Dear Friends,

The holidays are upon us, and as many plan their gatherings and holiday meals, others are in need of a meal. Food pantries and soup kitchens throughout Philadelphia are doing what they can to make sure no one goes hungry during these holidays, but they could use some volunteers to make it happen. Help end hunger this holiday season! You can find a list of opportunities here.

If you know someone in need of a meal, the City of Philadelphia has put together some great resources. Find Christmas Day meal locations, as well as a list or city map showing where and when Philadelphia Parks & Recreation will be offering free youth meals, during the winter break. Please share these resources with anyone who could benefit from them. 

And of course, hunger doesn't end with the holidays. Your support of our work ensures that we can continue to connect individuals and families to the food resources they need all year round. Please consider making a donation.

Congratulations, Derek!

This week, our Community Organizer, Derek Felton, was presented with the "Unsung Heroes" award from Masjidullah - The Center for Excellence, at our Food Rescue. This award celebrates the work that Derek does to help end hunger each and every day. Help us in congratulating Derek!! And thank you, Masjidullah, for recognizing Derek and all of his hard work! 

Food Pantry & Soup Kitchens

Thanks to the generosity of a $25,000 grant from BNY Mellon, we were able to award twenty-eight of our Victory In Partnership (VIP) member food pantries resources that they were in need of. These resources included funds to purchase more food for their program participants and funds to pay for gas to pick up and deliver food, as well as an array of nutrition education materials.  

Dwayne and Annette Hall of Healthy Choice Now Inc. shared why the VIP Program and the resources are needed. “Partnering with other ministries that are like minded has made our burdens lighter. Inflation, unemployment, underemployment has made the struggle for food for those who are low income and middle class a challenge, especially when trying to purchase healthy foods. In some cases, cost has increased by 100% and the cost of gas is ever increasing. Thank you for always being there for VIP members. The posters, booklets and healthy food sheets are simplistic, engaging and powerful….”  

Below see Veda Brown from Voice Community Economic Development’s Food Pantry in North Philadelphia with Coalition Community Organizer, Derek Felton, as she accepts the donation to her program.

Policy and Advocacy

As we near the holidays, our eyes are on the Senate to pass the Build Back Better Act (BBBA). As a reminder, this bill includes $10 billion for critical child nutrition provisions that will: 

• Expand the number of schools that would be able to offer free meals to all their students through the Community Eligibility Provision.
• Give states the option to implement the Community Eligibility Provision statewide, allowing all students in the state to receive school breakfast and lunch at no charge.
• Extend Summer EBT nationwide for students who receive free or reduced-price school meals.
• Provide $30 million for school kitchen equipment grants.
• Provide $250 million for a Healthy School Meal Incentives demonstration project.

The BBBA also provides critical advancements in lowering child poverty through the Child Tax Credit (CTC). The expanded CTC has been a lifeline to struggling families, with many recipients spending their payment on necessities like food. The last scheduled payment of the CTC was this past Wednesday, and if the Senate does not pass the BBBA by the end of the year, families likely will not receive a CTC payment in January. 

If you have not already, we urge you to tell your Senators to pass the BBBA. You can use this easy, pre-written email from the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), or make your voice heard on social by tagging @GPCAHunger when tweeting Senator Pat Toomey (@SenToomey) and Senator Bob Casey (@SenBobCasey). Finally, be sure to share this with your networks to increase our voice!

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.