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If you're like me, you may be just tuning out the news nowadays when they talk about budget cuts and the economy.  I'm an NPR junkie, and yet I've found myself turning the radio dial to find some mindless music more often than not when the talk turns to Washington, arguing, votes, cuts, debates, and politics in general.   It all just seems like the same story. There is one thing my ears do perk up for, however, and that is talk about cutting funding for social services, and specifically for CSFP - the Commodity Supplemental Food Program.  CSFP is a federal ...

On Wednesday, the USDA released its Household Food Security in the United States in 2010 Report, which shows that food insecurity rates have remained at record highs for the last three years.  According to this report, "The percentage of U.S. households that were food insecure remained essentially unchanged from 2009 to 2010, while the percentage with food insecurity in the severe range described as very low food security declined". This report is based on an annual survey done by the U.S. Census bureau and consists of 18 questions on the accessibility and affordable of consistent and healthy meals. In line with ...

On Wednesday, the USDA released its Household Food Security in the United States in 2010 Report, which shows that food insecurity rates have remained at record highs for the last three years.  According to this report, "The percentage of U.S. households that were food insecure remained essentially unchanged from 2009 to 2010, while the percentage with food insecurity in the severe range described as very low food security declined". This report is based on an annual survey done by the U.S. Census bureau and consists of 18 questions on the accessibility and affordable of consistent and healthy meals. In line with ...

Most months of the year seem to have celebrations associated with them. For instance, when you think of October, you probably think of Halloween.  In November, Thanksgiving comes to mind. With December comes thoughts of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, January is the New Year, February has Valentine's Day and so on... But, what about September? Other than school starting up again, September is a month with little to celebrate, right? Wrong.  In fact, I am always excited when September rolls around because it means that it is Hunger Action Month. And we are providing a perfect chance for people who are looking ...

The scope of hunger is a hard concept to really embrace. Sure, there are images that we might immediately think of like homeless children, poverty-stricken single-parent families, and isolated fixed income seniors. With a sincere interest in responding to hunger with a "full plate of services" Philabundance has made an effort from a number of angles to meet our service population where they are...and they indeed are everywhere. We provide prepared meals to emergency kitchens and shelters through our Community Kitchen, household groceries through our partner agencies and directly through our Community Food Center, fresh produce through our Fresh For ...

Philabundance is an organization setup to feed people. But to feed people, we need to move food to the mouths of those who need it. Our trucks do a good job of ensuring this happens but they don't drive themselves. Behind that wheel is a dedicated driver that canvasses the Delaware Valley to make sure 65,000+ people per week have food to eat. When I heard 9 year veteran driver of Philabundance, Warren Green Sr., would be retiring, I couldn't give up the opportunity to hear his story. I thought, a man with that many miles on his tires has to ...

On July 13th you can do your part to help your community by casting one simple vote. Your vote may help Philabundance win a brand new minivan from Toyota through their 100 Cars for Good campaign. This is an amazing opportunity and we need your help! How does it work? Well, it's pretty simple. 500 lucky nonprofits have been chosen from across the country for this opportunity. There are a number of organizations that want the new car, but only 100 will win the prize. Each day for 100 days, five different nonprofits will compete for the new car through voting. ...

I arrived in Philadelphia six months ago, displaced from my beloved Chicago, to work as an Americorps Vista.    Although I have many qualms with this city (dirty streets, lack of appreciation for professional basketball, etc.,) I have been overwhelmingly surprised by the sense of community in Philadelphia. Much of my appreciation for Philadelphia's community comes from the volunteers that I work with at Philabundance's Community Food Center.   The CFC is located at 6th and Lehigh in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood.   We are a choice food pantry that delivers 20,000 pounds of food a week to registered shoppers.   We work out of 1,000 ...

Much of the work we do is, in part, driven by the amazing generosity of our corporate partners. Whether they're holding a company-wide food drive, donating funds, or volunteering at our hunger relief center, they always find a way to give back to the neighbors of their communities. They've proven that the bottom line isn't the only way to be measured and that the nearly million people at risk of hunger in the Delaware Valley deserve attention too. To show our thanks, we put together a little video highlighting some of our corporate partners and although the video doesn't capture them ...

Last week I received a letter from someone whose compassion, generosity, and motivation to make a difference for those in need in the Delaware Valley really moved me. Jason is a lawyer and father of two young girls. He is also selfless, philanthropic and the kind of partner that Philabundance is proud to have. He was challenged to shave his head, with a friend promising that if he could muster up the courage he would be $50 richer. Instead of shying away from the daunting and potentially embarrassing task, he flipped the challenge on its head and told his friend that he'd ...