On a night defined by service, compassion, and community, students, student-athletes, farmers, and local leaders came together on Penn State University’s campus to pack backpacks filled with food for children facing food insecurity throughout Central Pennsylvania, demonstrating that when agriculture, education, and community unite, the impact extends far beyond a single meal.
Through a collaborative event hosted by the YMCA of Centre County, Penn State student organization Feed the Valley, and the Pennsylvania Beef Council’s Beefing Up Backpacks program, volunteers from across campus organizations and Penn State athletics packed nearly 2,000 backpacks destined for children who rely on weekend food assistance. On April 28, those backpacks also included nutrient-dense beef sticks, adding an important source of high-quality protein through the Beefing Up Backpacks initiative.
For many involved, the evening carried far more significance than packing food. It brought people from diverse backgrounds and experiences together to meet a critical need with dignity, heart, and purpose.
“What we’re doing through the Beefing Up Backpacks program goes far beyond packing meals,” said Nichole Hockenberry, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Beef Council. “We are helping ensure that kids have access to nourishing, high-quality food when they need it most. Food is fuel, and when that fuel includes strong, nutrient-rich protein, it helps power not just bodies, but minds, confidence, and opportunity.”
A Community-Powered Response to a Growing Need
The YMCA of Centre County’s anti-hunger initiative serves families across the region by providing backpacks filled with shelf-stable foods for children who may otherwise go without meals over weekends and school breaks. Over the course of this academic year, volunteers packed 68,839 backpacks, providing 547,112 meals and snacks, making a major impact in the fight against hunger.
“This program is really important to a lot of families,” said Mel Curtis, Director of Anti-Hunger Programs for the YMCA of Centre County. “A lot of children are going home every weekend, and there’s not enough food in the house. These backpacks help ensure kids come back to school fed, focused, and ready to learn.”
Curtis emphasized that the addition of beef sticks through the Beefing Up Backpacks partnership has been transformational. “To be able to get beef for these kids to go home, because they’re not getting it otherwise, that was a blessing,” Curtis said. “The beef sticks are a huge hit.”
For Curtis, the emotional impact is often most visible in the children and families themselves.
“We’ve had grandparents cry because they didn’t know how they were going to feed the kids,” Curtis said. “People don’t always see food insecurity, but it’s here, and programs like this are making a real difference.”
Agriculture’s Role in Feeding Communities
For Pennsylvania beef producers like Amanda Butterfield, the event reflected a deeper purpose at the heart of farming. “Farmers do what we do because we enjoy feeding people,” Butterfield said. “Programs like this are about feeding the ones most at risk and investing in our communities so kids come to school ready to learn.”
Butterfield also highlighted a significant nutritional gap in many food assistance efforts: access to animal protein. “Less than 2% of donations in many backpack programs are animal proteins,” she said. “That makes programs like Beefing Up Backpacks especially meaningful because beef is a shelf-stable, high-quality protein source that kids actually eat.”
Her perspective reinforced a larger truth: the importance of agriculture goes far beyond production. At its core, agriculture has always been about stewardship, service, and helping ensure communities thrive.
Student Leadership and Advocacy at the Center
Penn State students have become a driving force behind the initiative, transforming volunteerism into long-term advocacy.
“Food is the baseline of our agricultural system. If you don’t have food, you don’t have anything else,” said Emma Nagorny, president of Feed the Valley and a Penn State agricultural science student. “If we can educate students now and get them involved in programs that better our communities, they’ll carry that impact forward.”
Graduate student, anti-hunger ambassador, and Miss Central Pennsylvania April Gable brought a uniquely personal lens to the evening.
“I remember growing up and looking through empty cabinets,” Gable said. “So now, being able to help ensure another child doesn’t have to experience that, it’s healing a part of my childhood.”
Gable emphasized that food insecurity often exists quietly, even in communities not typically associated with hunger. “A lot of people don’t realize how many families are struggling, especially in rural communities,” she said. “Building partnerships and awareness is how we create real change.”
As both an advocate and former athlete, Gable also underscored the importance of protein-rich nutrition. “One beef stick can help sustain a child far longer than many other options,” she said. “That protein matters, not just for fullness, but for focus, energy, and long-term well-being.”
Athletes Serving Beyond the Field
Penn State football players joined the effort as part of the program’s servant leadership mission, bringing visibility and heart to the cause. Penn State defensive lineman Siale Taupaki connected deeply with the work because of his own childhood experiences with food insecurity.
“I used to be one of those kids who went hungry at night,” Taupaki said. “Being here is bigger than football. It’s bigger than all of us. If I can help one kid smile or help them get through the day because of what we’re doing tonight, that means everything.”
For Taupaki, the event was not simply volunteerism. It was personal.
“What I went through taught me resilience. I know what it feels like to wonder where your next meal is coming from,” he said. “Now I have a platform, and if I’ve got something to give. I want to share all that I can. My journey has humbled me, and it’s helped me in so many ways. It drives me to look out for others, to provide in any way possible.”
His story powerfully mirrored Gable’s, reinforcing that food insecurity is not defined by geography, title, or background, and that those who have lived it often become some of its strongest advocates.
Assistant Athletic Director for Football Player Development Amber Giese said this is exactly why service opportunities like Beefing Up Backpacks matter.
“Coach Campbell has been intentional about servant leadership,” Giese said. “Our players are learning what’s happening in the community around them and realizing they can make an immediate difference.”
Giese also stressed that nutrition is foundational, not just for athletes, but for all children.
“Food is critical for brain health, energy, and basic functioning,” Giese said. “Making sure kids have access to food, any food, but especially nutritious food and protein, is a huge deal.”
A Shared Mission, A Stronger Future
From producers and anti-hunger advocates to students and athletes, the event showcased the extraordinary impact of people from vastly different walks of life coming together for a shared purpose: feeding children and strengthening communities.
Every packed backpack held more than food. It held compassion. Dignity. Hope. And a reminder that when agriculture and community service intersect, lives are changed.
“This is a win for everyone,” Hockenberry said. “It’s a win for our youth, a win for our communities, and a win for the future we’re building together.”
About Beefing Up Backpacks
Beefing Up Backpacks is a Pennsylvania Beef Foundation initiative designed to strengthen backpack food programs by providing shelf-stable beef sticks and helping address critical protein gaps for children facing food insecurity.
To learn more about Beefing Up Backpacks, contact Nichole Hockenberry, PA Beef Council Executive Director at nhockenberry@pabeef.org or 1-888-4BEEFPA.
