LCCM’s wish list, surpassing the 1800 pounds collected at the first Cram-A-Cruiser event. Items on the wish list include, but are not limited to: rice, canned soups, pasta, canned meats, canned fruit, pasta sauce, toilet paper, toothpaste, etc. The complete wish list can be found at the following website: https://www.lccm.us/wish-list.html.

The public are invited to attend the event to make a donation of a nonperishable item and meet local law enforcement officers. Members of the public may also drop off nonperishable items at the following police stations during day-time office hours: South Lebanon Police Department (1800 S. 5th Avenue), Lebanon County Regional Police Department (725 Kimmerlings Rd. or 320 S. 18th St.), or the Western Lebanon County Regional Police Department (325 S. Railroad St., Palmyra).