Dear Friends,

The holidays are fast approaching, and with it, our VIP (Victory In Partnership) partner food pantries and soup kitchens are planning for their holiday meals and food distribution. With supply chain issues making certain foods more difficult to get and increasing prices, food banks and food pantries are feeling the effects, including some of our VIP partners. We are so grateful for your strong interest in helping out this year and by the many of you who have already come to us looking for ways to volunteer this holiday season.

If you can help, either by volunteering time or by donating food items, please see our list of holiday volunteer opportunities, which we will continue to update with holiday requests. Thank you for your continued support of the greater Philadelphia food pantries, soup kitchens and our work to end hunger!

Food Pantry & Soup Kitchens

Thanks to the Victory in Partnership (VIP) members who participated in our food rescue program this October. They were able to distribute 5,655 extra pounds of food to 1,450 people in 450 households. Way to go, team! If your food pantry or soup kitchen would like to sign-up for our VIP Food Rescue, please contact Derek Felton at [email protected].

Policy and Advocacy

Build Back Better (BBB) Update: As we are writing this update, the most recent reports say that a House vote on the BBB Act is imminent. By the time this lands in your inbox, that vote may have occurred. In any case, please weigh in and urge your US Representative to support BBB’s critical $10 billion investment in child nutrition. You can send your Member of Congress an email here with just one click! 

Weighing in is important even if the House vote has already occurred, because any change to the bill in the Senate (due to amendments or rules concerning budgetary impact) means the bill will return to the House for another vote. 

SNAP Updates: 

• Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services (DHS) has begun text messaging clients who “opt in” to receive texts. At the end of October, DHS sent communications to all of their clients about this new text messaging option and how they can enroll. In the first few days, over 32,000 people had signed up! Right now, those who receive SNAP can sign up to receive text messages when they are submitting an application or a renewal through COMPASS (the platform our SNAP Hotline counselors use), or through their MyCOMPASS desktop dashboard (signing up is not yet available in the mobile app). Those who sign up for text messages will receive reminders when their 6-month paperwork is due (called a Semi-Annual Report, or “SAR” form), as well as when their annual renewal packet is due. DHS will consider sending additional texts as needed in the future.
• USDA has approved Pennsylvania’s request to issue SNAP “Emergency Allotments” EAs in November. The extra SNAP dollars will again be issued in the second half of the month. You can find details here.

SNAP Hotline

Our Coalition Against Hunger SNAP Hotline team is here to help! Whether it’s navigating the SNAP application process or providing case management, our SNAP Hotline team is available to help Monday – Thursday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and on Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Give our SNAP Hotline team a call at 215-430-0556.

And if you are looking to visit the County Assistance Offices (CAO), they are open for in-person assistance. You can visit their offices or contact their Customer Service Center at 215-560-7226 (Philadelphia) or 877-395-8930 (statewide). For phone numbers and addresses of all Philadelphia County Assistance offices, please use this link.