FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nearly 400,000 Kids Across the Delaware Valley May Go Hungry this Summer
Philadelphia, PA – June 11, 2018– As school lets out for the summer, hundreds of thousands of kids across the Delaware Valley are at risk of hunger as they lose their school breakfasts and/or lunches for the next three months.
As approximately 400,000 children in Philabundance’s 9-county service area face going hungry this summer, Philabundance and its partner agencies will offer the following to provide additional food access throughout the summer months:
- KidsBites LunchBox program, sponsored by the Giant Family Foundation, aims to fill the summer meal gap by providing nearly 20,000 meals for children through the end of August. These free, nutritious meals will include entrees like wraps, fruits, veggies and milk. The program is available weekly at 8 locations in Pennsylvania for children under the age of 18. Click here for a list of KidsBites LunchBox locations and to learn more about Philabundance kid’s programs. LunchBoxes are prepared by students at the Philabundance Community Kitchen, a culinary job training program for low-income adults.
- FreshConnect Bucks County, is a free farmers market-style distribution that provides fresh produce weekly to communities in need. As of June, FreshConnect will offer a new distribution on Tuesdays from 12-1 in Warminster, to help serve those in need in Bucks County. For a list of all FreshConnect locations, and other Philabundance free produce distributions in PA and NJ, visit: https://www.philabundance.org/find-food/free-farmers-markets/
Philabundance cannot achieve its mission of driving hunger from our communities today and ending hunger forever without the support of organizations, corporations and the general public. Here are several easy ways to be a hunger hero and squash hunger this summer:
- Join Citizens Bank and the Philadelphia Phillies for the Eighth Annual Phans Feeding Families day on June 12 at Citizens Bank Park. With each ticket purchased through the Phans website, $8 is donated to Philabundance, putting 16 meals on the table for children and families across the Delaware Valley. Phans can also drop off nonperishable food donations before the game to receive a buy one, get one free ticket offer for various games. To order tickets and learn about other ways to contribute to the cause visit: https://www.mlb.com/phillies/tickets/specials/phans-feeding-families and enter the code: FEEDINGFAMILIES
- SEPTA’s Stop Hunger at Your Station campaign aims to collect donations of nonperishable food to help the more than 700,000 people struggling with food insecurity in the Greater Philadelphia Area. From June 18-22 SEPTA riders and employees can drop off donations in red collection barrels at designated SEPTA stations. For a complete list of SEPTA collection locations and examples of most needed food items visit: http://www.septa.org/events/philabundance.html
“While school may take a vacation for the summer, hunger does not,” explained Philabundance Executive Director Glenn Bergman. “Philabundance serves 90,000 people each week, 30% of whom are children. Most people don’t think about hunger in the summer, but it’s a critical time to provide assistance to feed our neighbors – and their children – in need.”
Families looking for assistance finding summer meals can visit https://fnssnaphal-gis.esriemcs.com/summerfoodrocks/ or call the National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-Hungry or 1-877-8-HAMBRE.
For more information, please visit www.philabundance.org or contact Samantha Retamar, Communications Coordinator at Philabundance, at 215-339-0900 x1501 or sretamar@philabundance.org.
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