HARRISBURG, Pa. – September is bowing out on a sweeter, more substantial note in central Pennsylvania, as Sioux Honey Co-op and retail partner Weis Markets donated 4,860 pounds of SUE BEE Clover Honey to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank Wednesday, the final day of National Honey Month and Hunger Action Month.
The three-pallet shipment, delivered to the Food Bank’s Harrisburg Healthy Food Hub, included 9,720 eight-ounce bottles. It comes as neighbors across the Food Bank’s 27-county service area struggle with food insecurity – 1 in 8 people and 1 in 5 children.
“The fight against hunger requires both scale and consistency,” said Shila Ulrich, CEO of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. “In 2025, our network distributed more than 70 million pounds of food and helped 596,000 neighbors across 27 counties. This donation gives nearly 1,100 partner programs a versatile product that can move quickly from our Healthy Food Hubs to family kitchens throughout the region.”
The delivery continues the ongoing “Sharing Sweetness” initiative for Sioux Honey, which brings the co-op together with retailers, community food banks and nonprofit organizations to help neighbors facing food insecurity. With this delivery, Sioux Honey's large-scale honey donations have surpassed 109,000 pounds of honey over the past two years.
“National Honey Month is a chance to recognize both the wonder of honey and the 180-plus beekeeper families who own Sioux Honey Co-op that make this work possible,” said Aimee Sandman, Director of Growth and Community Impact at Sioux Honey. “A single worker bee produces only about one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime, which means it took more than 3.7 million honeybees to produce the 4,860 pounds of honey donated today.”
Ms. Sandaman added that honey's exceptional shelf life makes it an especially useful food bank item. It requires no refrigeration and can be used in breakfasts, beverages, cooking and baking.
The donated honey will be an ideal item for the Food Bank's free, neighbor-centered Nutrition Education program.
“For nearly two decades, our customers, associates and business partners have worked together through our Fight Hunger program to help food banks address food insecurity in the communities we serve,” said Maria Rizzo, Weis Markets Vice President of Marketing and Advertising. “We’re pleased to partner with Sioux Honey on this donation, and we’re grateful to the more than 180 beekeeper families who helped make it possible.”
“This honey gives our nutrition educators a versatile ingredient for workshops and recipe demonstrations, helping neighbors prepare affordable, healthy meals with confidence,” Ulrich said. “And a little sweetness can make any lesson easier to remember.”
