Blog Category: Blog

Blog

Thanks to Giant Food Stores, We Have an Award-Winning Guacamole Chef

Philabundance receives many generous food don <ations to support our work to end hunger across greater Philadelphia, but when 50,000 avocados came in from Giant Food Stores and Avocados From Peru, the celebration called for, what else, guacamole. Giant team members volunteered at Philabundance to unload, store and distribute the

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Blog

Finding the Food to Feed the Valley

As Director of Food Sourcing, Kait Bowdler and her 10-person team is responsible for all of the food that comes into Philabundance to be distributed. In her five and a half years with us, she has been an integral piece of our puzzle.   When COVID-19 swept the world by

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Blog

Inspiring Tomorrow’s Changemakers

Hunger has always been a passion for Luisa Contreiras, one that’s become multi-generational in her household. “There’s such abundance in this country, and yet, so many people don’t have enough to eat,” she says. “It’s easy to look the other way, and I didn’t want my daughter to grow up

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Blog

From Loree’s Table – Summer 2021

  Dear Friends, As we head into summer, anxiously awaiting more opportunities to gather safely together, I hope this issue of The Feed finds you well.   This year, as our children adjusted to learning in new settings, many at home, we faced the unique challenge of feeding children who

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Blog

Congresswoman Scanlon Visits Murphy’s Giving Market

  Anti-hunger advocates often talk about fighting hunger in their own backyards. Desiree Lamar Murphy took that call to action literally. Seeing rising hunger rates in her community due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she began operating Murphy’s Giving Market in the backyard of her Upper Darby home. Desiree and her

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Blog

Driving Hunger Away During Ramadan

  Philabundance proudly partnered with State Senator Sharif Street to provide meals to the community during Ramadan, the holiest month of the year for Muslims and a time of spiritual reflection, self-improvement, and heightened devotion and worship. Muslims are expected to fast from sundown to sunset, and those unable to

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Blog

Volunteer Spotlight: Robert (Bob) Briselli

  National Volunteer Week celebrates the impact of volunteer service at Philabundance and spotlights some of our most dedicated volunteers over the last year.   1. Please tell me about your role as a volunteer with Philabundance. What do you do? Through the last decade, my primary volunteer roles have

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Blog

National Nutrition Month

During the month of March, Philabundance is thrilled to celebrate National Nutrition Month alongside Feeding America and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This year’s National Nutrition Month theme of Personalize Your Plate reflects Philabundance’s expansive and diverse service area. In Philadelphia alone, nearly one in four residents speaks a

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Blog

Biden Visits Philabundance on MLK Day

Just two days prior to his inauguration, President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, along with their children and grandchildren, joined Philabundance staff and volunteers in paying tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. and the spirit of volunteerism and public service for which he stood. We were honored

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Blog

Thank You for Helping Fight Hunger

The 2020 holiday season looked a lot different for many in the Philadelphia region, including Philabundance. We are so grateful to our wonderful donors and friends in the community who came together — whether virtually or at safe distances – to ensure that the annual events we have come to

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Blog

From the Director’s Table – Spring 2021

Dear Friend, I hope this issue of The Feed finds you happy and healthy as we all settle into a new year, one full of possibility for Philabundance and all those we serve. It’s been nearly a year since life as we knew it changed with the onset of COVID-19.

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Blog

The Lead with Jake Tapper

  On Friday, December 18, Philabundance CEO Loree Jones was able to speak about our efforts in the fight against hunger on The Lead, a news show on CNN hosted by Philly’s own Jake Tapper. With Philabundance partner agencies seeing up to a 60% increase in need, this national exposure

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Blog

6ABC Holiday Hunger Series

Every November, Philabundance partners with 6ABC to raise awareness on the issue of food insecurity and highlight those working to fight hunger in our region through a series of news pieces. Although COVID forced a lot of holiday traditions to pivot, 6ABC was able to adapt its annual telethon, food

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Blog

November 2020 Newsroom

November has always been a busy month for Philabundance, as the holidays often come with an increase in food insecurity. Thanks to the generosity and support of individuals, corporations, media outlets and more, the fight against hunger was the topic of the month. The 22nd Annual Camp Out for Hunger

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Blog

Letter From Loree – Winter 2020

Dear Friends, As we enter the holiday season, my first at Philabundance, I can’t help but acknowledge what a difficult time the holidays can be for so many of our neighbors. The events of this year have placed a strain on so many individuals and families throughout our region, making

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Blog

Philabundance Community Kitchen Hosts Grand Opening of New Facility

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PHILABUNDANCE COMMUNITY KITCHEN HOSTS GRAND OPENING OF NEW FACILITY IN NORTH PHILADELHPHIA   Will provide expanded job training for students and meals for those in need     Philadelphia, PA, September 22, 2020 – Philabundance, one of the region’s largest hunger-relief organizations, will celebrate the opening

