A Look Back at 2023

A look back at a year of empowering communities through food | Philabundance | graphic banner with dark green background, white text, & abstract sparklers

Wow! What an amazing year we had here at Philabundance! As we dive into 2024, we’re also reflecting on the incredible work we’ve been able to accomplish in 2023 thanks to our dedicated employees and volunteers, community partners, and all who generously support our mission to feed our neighbors in need.  

 

Let’s take a look back at some of the highlights. In 2023 we:  

 

  • Coordinated MLK Day volunteer shifts at our Philabundance Community Kitchen where volunteers helped us gather debris surrounding the shift, while additional volunteers cleaned up and painted the Roxborough warehouse.   
  • Participated in the largest-ever Toyota Haul Away Hunger event to date which collected 650,000 pounds of nutritious food; 
  • Took on a friendly challenge with the Kansas City Food Bank and Harvesters Community Food Network during our Huddle Against Hunger fundraising campaign which raised more than $116,000; 
  • Organized a special off-site volunteer experience with the women of Alpha Kappa Alpha during their regional conference in Philadelphia; 
  • Received generous support by mega-stars Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band as they toured Philly; 
  • Traveled to Washington, DC to testify before the Senate Agriculture Committee; 
  • Hosted our inaugural Community Partnerships Day to network with and celebrate the incredible organizations that help us carry out our vital mission; 
  • Hit it out of the park during our Phans Feeding Families campaign while welcoming our beloved Philadelphia Phillies friends, including front-office representatives, everybody’s favorite Phanatic mascot, and the star pitcher and Phans Ambassador Aaron Nola. The special theme night at the game raised nearly 180,000 lbs. of nutritious food; 
  • Partnered with State Senator Sharif Street during Ramadan to provide nutritious meals to 6,000 community members; 
  • In celebration of National Avocado Day, local celebrities competed for the best guacamole recipe during the Top Guac Challenge, and together with The GIANT Company and Avocados from Peru, we were able to distribute 50,000 fresh avocados; 
  • Created and distributed a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) booklet to bring awareness to the effects of the end of the Emergency Allotments 
  • Distributed 50,000 LunchBox meals during our summer hunger gap meal program to feed school children 
  • Partnered with Philadelphia Mural Arts to envision, create, paint, and install a beautiful 150-foot mural at our Hunger Relief Center in South Philadelphia; 
  • Graduated four incredibly talented classes of Philabundance Community Kitchen students; 
  • Scored a win during our Strike Out Hunger Challenge against our Feeding America partner, St. Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix during the Phillies’ post-season run raising more than $37,000 to help feed our neighbors in need; 
  • Distributed nearly 1,000 turkeys in preparation for Thanksgiving to neighbors that walked up and drove through our Galloway and Berks warehouses; 
  • Revved up for the 5th Annual Phil-A-Trunk Car Show and Food Drive event and collected an amazing 140,000+ pounds of food – that’s more than 70 tons!  
  • Rocked on with 93.3 WMMR for the 26th Annual Preston and Steve Camp of for Hunger weeklong campaign and collected an astounding 1.7 million pounds of food and more than $948k; 
  • Broadcasted live on 6ABC during the Giving Tuesday telethon to secure much-needed funds to feed our communities this holiday season – this year we raised $66,000; 

 

The list certainly goes on, but the most important message we’d like to share is that we are beyond grateful for your unwavering support and dedication to all of the initiatives, programs, and events that we present throughout the year. With your continued support in 2024 we look forward to getting one step closer to ending hunger in 2024.  Thank YOU!

 

 

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