Stronger Together: A Community Conversation on Food Insecurity in Venango County

Food insecurity isn’t always visible — but in Venango County, it’s very real.

Nearly 50,000 people call this county home. More than 1,200 families live below the poverty line, and over 1,600 households do not have access to a vehicle. In a largely rural community where grocery stores can be 25 to 30 minutes away, transportation alone can become a major barrier to accessing healthy food.

Food insecurity is not simply about whether food exists. It is about whether people can reliably access it.

For some families, the closest option may be a convenience store or gas station where nutritious food is limited. For others, rising food costs, limited income, or unexpected expenses can quickly shift a household from “getting by” to struggling to keep enough food on the table.

This is not a distant issue. It is happening here in our community.

Why This Conversation Matters Now

Food insecurity has become an increasingly important issue in Venango County because many individuals and families are struggling to consistently access enough healthy food. Rising grocery prices, limited incomes, and the rural nature of our region can make it difficult for residents to afford or reach reliable food sources.

These challenges affect thousands of people locally and have ripple effects across the community. Access to nutritious food influences physical health, childhood development, academic success, and overall quality of life.

When families struggle to meet basic needs, the impacts extend far beyond the dinner table.

At the same time, hunger in rural communities often looks different than people expect.

Many people assume food insecurity is primarily an urban issue. In reality, families in rural areas may face different challenges, including limited job opportunities, transportation barriers, and fewer nearby food resources. These struggles are often less visible, but that does not make them any less significant.

Understanding those realities is the first step toward addressing them.

Why BBCF Is Helping Lead the Conversation

Bridge Builders Community Foundations is not a food pantry or a direct service provider. Our role in the community is different.

As a community foundation, we focus on bringing people, resources, and ideas together to address challenges that affect the region. That includes helping organizations collaborate, supporting initiatives through grantmaking, and encouraging long-term strategies that strengthen the community as a whole.

Food insecurity is one of those challenges.

By working with partners across the region, BBCF can help support conversations that lead to better coordination, stronger partnerships, and more informed investments in solutions. Understanding the scope of the issue also helps guide future grantmaking decisions and ensures resources are directed where they can have the greatest impact.

Addressing food insecurity requires collaboration. No single organization can solve the problem alone.

Introducing the Venango County Food Security Summit

To help move this conversation forward, Bridge Builders Community Foundations is partnering with Venango County Human Services and Community Services of Venango County to host the Venango County Food Security Summit.

This gathering will bring together food banks, food pantries, human service agencies, nonprofit organizations, and community partners who are working to address hunger across the region.

The purpose of the summit is to better understand where the greatest gaps exist in the local food system and to begin identifying ways to strengthen coordination among the organizations already doing this work.

Discussions will focus on:

• Identifying barriers that prevent people from accessing food
• Understanding how current programs and services intersect
• Improving communication and referrals between organizations
• Exploring long-term solutions that strengthen the region’s food network

For BBCF, the summit is also an opportunity to listen. As a community grantmaker, gaining a clearer understanding of food insecurity will help inform future funding decisions and ensure that resources are directed where they are most needed.

What Success Could Look Like

If this effort is successful, the outcome will not necessarily be a single new program. Instead, it will be a stronger and more coordinated response across the organizations already serving the community.

Better communication between agencies can help families find assistance more easily. Clearer coordination can reduce duplication of services and ensure gaps are addressed more effectively. Shared understanding can lead to smarter long-term strategies.

Ultimately, stronger collaboration should lead to something simple but powerful: making sure people who need food assistance can access it more easily, while also helping families move toward greater stability so they rely less on emergency food support over time.

The goal is not only to respond to hunger today but to build a stronger system that supports long-term community wellbeing.

Why This Matters to All of Us

Food insecurity touches many aspects of community life.

When families have reliable access to nutritious food, children are better able to focus and succeed in school. Health outcomes improve. Families experience greater stability. Communities become more resilient.

Addressing hunger is not only about food. It is about supporting the overall health and strength of the community.

For those working directly in food access programs, the summit offers an opportunity to share insights and collaborate more effectively. For community leaders and partners, it provides a chance to better understand the issue and explore solutions together.

The message at the heart of this effort is simple: people in our community need support, and meaningful progress requires working together.

Event Details

Venango County Food Security Summit
Monday, March 16, 2026
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Venango County Human Services Training Center
737 Elk Street
Franklin, PA

If you are part of a food bank, pantry, human service agency, nonprofit organization, or community partnership connected to this work, we invite you to join us.

RSVP here:
https://forms.gle/WzbbD2PY2xyiKg8i7

For questions, please contact 814-677-8687.

Moving Forward Together

Addressing food insecurity in Venango County will take time. It will require shared information, ongoing collaboration, and thoughtful planning.

But meaningful progress often begins with a simple step: bringing people together around a common goal.

The Venango County Food Security Summit is an opportunity to start that work — and to continue building a stronger, more connected response to hunger in our community.