PA Beef Foundation’s Beefing-Up Backpacks Expands Distribution of Locally-Sourced Beef Sticks to Fight Childhood Food Insecurity
August 1, 2025 | 2 min to read
In Bedford, PA, the Pennsylvania Beef Foundation is expanding the Beefing Up Backpack program, designed to combat food insecurity by supplying children with nutritious, protein-rich beef sticks. Partnering with organizations that provide weekend food backpacks, nearly 40,000 beef sticks will be distributed across nine counties. As the program aims to double its reach to 72,000 by 2025, Nichole Hockenberry emphasizes the agricultural community’s commitment to ensuring children have access to healthy, locally-sourced food.
Bedford, PA – The Pennsylvania Beef Foundation is proud to announce the continued expansion of the Beefing Up Backpack program—an initiative aimed at combating food insecurity by providing nutritious, protein-rich beef sticks to children across the Commonwealth.
Housed within the charitable arm of the PA Beef Council, the Beefing Up Backpack program partners with organizations that facilitate weekend backpack food programs to reach children who may face hunger when school meals are unavailable. Through the help of these vital partners, the program will have distributed nearly 40,000 PA-sourced beef sticks to youth in need spanning across nine counties throughout Pennsylvania.
These shelf-stable, high-protein beef sticks are proudly manufactured by Stoltzfus Meats, a valued partner in the fight against food insecurity. With strong support from dedicated beef industry partners, the PA Beef Foundation is aiming to more than double its reach to date in 2025, with a goal of distributing 72,000 beef sticks to children in need for the inaugural year.
“This program reflects the agricultural community’s deep commitment to ensuring every child has access to a nutritious food source—especially one that is Pennsylvania-raised and processed,” said Nichole Hockenberry, Executive Director of the PA Beef Council. “Thanks to our partners and the support of local organizations, we are truly making a difference—one child at a time through the power of protein.”
The Beefing Up Backpack program is an example of industry-driven compassion in action, reinforcing the role of agriculture in meeting community needs beyond the farm gate. As the program expands, the PA Beef Foundation remains committed to fueling the next generation with the power of protein—delivered through locally raised beef and the generosity of those who make this mission possible.
To learn more about the Beefing Up Backpack program or how you can support its mission, visit https://www.pabeef.org/about-us/pennsylvania-beef-foundation
About the Pennsylvania Beef Foundation
The PA Beef Foundation established in 2024 is a 501c3 non-profit housed within the PA Beef Council and is committed to supporting beef industry advancement and community health through education, research, and outreach initiatives. Beefing Up Backpacks is its latest mission-driven project to help children across Pennsylvania.