York, PA — Bob Hoffman championed the causes of healthful living, nutrition, and physical fitness during his lifetime. Upon his death in 1985, the terms of Mr. Hoffman’s Last Will and Testament provided funding for the creation of the Bob Hoffman Foundation to make charitable awards and contributions for “the promotion of public health and physical fitness through education, nutrition, exercise and athletic competition.”
Recently, the Board of Directors of the Bob Hoffman Foundation decided to bring the remaining $1.9 million in charitable funds to York County Community Foundation (YCCF) to create the Bob Hoffman Sports and Fitness Fund. YCCF will continue to carry out Bob’s legacy for youth and adults in Central Pennsylvania but primarily in York County.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to steward the Bob Hoffman Foundation, Inc. Although we remain committed to ensuring Bob Hoffman’s legacy, we now believe that this can best be accomplished by working with and through the York County Community Foundation,” shared the Bob Hoffman Foundation board of directors. “We know that YCCF is equally committed to ensuring that this legacy lives on and that the programs and organizations that Bob Hoffman loved and supported will continue.”
YCCF staff will implement a process to identify charitable organizations that meet the criteria to receive grants from the Bob Hoffman Sports and Fitness Fund of the York County Community Foundation and distribute grants accordingly. Please no inquiries about grants at this time.
Bob Hoffman founded York Barbell in 1932 and immediately began pioneering many of today’s accepted exercise philosophies. As a prolific writer of books and articles, Hoffman tirelessly promoted the benefits of exercise successfully encouraging its practice to the military and the general public. Bob and his beloved York Barbell Company developed among the first lines of exercise equipment in the industry. A pioneer in the health food business, Hoffman introduced a line of nutritional supplements in the early 1950s and developed the first energy bar in 1966. Bob Hoffman guided weightlifting activities during the mid-20th century through his philanthropy and public attention to the sport. The International Weightlifting Federation officially recognized his efforts by designating Bob “The Father of World Weightlifting” in 1970.
