Food assistance for local service members, veterans, and their immediate family members is available through the MilitaryShare program, a collaboration between the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, and the United Churches Elizabethtown Area (UCEA) Community Cupboard of Elizabethtown.

The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank partners with military service organizations throughout more than 20 central Pennsylvania counties to help ensure that eligible people can register for the program. Those who qualify will receive boxes of healthy, shelf-stable food items and fresh items such as milk, meat, eggs, and produce. Community Cupboard of Elizabethtown is used as a staging and distribution point.

The next distribution is set for Thursday, Sept. 12, and registration is required by Thursday, Sept. 5. To register, service members, veterans, and their family members living in the 17022, 17502, or 17552 ZIP codes may contact Monica Koontz, soldier and family readiness specialist with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, at 717-821-4684 or Monica.L.Koontz.civ@army.mil. For more information about UCEA, visit http://www.communityplaceetown.org.