Community Center at Visitation (CCV) is going above and beyond with their small but mighty team to serve the Kensington neighborhood. In addition to their fresh choice food pantry, where guests can choose the food they would like to take home with them, CCV partners with many other local organizations to offer free legal aid, grief support, adult development classes including English, computer, and sewing classes, and so much more. They want to keep expanding their programs, but to do so they're looking for funding and volunteers to help facilitate their classes.

POLICY & ADVOCACY

WIC Funding Crisis: Yesterday we sent out an Advocacy Alert to our network encouraging people to participate in a National WIC Day of Action and tell Congress to include funding for WIC in the next short-term spending package and fully fund WIC in the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations package. If you didn’t have a chance to participate, it’s not too late to speak up for WIC!

Learn more about the crisis and what you can do to help.

Election Day: Make sure to vote this Tuesday, November 7. Polls in PA will be open from 7am – 8pm. Any completed mail-in ballots must be received (not just postmarked) by your county election office by 8pm. 

Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): LIHEAP is open for the 2023-2024 season. LIHEAP is a program that provides assistance for home heating bills so that Pennsylvanians with low incomes can stay warm and safe during the winter months. Applications for LIHEAP, which is available to both renters and homeowners, will be open from November 1, 2023 – April 5, 2024.

LIHEAP and South District Office Reopened: Just in time for the start of LIHEAP season, the LIHEAP and South District Office (1163 South Broad Street) has reopened. Remember, you can still receive service for LIHEAP at your local district office.

LIHEAP also has a temporary fax number: 215-218-4650. We will update you when the main number is once again available!

SNAP HOTLINE IN ACTION

Last week we received a call from someone we had helped on our SNAP Hotline a few days before. They called and left a message saying that they had just checked their account. With our assistance completing and submitting an application for them, they were approved and received their SNAP benefits. As they cried, they thanked us for our help and told us how grateful they were that they could now purchase food.

If you live in Philly, Bucks, or Chester County and would like assistance applying for SNAP benefits or completing your annual renewal, call our SNAP Hotline Monday – Thursday from 9:00am to 5:00 pm and on Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at 215-430-0556. Asistencia también disponible en Español.

SHARE YOUR SNAP STORY

We are conducting a survey of those who have applied for and/or receive SNAP benefits in Philadelphia in order to gain a deeper understanding of the positives and negatives of the program. The experiences shared by you will be utilized to adjust our advocacy strategies and better serve our community.

In order to participate in this campaign you must be able to:

1. Join a short call with a Coalition Against Hunger staff member to learn more about the project and
2. Come to our office in Old City Philadelphia for a one-hour interview about your experience with SNAP. 

*Participants who complete the interview will get a gift card as a thanks for their time and expertise. Thank you to everyone who has already submitted their interest.

MAKE A STAND AGAINST HUNGER!

• Sign up to receive our up-to-date Advocacy Alerts. 
• Make a donation or Become a Monthly Donor to support our work.
• Help us connect more people with SNAP benefits by volunteering to virtually answer phone calls for our SNAP Hotline. Learn more here!
• ¡Suscríbase a nuestro nuevo boletín en español!

We strive to build a community where all people have the food they need to lead healthy lives. Hunger is preventable. Thank you for your continued support of our work! 

The Coalition Against Hunger Team