Philabundance

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Posted: Friday, 11 January 2008 12:40PM

Area Food Bank Pleads for Post-Holiday Food Donations

by KYW's Karin Phillips

The local food bank "Philabundance" wants area residents to
know that they still need food donations now that the holidays
are over.

Philabundance says the need for food is increasing in this area
-- and around the country -- primarily because the numbers of
working poor is also increasing every day.

Martha Buccino of Philabundance:

"People are working but the salaries are low. They cannot afford
all their needs that the family has, such as heating. So the
choices are, do I get heat or do I get food? Do we heat or eat?"

Buccino says Philabundance received over a half-million pounds
of food November and December after a call went out to answer
the growing need. But she says that now that the holidays are
over, the warehouse capacity of Philabundance is well below
its preferred 90 percent.

She says she hopes local organizations will start to rev up
local and regional food drives to meet the mounting need.

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Philabundance is the region’s largest food rescue organization.
In fiscal 2006, we distributed 26 million pounds of food. We
serve low income residents at risk of hunger and malnutrition,
of which 23% are children and 16% are senior citizens.

The food does not come directly from Philabundance. Our two
warehouses hold the food that is collected and donated, then
repacked for distribution to our network of more than 600 member
agencies throughout the Delaware Valley. These agencies include
food cupboards, neighborhood distributions, shelters, emergency
kitchens and various social service agencies with special
programs such as daycares and senior centers.

The agencies serve people in need in Bucks, Chester, Delaware,
Montgomery and Philadelphia counties in PA, and in Burlington,
Camden, Gloucester, Mercer and Salem counties in NJ.

Currently, Philabundance distributes food to member agencies
through the following distribution systems:

*Orders for items on the weekly Philabundance Food Bank menu
that can be delivered or picked up at the Berks location.

*Items picked up from the Walk Through shopping area at the
Berks location.
*Produce delivered weekly.
*Produce picked up from local hub distributions.

When we find ourselves with products that cannot be used by
our network of agencies, then we have the ability to share
it with other food banks throughout America’s Second Harvest
network. Often it is produce that is so highly valued by
food banks and is available to Philabundance due to our
geographic location.

Member agencies pay shared maintenance as well as delivery
fees for the food they receive from the Food Bank. Agencies
may also apply for the Produce Program to either receive a
weekly delivery or come to a produce hub distribution; the
Produce Program is free and agencies that apply are added
to a waitlist for the next available space.

In 2005, Philabundance integrated with the Philadelphia Food
Bank to become the region's largest nonprofit hunger relief
organization. Today, Philabundance offers a full plate of
services to Delaware Valley residents at risk of chronic hunger
and malnutrition.

Philabundance provides food if and when a disaster strikes.
During the Hurricane Katrina aftermath Philabundance was the
fourth largest provider of food to the Gulf.