The TL;DR of Cranksgiving
Cyclists will gather at Videon (2171 Sandy Drive) at 10am, where they'll receive a map of stores and a needs list. You may ride to as many stores as you like, and may make multiple trips. We ask participants to purchase $25+ in groceries, or an amount they are comfortable with. Please keep your receipt(s) and return with your haul by 2pm.
What do I need to participate?
First you need to register
You'll need a bicycle, helmet, bike lock, $25+ to purchase groceries, and bags/backpack to carry your items. Ebikes and bike trailers are welcomed!
What if I can't participate in the event?
You can participate in the Early Bird (
info on front page), which allows you to shop ahead of time, and also drop off ahead of time. You can also make a
direct donation to Youth Service Bureau!
What if I buy toooo much stuff?
No worries! Consider bringing extra bags (a bag inside a bag), or adding more to your bike. You can also ask someone else to help carry a few items. Plus, we'll have amazing folks at Giant and Weis in Northland Center who can transport items to the venue later. Bag tags will be provided, but don’t forget to keep your receipts!
Why keep the receipts?
The receipts provide us a method of counting the food items, as well as tracking the donated amounts. By keeping these receipts, we also hope that generous organizations, such as businesses or banks, will one day match our totals, providing additional support for the Youth Service Bureau.
What is up with all the prizes?
This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the main
Cranksgiving! To celebrate, they generated a prize pool of over $50K in prizes, from over 25 vendors. The was divided between organizers who submitted a
video for their City! With that prize pool, and the currently donated items, we have over $2300 in prizes!
Where does the food go?
The Centre County Youth Service Bureau uses the donations for these programs:
Parenting takes food to families with young children. The adults learn parenting and safety skills to prevent child welfare involvement. In 2023, Parenting served 113 youth ages 0-17.
Prevention uses the food at our two Youth Centers, one in Bellefonte and one in Snow Shoe. There we serve mostly school-aged kids in the afternoons and summers. They receive snack and dinner during the school year, and snack and lunch in the summer which they might not get at home. Prevention also gives the food to families. For instance, at one Youth Center, we serve a blended family with 11 kids and two sets of twins. Our staff person there regularly brings them food from the food bank. In 2023, we served 165 youth at Youth Centers.
Prevention takes food to our Street Outreach sites. Staff go to low-income housing sites in Centre County and bring activities and snacks for kids. In 2023, we served 159 youth at Street Outreach sites.
Burrowes Street Youth Haven, our teen shelter for runaway and homeless youth, under age 18, gets some food. We work with these kids and families to get the youth home or find another permanent, safe, stable living arrangement with a relative or foster care.
Our Independent Living program for runaway and homeless youth, ages 16-21, gets some food. These kids are living in YSB owned or rented apartments while they learn life skills, pursue education and employment, and build permanent connections to adults and the community. The youth do not have any familial adult support as they make the transition to adulthood. They can stay with us for up to 18 months, and we often provide support after they exit the program.
Stormbreak is our Girls Group Home. The girls come to us from any County Children and Youth serving agency throughout PA. They are truant, delinquent, or without a safe, stable place to live. They can live with us a few weeks, a few months, and in some cases, a few years.