Thanks to your support and that of thousands of other concerned neighbors, our work is able to continue through the COVID-19 crisis even as the need for food increases. We are grateful.
COVID-19 has forced us to change the way we work, from the way we acquire food, to the types of food we’re distributing and to the ways in which that food is getting to those who need it most. We continue to supply our partners in our nine-county service area, increasing our distribution schedule to meet the growing demand. We are also a key partner of Philadelphia in its emergency food distribution effort. We are providing 400 15lb boxes of produce to 40 sites every week. Every day we explore additional distribution strategies.
Our workforce development program and production kitchen, Philabundance Community Kitchen, continues to operate as well, and the 15 students in the current cohort are receiving virtual training. We are providing hundreds of grab and go meals every day for the City’s Hub of Hope, Project Home and Federation Housing. We are also very fortunate to have been granted a waiver so that construction can continue on the new facility for PCK and we have every confidence that our doors will be open for students by September at the latest.
Through all of this, everyone at Philabundance is honored by the generosity of so many loyal and first-time donors and partners. We wanted to share some moments of exceptional kindness during this unprecedented time:
• Philadelphia’s great sports teams have provided exceptional support from the players themselves to their parent organizations
• Lamar billboards, Harmelin Media and Keystone Media all donated space on digital billboards to help spread awareness and raise funds for us
• It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia actors Rob McElhenneyand Kaitlin Olson raised more than $50,000 through a GoFundMe campaign they launched for us. They then matched these gifts
• All donors make a difference at Philabundance, from five-year old Sidney, who emptied her piggy bank to send us $5, to the woman who told us she only had $4 to give and asked if we would take such a relatively small amount
• The International Union of Operating Engineers is providing two forklift drivers to help us in our warehouses so we can expedite moving food
• Dozens of people have already donated their stimulus checks to us, believing that the need of others is greater than theirs.
We will continue to provide you with regular updates in the coming weeks, but if you have a question or would like to get involved, please visit our COVID-19 Resources and Information page.
May your plate always be full,
Sara Hertz
Chief Development Officer
