SNAP and COVID19

May 12, 2020
2:46 pm

During this crisis, Philabundance is working hard to distribute more food to people who need it. We are supporting additional distributions sites with the City of Philadelphia and working to push more food out to our agency network. Despite our best efforts, we still know that federal nutrition programs are the best way for people to get the food they want and need. As a result of the Families First Act, Congress made some changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to help give qualifying individuals additional benefits. Below is more information about two of those programs:

– Supplemental SNAP: Any households already receiving SNAP might receive an increase in their benefits IF they are not already receiving the maximum allotment for their household size. When SNAP benefits are calculated both a household’s income and expenses are taken into consideration. Depending on that information, a household might not receive the maximum amount they could for the number of people on the application. This provision will allow those households who are below that maximum threshold to increase their benefits. For more information please see this flyer.

– Pandemic EBT: Understanding that families are now having to feed their children at home when they would normally receive breakfast and lunch at school, Congress included a provision known as Pandemic-EBT in the Families First Act. Under this program, families who already qualified for free and reduced priced meals at their schools can receive that amount on an Electronic Benefits Card (EBT) to cover that additional cost. If you qualify, additional benefits will be added to a current SNAP EBT card, if the family participates in SNAP, or a new EBT card will be issued. The value of the reimbursement for a student receiving free breakfast and lunch is $5.70 per student per day. For more information about the Pandemic-EBT program please see this flyer.

Both of these programs will provide more resources to families to purchase food. For households who have questions about their SNAP benefits or need to apply for the program they can contact Benefits Data Trust at 833-373-5868 for Philadelphia and 833-373-5869 for outside of the city. People can also contact the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger’s SNAP Hotline at 215-430-0556 or visit their website.

Philabundance Awards 49 Member Agencies with Capacity Grants

June 18, 2025

Philabundance has announced $250,000 in 2025–2027 Capacity Grants for 49 member agencies across Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. This funding will provide the operational capital needed to allow organizations to remain flexible and able to adapt to changing needs.

From faith-based institutions in Delaware County to social service agencies meeting the needs of diverse families across Philadelphia County, the 2025–2027 Philabundance Capacity grantees are among the hundreds of organizations that partner with Philabundance to support the more than 600,000 individuals in our region experiencing food insecurity.

The grantees include

Bucks County: Bucks County Opportunity Council; Faith Baptist Church
Delaware County: Blessed Virgin Mary; Loaves & Fishes; Prayer Chapel Church of God in Christ
Mercer County: Prince of Peace Center
Montgomery County: Bethel Community Church; ElderNet of Lower Merion and Narberth; Grace Lutheran Norristown; Love Works Resource Center; Mitzvah Circle; Upper Merion Area Community Cupboard; Patrician Society
Philadelphia County: African Family Health Organization; Alexander McClure Elementary School; Bebashi; Bethany Missionary Baptist Church; Breaking Bread on Broad; Bright Hope Baptist Church; Broad Street Love; Brothers of Strawberry Mansion; Calvary Agape Outreach Services; Casa Del Carmen; Cast Your Cares; Christ Apostolic WOSEM; Community Center at Visitation; Episcopal Community Services; The Family Practice & Counseling Network; First Church Worship Center; Germantown Avenue Crisis Ministry; Grace Community Christian Center; Kensington Health Sciences Academy; Lutheran Settlement House; Mighty Writers; Mi Salud Wellness; Nationalities Services Center; North Light Community Center; Old Pine Community Center; Open Door Ministries; Our Brothers Place; Paul L Dunbar School; Project H.O.M.E.; Southwest Family Service Center; St. Paul Outreach; Word In Action International Ministries
York County: Bethlehem Baptist Church; Mattie Dixon Community Center
Southern New Jersey: Puerto Rican Unity for Progress; SisterHood Inc.

Philabundance Capacity Grants help improve each organization’s ability to operate more efficiently and deliver effective food distribution programs and services. To date, $4.4 million dollars in Philabundance Capacity Grants have been allocated for capacity-building infrastructure, such as refrigerators, freezers, refrigerated vans and technology to empower community partners and improve the food distribution network.

“As federal resources continue to shrink and hunger remains a distressing reality in the Greater Philadelphia region, community-based nonprofits are often a lifeline for families in need of healthy food,” said Loree D. Jones Brown, CEO of Philabundance. “Investing directly in our partners and their infrastructure allows us to swiftly and efficiently meet the needs of thousands of our friends and neighbors experiencing food insecurity.”

“Breaking Bread on Broad is [very] grateful for the new refrigerators we will be able to purchase with our Philabundance grant,” said Dan Seltzer, co-leader of Breaking Bread on Broad (BBoB). “Breaking Bread on Broad is the food pantry of Congregation Rodeph Shalom whose mission is to provide our neighbors in need with food, diapers and period supplies each week. With this grant, we will be able to provide our BBoB neighbors with more fresh fruits, vegetables, and protein to better feed their families.”

“With this funding, Casa Del Carmen will invest in critical hardware—such as commercial refrigeration, durable shelving, metal prep-table and mini hand pallet jack—that will enhance the efficiency and reliability of our food pantry operations,” said Janet DeJesus, office manager at Casa Del Carmen. “These improvements will allow us to store more fresh and nutritious food, reduce waste, and serve our neighbors more quickly and with greater dignity. By strengthening our infrastructure, we are not only improving daily logistics but also deepening our commitment to food security and community well-being.”