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Blog

Letter From Loree – Fall 2020

My friends,   Thank you for welcoming me to Philabundance as the new Chief Executive Officer. I am joining this organization with a mixture of pride and humility. For 35 years, Philabundance has worked for the unheard. It has provided sustenance to those who, for whatever circumstances, could not fulfill

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Blog

You Help Sarah Meet Needs

Sarah F. Geiger has been with Philabundance for nearly nine years. In her role as Director of Agency Relations, she and her team work with 350 member agencies in our community to use your donations to get food into the hands of those in need.   The onset of the

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Blog

Pottstown Ending Hunger Collaborative

Philabundance began our first pilot collaboration with Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery and Delaware Counties and The Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities (PCRC). The pilot focuses on combining food resources with case management and financial coaching to move families toward long-term stability. Philabundance is providing the overall collective impact backbone

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Blog

Sharswood THRIVE: Community By Design

Sharswood THRIVE seeks to fundamentally change the way people seek and receive services by promoting a comprehensive safety-net system approach. The organization not only provides stability services like housing and healthcare, but also economic mobility empowerment through workforce development, home ownership and financial literacy training.  Sharswood THRIVE is a multi-year project which will be carried out in collaboration with partner community organizations. The overall goal is to create a

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Blog

Philabundance Community Kitchen Graduate is Glad He Kept Striving

Cooking for guests at a Philadelphia homeless shelter, Tyrone Williams gives people one piece of advice. “I just tell them, you’ve got to keep striving,” he says. Tyrone, 34, persevered through his 14 weeks in Philabundance Community Kitchen (PCK), a culinary- and life-skills program for adults looking for a fresh start.

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Blog

Philabundance Launches Drive-Thru Style Emergency Food Distribution

MEDIA ALERT   Philabundance Launches Drive-Thru Style Emergency Food Distribution   WHAT: In response to increasing food insecurity across the region and the new normal of social distancing, Philabundance is opening a free drive-thru style emergency food distribution site in parking lot N at Citizens Bank Park, home of the

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Blog

From the Director’s Table – Summer 2020

Dear Friend, As our community continues to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, families across the Delaware Valley are facing the challenges of summer hunger months earlier than usual. As you know, school meal programs provide a vital food safety net for thousands of local children. But when school is out

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Blog

Temporary Closure, March 26, 2020

Temporary Closure, March 26, 2020   Philabundance will be closed and operations cease on Thursday, March 26 and Friday, March 27 out of an abundance of caution for its staff, volunteers and the public. At this time, no staff have tested positive for Coronavirus or suspect that they might have

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Blog

Safety and Good Health While Feeding Those in Need

With the recent spread of coronavirus in the U.S. and daily changes in its status in our area, we are committed to adopting new policies and practices to ensure the good health and safety of our clients, partners, volunteers, staff and supporters as we drive hunger from our communities today

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Blog

Celebrating our Founder this Women’s History Month

While our founder, Pam Rainey Lawler, was at the Hay Group in marketing communications, she noticed the volume of left-over perishable foods often generated by restaurants, caterers, farmers’ markets and small grocers. Concerned about the growing problem of domestic hunger, she conducted research and found that no one else was

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Blog

From the Director’s Table

Dear Friend, You are simply amazing. Even though the holidays are a distant memory now, I’m reminded daily of the generosity you showed at the end of 2019. You not only put food on the table at a very special time of year, but you helped prepare Philabundance to serve

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Blog

6abc Holiday Hunger Series

By Lisa Ryan, Communications Associate     The holiday season brings plenty of exciting traditions to Philabundance, including 6abc’s annual Holiday Hunger series, which highlights food insecurity and local efforts to “beet” hunger. This year, 6abc shared new developments in Philabundance’s food rescue efforts; our culinary- and life-skills training programs;

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Blog

Letter From Glenn – Holiday 2019

Dear Friends, If you’re anything like me, you have a lot of happy memories connected with holidays. Maybe your traditions include reminiscing over well-worn boxes of decorations, wrapping presents for those you love or even watching classic holiday movies. But can you imagine a holiday celebration without a table full

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Blog

Campout: Meet Preston & Steve and Lend Your Voice to Hunger!

