Among other federal budget cuts, the United States Department of Agriculture canceled an estimated $250,000 food order for the Chester County Food Bank in April. In response, Chester County Commissioners expedited the final $75,000 installment of an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant to the Chester County Food Bank in early August. Expediting the grant allowed money awarded from ARPA funding to reach the bank faster and facilitate the continuation of food services provided by the bank.
The bank produced 6.1 million pounds of food in the 2025 fiscal year, a million pounds up from 4.6 million in the 2024 fiscal year. Only a portion of funding from the USDA given to the bank was cut, and bank officials aim to continue thriving with measures such as fundraising through the community and emergency funds if necessary. Director of Community Relations at the Chester County Food Bank Nicholas Imbesi believes the food bank can overcome the budget cuts and continue increasing its production for the community.
“We’re fundraising six to seven million dollars a year. We depend on our generous community, private donors, corporations, small businesses and foundations a lot,” Imbesi said. “We also run food drives all the time. We partner with other organizations and groups on community events.”
The Chester County government also launched a month-long donation drive in July under the Chester County Steps Up Initiative. The government partnered with the Chester County Food Bank to establish five collection sites around the county where Chester County government employees were able to donate food throughout the month. The drive collected 692 pounds of food and $760 in virtual monetary donations, with nearly 100 individual contributions.
Amy Cuthbertson, the Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer of Chester County, was heavily involved in the planning and execution of the donation drive. She felt happy with the results of the drive and the opportunity for employees to give back. Chester County Steps Up will remain active, and its next event is a collection drive for the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County in October.
“We wanted a way to supplement that involved employees, because Chester County feels that being a county employee is about public service more than a job,” Cuthbertson said. “We wanted to try to celebrate that idea of public service, and we came up with the Steps Up Initiative to showcase how our employees give back and step up when it matters the most.”
Ryan Ding can be reached at [email protected].
