In addition to Let’s Eat meal kits, we will highlight an educational or community resource each week. This page contains an archive of all of the Let’s Eat resources we’ve shared to date.

Week 1

To kick off the summer, we wanted to provide information that would complement the Let‘s Eat goal of having families spending time cooking and eating together. In addition to cooking and eating together, you can plan some affordable summer fun visiting museums, other cultural sites, and even shows at the theater! 

Did you know that families who have a Pennsylvania ACCESS Card (the government issued EBT card for SNAP, Medicaid, or TANF) can visit participating cultural sites and theaters in Philadelphia at the deeply discounted rate of $2 per person? (This includes the ACCESS cardholder and up to three additional people.) To find out more, check out this flyer and visit the Art-Reach Access Program webpage.

For families in New Jersey, there is the Families First Discovery Pass program. Families who get help from SNAP, WFNJ, Child Care Subsidy and/or WIC are eligible for free or steeply discounted admission to museums, cultural sites, and many performances throughout the State. To find out more, check out this flyer and visit the Families First Discovery Pass webpage.

Week 2

Higher prices – for food, gas, and almost everything- are making it hard for families to make ends meet. Every dollar matters. Did you miss the April deadline to file your taxes and think it was too late? It’s not. Thanks to the Campaign for Working Families (CWF), you can still get help with your taxes. They can see if you qualify for the Child Tax Credit or other refunds and submit your return. Plus, they offer services virtually (as well as in-person at some locations). See the CWF website (www.cwfphilly.org) to schedule an appointment.

Los precios más altos de los alimentos, la gasolina, y de casi todo, están dificultando que a las familias les alcance el dinero. Cada dólar cuenta. ¿Se le pasó la fecha límite de abril para declarar sus impuestos y pensó que era demasiado tarde? No lo es. Gracias a Campaign for Working Families (Campaña para las Familias Trabajadoras (CWF)), aún puede obtener ayuda con sus impuestos. Ellos pueden verificar si usted califica para el Crédito Fiscal por Hijos u otros reembolsos y presentar su declaración. Además, ofrecen servicios virtualmente (así como en persona en algunos lugares). Consulte el sitio web de CWF (www.cwfphilly.org) para programar una cita.

物价飙升——食品、油气以及几乎所有一切都让众多家庭变得入不敷出。在这样的情况下，每分钱都很重要。您是否已经错过了四月份的报税截止日期，并觉得为时已晚？然而，事实并非如此。Campaign for Working Families (CWF)可以为您提供税务事宜帮助。他们可以查看您是否具备儿童税抵扣（Child Tax Credit）等退税条件，并为您提交纳税申报单。并且，他们还提供线上虚拟服务（某些区域仍提供线下真人服务）。欢迎查看CWF网站（www.cwfphilly.org）进行预约。

Week 3

Summer meals programs will be a bit different this summer

Over the past two summers, there were less strict rules so that meals could be served with COVID-safe practices. Those more flexible rules have not been put in place for this summer. That means:

• Kids will need to eat at the summer meals site instead of taking “grab & go” boxes home.
• Kids will need to eat the meal during the site’s meal service time.
• There will be fewer summer meals sites in some areas because the rule that let all sites across the country feed all children under age 18 for free has ended. However, many high need areas will still offer free meals to all children.

How to find free summer meals for your children

There are a few different tools to find summer meals: online maps, texting, and even phone options.

• Online maps:
  • For USDA’s summer map tool locator, go to fns.usda.gov/meals4kids. Click on the map and type in your address to find sites near you.
  • The map is also available in Spanish. Just click on the word “Spanish” listed under “Find Meals for Kids” on the left-hand side of the map.
  • When you click on a site, it will list the site name, address, start and end dates, days of operation, and the times meals are served.
• Texting service from No Kid Hungry:
  • Text the word “Food” to 304-304 (in Spanish Texto “comida” al 304-304)
  • You will get a text back that asks you to enter your address
  • You will be sent information about the nearest meal site
• Phone options:
  • Call the USDA National Hunger Hotline: 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479)
  • In Spanish: 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273)
  • The hotline is operated by Hunger Free America and can be reached Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET.

Note: Some meals sites are open most of the summer, while others operate for a few weeks. Meals may also be served at different times (some serve breakfast and lunch, while others serve lunch and snack). Make sure to note these details when you use the above tools.

Other local mapping resources:

• Coalition Against Hunger summer meals map for southeast PA: phillysummermeals.org
• City of Philadelphia Food Resources map gives details about food distribution sites, senior meal sites, outdoor meal sites, and summer meal sites in Philadelphia only: phila.gov/food

Translations: Mandarin, Spanish

Weeks 4 & 5

Share your thoughts on hunger with the White House!

This fall, the White House is hosting a Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health for the first time in over 50 years. As part of the event, it will announce an cation plan to end hunger and improve health in the U.S.

The White House wants to hear from YOU.

To inform this action plan, the White House wants to know more from our community members, especially those who have experienced hunger firsthand. Philabundance is joining Feeding America to urge you to share your input! (See this information in Spanish.)

Take the quick survey:

• English
• Spanish

Week 6

Do you have young children and need more support with food? You may qualify for “WIC,” which is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children 

The WIC program provides wholesome food, nutrition education, and health support for women who are pregnant and post-partum, infants, and children up to 5 years old who are income eligible (income eligibility guidelines are the same for PA and NJ). Note – if a young child has another guardian, such as a father, grandparent(s), other relatives, or foster parent(s) they can apply for WIC for the child.  

• To apply for WIC in Pennsylvania: complete your pre-application online. It will be sent to your local WIC office, and they will contact you. Or, you can call the toll-free WIC hotline at 1-800-WIC-WINS (1-800-942-9467) to be connected to WIC office staff that will answer your questions and schedule your appointment. Note: translation of the webpage is available in Spanish by clicking the En Español link near the top of the page. 

• To apply for WIC in New Jersey, contact the local WIC agency nearest you to schedule an appointment: https://www.state.nj.us/health/fhs/wic/participants/find-wic/ Note: translation of the webpage is available in many languages through a drop- down menu at the bottom of the page. 

Week 7

Are you a senior who needs more support with food? You can qualify for CSFP, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program – also called the Senior Food Box Program.

CSFP is a federal food assistance program that provides a free monthly food box to low-income seniors. The program works to improve the health of low-income seniors by supplementing their diets with nutritious food. Each food box typically includes: milk, cheese, juice, oats, ready-to-eat cereal, rice, pasta, dry beans, peanut butter, canned meat, poultry, or fish, and canned fruits and vegetables. Food boxes are distributed by regional food banks through local partner agencies. Recipients will receive one box per month. To be eligible, you must be 60 years or older and have a household income below 130% of the poverty line (income eligibility guidelines are the same for PA and NJ).

To apply for CSFP in Pennsylvania: Fill out the Self-Certification form (available in English and Spanish) and email it to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture at srfoodbox@pa.gov with the subject line “SENIOR FOOD BOX APPLICATION.” The Dept. of Agriculture will send your application to the regional food bank that distributes CSFP in your area, and they will contact you. OR you can apply by calling 800-468-2433 to be connected to your regional food bank.

To apply for CSFP in New Jersey: CSFP is administered through regional food banks. The Food Bank of South Jersey provides CSFP services for Camden, Burlington, Gloucester, and Salem counties. Apply for CSFP by contacting the Food Bank of South Jersey at 856-662-4884 to apply for CSFP and get a list of local distribution sites.

Please note: The number of people the CSFP program can serve is limited by the amount of federal funding available. Eligible applicants will be placed on a waiting list when there are no slots available.