About Cocoa Packs

Our Mission.
Cocoa Packs provides supplemental food & other support to local children in need to enhance their overall wellness.

Our Vision.

A world where all children have what they need to succeed.

The core of Cocoa Packs mission is to ensure that all children are food secure every day of the year. Each of our weekly Packs contain 27-30 items. Each week, a distribution of milk and eggs accompany packs. Cocoa Packs has also partnered with Blessings of Hope to intentionally get more fresh fruits & vegetables in the hands of all children enrolled in Cocoa Packs.

What we’ve realized, however, is that food is not the only barrier for children, it’s just one of them. As Cocoa Packs has grown, the weekly Packs have become the gateway to a number of wraparound services offered to each child enrolled, addressing their overall wellness.

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Cocoa Packs Leadership

Board of Directors

Christine Drexler
President & Founder

Kathy Cerullo-Frick
Director of Operations
Living Well Institute

Jacob Clemens
Recruiter, Clemens Food Group

Jim Gainer
CEO/Executive Director
Livin Life My Way

Brian Roadarmel
President
Four Leaf Capital Partners

Mark Totaro
Former CEO
Catholic Charities

Hilary Peery Vesell, Esq.
Vesell Law, LLC

Administrative Team

Christine Drexler
Executive Director | Email

Lindsay Drew
Director of Marketing |Email

Dr. Dee Stalnecker, LSW, BCBS
Enrollment Coordinator |Email

Amy Bell
Administrative Support |Email

Leading with love and care for the whole child.

All children actively enrolled in Cocoa Packs will be invited to participate in our extension services.

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Quarterly Events

On a quarterly basis, we engage with community partners to provide interactive stations to promote overall wellness, teach skills and engage children in positive ways to learn.

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Advocacy & Love

Helping children wherever they are in life by championing for them in a variety of arenas so they succeed in all areas of life.

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Enhance Overall Learning

Committed to providing educational opportunities for children to experience something new that enhances their overall learning, we offer a learning space which includes a lending library, computers, desks/printers, creative coloring station & homework help.

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Cocoa Packs Clothing Closet 

The Cocoa Packs Clothing Closet provides an interactive way for children to hand pick clothing that helps to boost their emotional wellness.

Presents

Cocoa Packs Presents

Cocoa Packs Presents spreads holiday joy by providing a unique shopping experience for the children we assist. It is made entirely possible by the collective teamwork of our generous community and local businesses.

For children, food insecurity is particularly devastating. Not having enough healthy food can have serious implications for a child's physical and mental health, academic achievement, and future economic prosperity. Research shows an association between food insecurity and delayed development in young children; risk of chronic illnesses like asthma and anemia; and behavioral problems like hyperactivity, anxiety, and aggression in school-age children."

*Source: Feeding America

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Cocoa Packs is assisting children in school districts across five counties.

Dauphin County

  • Central Dauphin
  • Derry Township
  • Harrisburg City
  • Lower Dauphin
  • Middletown Area
  • Steelton-Highspire
  • St. Joan of Arc
  • Susquehanna Township
  • Vista School of Hershey

Cumberland County

  • Camp Hill
  • Cumberland Valley
  • East Pennsboro
  • Mechanicsburg
  • West Shore
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Lancaster County

  • Donegal
  • Elizabethtown

Lebanon County

  • Annville-Cleona
  • Cedar Crest
  • Cornwall - Lebanon
  • ELCO
  • Lebanon
  • Northern Lebanon
  • Palmyra

York County

  • Northern York

If your child is in need of assistance, please visit our enrollment page to learn how you can enroll them in Cocoa Packs.