Supporting Philadelphia Food Banks During A Crisis
Fighting food insecurity has always been one of the top priorities of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia—we operate five food pantries through our Mitzvah Food Program—but since the COVID-19 outbreak began, this work has taken on greater urgency.
"More older adults and families are relying on us than ever before," said Phil Holtje, a Mitzvah Food staffer. "Many people have become newly vulnerable because of economic downturn or their employment circumstances."
But while demand has surged, social distancing requirements have made it harder for food pantries to operate safely. Additionally, many of our most dedicated volunteers are in a high-risk age group and cannot safely fulfill their usual tasks. But Holtje and his colleagues have found a way to make it work.
"We've had to creatively adapt services to meet needs while keeping everyone (volunteers, staff, and clients) safe from exposure," said Holtje.
At one Mitzvah Food location, this has meant no-contact food dropoffs. Another has a drive-up model. In every case, our food banks have relied on an influx of new volunteers to make the systems work.
"It takes a lot of dedication to support our most vulnerable during a moment like this," says Holtje. "We couldn't do it without help."
Want to get involved? Click here to volunteer with the Mitzvah Food Pantry.
Fundraising To Fight Hunger
In addition to ramping up our own Mitzvah Food Pantry program, we've also been fundraising to support our partner agencies as they respond to the most critical needs of the community during this crisis. Since we began our emergency response efforts, we've raised more than $1.2 million and made initial grants totaling more than $665,000.
The grants we've made to support food insecurity relief include:
- direct support for food pantries
- food delivery for housebound senior citizens
- food and basic supplies for people with disabilities
- medically-tailored meals for people with serious illnesses.
We're proud to say that, with your generosity, in just six weeks we have impacted the lives of more than 40,000 people! While our work is far from done, we are committed to protecting the vulnerable and newly vulnerable for as long as this crisis lasts.
None of this is possible without the ongoing support of our donors. Click here to make a donation to The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia.