The Big Cheese 9
1,000 Volunteers. 500,000 Meals to help meet food needs in Berks County.
United Way’s The Big Cheese is the largest United Way-driven meal packaging event in the country. In 2025, more than 1,000 volunteers came together to package 500,000 nutrient-fortified meals for local families experiencing food insecurity. The meals were packaged at Penn State Berks and distributed by Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank to local school children through the Weekender Program, as well as to food pantries located throughout Berks County. The Reading School District also received a portion of the meals, which are distributed to children throughout the school year.
Thank you to the First Energy Foundation for sponsoring the 2025 event with additional support from Members 1st Federal Credit Union.
Stay tuned for the date and details of The Big Cheese 10! If you would like to make a gift to support the costs of the Big Cheese, we invite you to make a donation. Thank you for helping to provide meals to families in our community.