Introducing: Our New Director of Government Affairs

September 28, 2018
2:21 pm

Photo by Jonathan Gonzalez

By Kate Scully, Director of Government Affairs

Approximately 40% of all food produced in the U.S. goes to waste. This while 1 in 5 people in Philadelphia, and 1 in 7 nationally, are experiencing hunger. Hunger is an issue about individual and family resources, about the money they have or don’t have, not about the amount of food available.

I have worked in areas around hunger and poverty for the last 9 years, but I was shocked to learn about just how much food goes to waste. I am new to Philabundance, but it is easy to see how successfully we connect the food that would have been wasted with people who need it. Through our free food sites, distributions to agencies and other programs, Philabundance is able to feed over 90,000 people each week; much of that is perfectly good food that would have gone to waste.

As the new Director of Government Affairs, I am thrilled to work for an organization actively helping feed people today while we work to end hunger forever. I have worked on issues related to hunger and poverty– first with PathWays PA and most recently at the Center for Hunger-Free Communities. I have been lucky to work with great partners and strong advocates all striving to put an end to hunger and poverty. This effort requires groups working together to advocate for food, housing, health care, job training, etc. Poverty does not happen in a vacuum, and to solve any aspect of it – including hunger – we must take a holistic approach.

In my role at Philabundance, it will be my job to bring attention to the issue of hunger in our area by coordinating with partners, meeting with elected officials and working with all of you to raise up the issue of hunger and advocate for ways to combat it.

To stay in touch with me please visit our advocacy page, sign up for our Advocacy Alerts and email me any thoughts, insights, or let me know you are interested in partnering at advocacy@philabundance.org.

I’m looking forward to working together!

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.”