Philabundance

Philabundance is a non-profit food bank that serves the Philadelphia and Delaware Valley region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the largest such organization in the region.^[1]

History

The organization was founded in 1984 by Pam Lawler.^[2] In the year 2005, it merged with The Greater Philadelphia Food Bank, and the new entity operates under the name Philabundance.^[3][4]

Goals

The organization aims to drive hunger from our communities today and end hunger forever.

Organization

Philabundance serves 90,000 people each week, one third of whom are children, 15 percent of whom are seniors and 60 percent of whom are the working poor—people with at least one job, or maybe two, but still have a hard time making ends meet. 750,000 people in its service area are food insecure, which translates to one in four people which is almost twice the national average of one in seven people.

Trends

Growing Demand- In the two-year period 2009–2010 the demand for food, in the area served by Philabundance, went up by 60 percent. The second 12 months contributed to 25 to 40 percent of this increase, resulting in longer lines outside food distribution centers in the Delaware Valley. It even stopped a successful food program due to an overwhelming number of recipients who showed up.^[5]

Shrinking Donations - A high unemployment rate and reduced incomes have contributed to fewer donations. Many people who donated food to Philabundance in recent years are now dependent on Philabundance for daily meals.^[6]

Programs

• Fresh For All Program - To help families and individuals in need gain access to fresh vegetables and fruits, Philabundance operates Fresh For All Program at 8 locations in PA and NJ.
• Senior Boxes Program - Gives USDA-sponsored food boxes to approximately 5,000 low-income senior citizens.^[7]
• Philabundance Community Kitchen - A culinary, vocational job training program that teaches low-income and unemployed individuals life and job-readiness skills.^[8]
• Grocers Against Hunger- a food rescue program that allows participating grocers to donate surplus inventory to Philabundance. The food is later distributed to clients through direct service programs. In 2015, the program saved 10 millioon pounds of produce that woulkd have otherwise gone to waste.^[9]
• Fare & Square - The nations' first nonprofit grocery store of its kind opened in 2013 in a former food desert in Chester, PA.
• KidsBites - A program at the Lowell Elementary School in Olney, which provides fresh produce and needed shelf-stable items to students and their families.

Contributions Received

• The Citizens Bank Foundation, the charitable arm of the Citizens Financial Group,Inc., donated $25000 in July 2010 to Philabundance for low-income families in the Delaware Valley. At an average of 30 cents per meal prepared by Philabundance, the donation amount catered to over 83000 meals. The contribution was made during the summer, a time of the year when donations are at their lowest.^[1]
• Help from SEPTA - The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) supported Philabundance in the summer of 2010, by collecting food at SEPTA stations. With collection barrels at over 45 locations, SEPTA collected mostly non-perishable items like canned or shelf stabilized tuna, pasta and beef ravioli, as well as peanut butter and jelly in plastic containers. To increase collections SEPTA placed collection barrels at Regional rail stations. Also, for customers with limited access to collection centers, SEPTA made provisions for them to give their donations directly to the driver.^[10]
• Comcast Spectacor, a Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment firm, held a food drive from November 1 to November 22, 2010 to help Philabundance. It was assisted by the Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia), home to the Philadelphia Flyers NHL team. With 22 events during the food drive, they appealed to their fan base to donate non-perishable food items (canned tuna, canned vegetables, peanut butter,jelly in plastic containers) to address hunger in the Greater Philadelphia region.^[11]
• Camp Out for Hunger - In December 2010, the Preston and Steve show from Philadelphia's 93.3 WMMR radio channel, conducted a five-day “Camp Out for Hunger” event at the metroplex in Plymouth Meeting. Running in its twelfth consecutive year, the event was aimed at increasing hunger awareness, as well as collecting food for Philabundance. The event featured popular bands and distinguished guests showing their support for Philabundance. Keeping with tradition, Preston and Steve camp at the spot in a trailer all through the week.^[12]

See also

• Food salvage
• Food rescue

References

• Notes^{[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]}

External links

• Philabundance.org