Penn Community Bank employees and leadership will roll their sleeves this Friday, June 17, to take part in the tenth edition of Bucks Knocks Out (BKO) Hunger. The bank is presenting sponsor of the United Way of Bucks County effort to address food insecurity.

The BKO Hunger initiative has several components: an online fundraiser, a countywide food drive, and a one-day meal-packing event.

The United Way is especially hopeful that the 2022 version succeeds. The rising cost of groceries is straining numerous household budgets, increasing incidents of nutritional deficits.

Bernard Tynes, senior vice president and director of Marketing & Data Analytics at Penn Community Bank, spoke of how this type of community service is firmly part of the corporate culture. His comments are from the Bucks County Courier Times.

“At Penn Community Bank, we see volunteering as an all-around win. Our team members genuinely love taking an active role in helping our community and we know that it strengthens personal connections.

“When our team volunteers, we build positive momentum for our nonprofit partners, which means they can help more people,” said Tynes.

Gauging the impact of this program, the United Way cited its 2021 statistics:

• 10,000 pounds of non-perishable food collected
• 600 volunteers packing 100,000 shelf-stable meals
• 18 percent rise in local access to fresh-fruit

Joining Penn Community Bank in the United Way’s Bucks Knocks Out Hunger fight are organizations that include Bucks County Community College.