Philabundance is looking forward to a star-studded, fun-filled, donation-heavy 93.3 WMMR’s Preston and Steve’s Camp Out for Hunger, the largest single-location food drive in the country. And you can make it even better!   To make the event a hit, Preston & Steve seek a current or former food recipient

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Blog

People First

You’re hungry. And you have a family. You have enough food for dinner tonight and tomorrow but you’re waiting for your paycheck Friday to ensure you’ll have money for food for the weekend. You’re fairly confident it will work out (you do this budget dance every month) but you “take

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Blog

The Simple Way offers food, and a helping of hope*

Every Wednesday morning, neighbors gather outside a Kensington row home and wait for the front door to swing open. Inside, Emergency Services Coordinator Maria Nieves and a team of volunteers prepare for a busy day giving food to neighbors in need.   People might come to The Simple Way for

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Blog

Hunger Is

Acme Foundation, You’re Awesome! This month when you visit your Philadelphia or Upper Darby Acme Market, you’ll see signs about the Hunger Is fundraiser and get an option to donate at checkout. Here’s a not-so-well-kept secret: Philabundance gets those donations! We’re excited that this Acme location and Acme Foundation chose

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Blog

Hunger Action Month PSA

A big THANK YOU to Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola and professional football player Lane Johnson for donating your time and supporting us in the fight against hunger through the below ads. These  amazing ads were generously produced and developed by The Creative Engagement Group and will be run by

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Blog

YOU Helped Us Win $100,000 in the Philadelphia Foundation Grant Contest!

You voted, you shared, you re-tweeted and told your friends. Thanks to your support, Philabundance Community Kitchen (PCK), our culinary and life-skills training program for adults with low- to no-incomes, took home the second-place prize in the Philadelphia Foundation’s Key to Community grant making contest in the ‘Economic Prosperity’ category.

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Blog

PCK 75th Graduation: Valedictorian Speech

We are so proud of our recent PCK graduates that are now prepared to take on the culinary world! Watch our Summer 2019 valedictorian’s speech and hear her amazing story and what PCK means to her.           Feel inspired? Here’s an easy way to make a

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Blog

Fighting hunger with the help of a new “pal”

By Lisa Ryan, Public Relations Associate     Imagine you’re a kid again, with summer days stretched out ahead of you. As much as you love having time to pursue a hobby or hang out with friends, something sours the taste of summer freedom.   It’s hard to be excited

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Blog

Abundantly Good at XpoNential Music Festival

Philabundance’s retail product line, Abundantly Good will be featured at the XPoNential music festival from July 26-28th! Abundantly Good is a triple bottom line brand that is abundantly good for people, planet and profit. Proceeds from each sale go back to purchase the same high quality products for people in

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Blog

Vote To Help Us Win a $200,000 Grant

We have an exciting opportunity to win $200,000 to support Philabundance Community Kitchen. We need your votes and your help to spread the word about this funding opportunity for this life-changing program.   The Philadelphia Foundation recently launched the Key to Community grant initiative to enhance the impact of nine

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Blog

Helping Babies Survive and Thrive

Having a baby is expensive. I know that sounds like the most obvious statement, but there are so many hidden costs, even people with two incomes and health care – like my husband and I — find it a challenge to stay fiscally afloat.   So imagine not having two

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Blog

Letter From Glenn – Summer 2019

Dear Friend, You’re truly an important partner in our work to drive hunger from our communities and end hunger for good. And so far this year, you’ve helped us undertake new work to provide support for those in need in the Delaware Valley. As our partner, you may already know

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Blog

Help Moms and Dads Feed the Newest Members of Their Families

Imagine you have a baby who needs formula. You are on parental leave from work, your spouse was just laid off, your car broke down. You’re struggling to afford groceries for yourself, let alone buy expensive formula for your newborn. Sadly, scenarios like these are a reality for many of

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Blog

Letter From Glenn – Spring 2019

For 35 years, Philabundance has been rescuing perfectly good food that would otherwise go to waste and providing it to neighbors in need through hundreds of member agencies and programs. The 110 Philabundance team members are mission-driven like no other group you’ve seen, bringing food to 90,000 people every week!

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Advocacy

On the Menu: The Government Shutdown

By Kate Scully, Director of Government Affairs       Update 2/14/18: Today the House and Senate passed a bill to fund the government and the President is expected to sign it. This compromise has adverted another government shutdown right before the February 15th deadline. The signing of this bill will

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Blog

Time is Money

By Christopher Luebbe, Volunteer Coordinator     Back at the end of October Philabundance hosted its inaugural Hunger Simulation, an event designed to provide its participants with a perspective on some of the challenges faced by people who are food insecure through an interactive role-playing activity and facilitated discussion.   The event

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Blog

Letter From Glenn – Winter 2018

Dear Friends,   I can’t think of a better time than the holidays to reflect on what we’ve accomplished in the last year, what remains to be done and what we hope for in the new year.   But most importantly, it’s a great time to say THANK YOU to

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