|  | Dear Friends, As we reflect on the events that took place at our nation's capital, the Coalition team continues to work in the best interest of all our neighbors across the Philadelphia region who are fighting food insecurity. Monday, January 18th is the annual Martin Luther King Jr. day of service across the country. If you are looking for volunteer opportunities in your community visit the Global Citizen and the Greater Philadelphia MLK Day of Service volunteer portals to find one close to you! MLK Day Programs and Event We are still collecting responses to help prepare for our upcoming Strategic Planning process.
As members of the Coalition community, your feedback is essential. Please share your thoughts with us here. The feedback tool includes 15 questions and will take 10-15minutes depending on the length of your response. All responses are anonymous and confidential. Thank you! |
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| Hotline Story The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to afflict our neighbors fighting hunger and heavily impact the daily routine of their lives. SNAP Counselor, Claire Richardson received a call from a neighbor in need. The caller’s benefits had been terminated because she missed her renewal date and she didn’t receive the renewal paperwork. Currently on dialysis, our client receives SSI as her monthly income and the SNAP benefits are a vital supplement. Claire quickly got to work and submitted her application, restoring her benefits. As the number of people calling our SNAP Hotline increases, our SNAP Hotline team continues to help individuals and families navigate the SNAP Application process and connect neighbors with the food resources they need. SNAP Hotline Our SNAP Hotline continues to experience an increase in calls. Thank you to our volunteers and SNAP Hotline Team for their tireless efforts to support individuals and families as they navigate the SNAP application process! Our SNAP Hotline operates Monday – Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at 215-430-0556. |
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| Advocacy Last week, we told you about some of the key COVID relief provisions signed into law in the final days of 2020, including an incredibly important, but temporary, 15% increase to SNAP benefits. Our Community Educator, Katie, has created this video to explain the 15% bump and when those enrolled in SNAP will receive it. Please share it widely! While the COVID relief enacted by Congress will be a tremendous help once those dollars get out to those who are struggling, we cannot lose sight of the fact that millions across the nation – and here in our region – are suffering. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities COVID Hardship Watch (updated on Jan. 8), nearly 1 in 5 families with children lacked sufficient food in the last week. |
| As we prepare to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, the data also provides a clear and sobering reminder that many of the racial disparities in our economy and workforce that he fought against have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Black and Latino households experience food insufficiency at more than twice the rate of White households. |
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| The report also provides state level details on several measures in Pennsylvania: - 16% of adults with children households lacked sufficient food last 7 days (12% in adult only households)
- 35% of adults reported difficulty covering usual household expenses
- 22% of renters were not caught up on rent
- Jobless benefits claims for the week ending Dec. 19 = 1.1 million individuals (this is third highest in the nation after CA and NY)
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 | Throughout 2021, we will need YOUR help to impress upon elected officials, and to educate the public, that the 15% SNAP increase is a mere down payment on the assistance and better policies that will be needed to not only recover from the pandemic crisis, but to move toward a more equitable economy that works for everyone. |
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| Food Pantry and Soup Kitchens For the month of December, food pantries and soup kitchens participating in the Coalition Against Hunger Food Rescue Program were able to distribute 145,000 pounds of food and 60,000 pounds of bottled water to 690 households. A total of 1990 people benefited! We are grateful to all of the programs who are able to continue this hard work during the pandemic. |
|  | Calling All Food Pantries and Soup Kitchens! If you would like to participate in and raise funds for your food program through the upcoming 2021 Virtual Race Against Hunger, please join us on Thursday, January 28th or Thursday, February 25th from 10:30pm - noon on Zoom. Learn all about winning fundraising tips and how to get the most out of this year’s virtual Race Against Hunger. Contact Derek Felton, Community Organizer at
[email protected] to register. |
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| #HungerFighter Blog Update The Coalition continues to connect with the organizers of Philadelphia's rapidly growing network of community fridges. We talked with Jane Ellis, a 4th grade school teacher about how she established the Germantown Community Fridge with no outreach experience and about how her North Philadelphia neighbors quickly enlisted in the fight against hunger. Go to the Hunger Fighter blog to learn how the Germantown Community helps run the fridge like a Coalition! |
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WE ARE HIRING! We’re looking for an Office Manager to support our work as a team with a focus on our operations, finance, and volunteer management areas. - This is a multi-faceted position that includes bookkeeping, managing office systems, operations, IT, and management of the volunteer program for the organization.
- Applicant must be flexible, a team player with a people focused approach, technology savvy, and a great problem solver.
- This is a full time, exempt position reporting to the Executive Director. For more information visit the full job description here.
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| SAVE-THE-DATE: THE RACE AGAINST HUNGER The Coalition Against Hunger will kick-off the start of this year’s Virtual Race Against Hunger 5K Run/Walk on January 25, 2021! This year marks the Coalition’s 25th anniversary of bringing together the community to raise funds that help combat hunger in the Philadelphia region. Details on our kick-off event will be revealed in next week’s Coalition Community Update. |
| | WHAT CAN YOU DO? 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 |
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| | Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger
123 Chestnut Street Suite 401 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106
215-430-0555 | [email protected] |
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