Chuck Fisher, Philabundance’s longest tenured employee, catches the ceremonial first pitch.
(See page 5)
In This Issue
Food Banks Grapple with SNAP and Medicaid Cuts
page 3
25 Years of the Philabudance Community Kitchen page 4
5th Annual Top Guac Competition page 5
Community Partner Capacity Grants page 7
2025 Summer LunchBox Program page 8
Loree D. Jones Brown Chief Executive Officer
Dear Friends,
As we near the end of 2025, I’ve been reflecting on the challenges and triumphs that have shaped this year. Together, we’ve accomplished so much, even as we’ve faced daunting realities.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Philabundance Community Kitchen (PCK), which has prepared more than 1,000 individuals for meaningful careers in the service industry. PCK alone produced over 440,000 meals last year, addressing both immediate hunger and its underlying root causes, such as poverty. To mark this occasion, we recently gathered with alumni at a special Homecoming celebration, an inspiring reminder of the lives and communities transformed through this life-changing program (read more on page 4).
But even as we celebrate, it’s impossible to ignore the challenges that remain. Debilitating SNAP cuts could eliminate nearly 400 million meals a year from Pennsylvanians, while rising grocery prices strain budgets more than ever before. Addressing these challenges in our community is an enormous task only possible with the steadfast support of friends like you.
Amid cuts to our own funding, your generosity continues to provide the critical resources that allow us to keep showing up for our neighbors when they need us most. Your support does more than fuel our operations—it inspires us. It strengthens our resolve to advocate for better policies, build new partnerships with elected officials and innovate programs that offer not only relief today, but also hope for tomorrow.
As families gather this season, far too many of our neighbors will face impossible choices. At Philabundance, we are ready to meet this moment with the same courage and compassion that have guided our mission since day one—thanks to you.
Yours in service,
Loree D. Jones Brown Chief Executive Officer
BOARD CHAIR
Dixie James
VICE CHAIR
BJ Clark
Noel Eisenstat
John Hollway
TREASURER
Elizabeth Ireland
SECRETARY
Niki Hawkins
MEMBERS
Bassam Awadalla
Mayra Bergman
Jason Cabrera
Scott Jackson
Ken Lawrence
David Leone
Adele Lindenmeyr, PhD
Marisa Magnatta
David Miller
Desiree Murphy Morrissey
Aleni Pappas
Todd Peterson
Martin Phillips
Milton Pratt, Jr.
Pam Rainey Lawler
Estelle Richman
John Ruane
Nyeema Watson, PhD
Cindy Wedholm
Angela Wurster
TRUSTEE
Alan Casnoff
Over the summer, the federal government passed into law the budget reconciliation bill, which enacted unprecedented cuts on two of the nation’s most crucial safety net programs: Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The cuts—which include a $200 billion decrease in SNAP funding over 10 years—affect the communities who need access to food and health care most: low-income older adults, people with disabilities and those facing food insecurity.
When faced with such cuts, people increasingly turn to food banks. And food banks—including Philabundance— cannot support the need alone. SNAP is our nation’s number 1 defense against hunger: For every one meal food banks provide, SNAP provides 9. In Pennsylvania, SNAP cuts are expected to eliminate 396 million muchneeded meals each year.
In the face of these cuts, Philabundance is steadfast in our commitment to drive hunger from our communities
This summer, a variety of legislators and their teams volunteered at PCK and packed LunchBox snacks and meals, including Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon, State Sen. Sharif Street, Rep. Jordan Harris, Pennsylvania Rep. Regina Young, and the teams of State Sen. Anthony H. Williams and Pennsylvania Rep. Ben Waxman. Their volunteer work has been a great way to further engage legislators in the fight against hunger in our region.
today and to end hunger for good. Below, you can see some of the ways we have recently connected with our elected officials and advocated for our neighbors facing hunger.
We will continue to support our community and forge a path forward that supports our food-insecure neighbors.
But we cannot do it alone. Everyone has something to bring to the table in the fight against hunger. Your voice, perspective and expertise matter.
Visit philabundance.org/take-action to learn more about lending your voice to the fight against hunger.
On August 14, U.S. Sen. John Fetterman’s team hosted a roundtable discussion with local anti-hunger organizations at Philabundance Community Kitchen. Chief Partnerships and Strategy Officer Dorothy Wong and Government Affairs Manager Callie Perrone participated on behalf of Philabundance. This event provided an opportunity to share the impacts federal changes are having on our organizations and our communities, as well as discuss a path forward, with the senator’s office.
The Philabundance Community Kitchen (PCK) is proudly celebrating its 25th anniversary, marking an incredible milestone of transforming lives through food, culinary training and community support.
Since 2000, PCK has empowered a diverse community of adults who have low or no income and are passionate about culinary careers. The 16-week program offers comprehensive training, support and practical experience, leading to increased employability and renewed hope. Most recently, PCK celebrated its 104th class of graduates!
To honor the 1,000-plus students and families who have had their lives transformed by PCK over the past 25 years, Philabundance hosted a PCK Homecoming event, which gave alumni a chance to return to PCK and reconnect with staff, students and each other. The afternoon included bites from local food trucks and vendors, games and activities for all ages, live entertainment and unique opportunities for alumni to represent their graduating classes.
Candace Matthews-Bass, deputy director of workforce and community development at Philabundance, has been with PCK since its inception. She brings to the team her passion for helping people prepare for the workforce and has supported a diverse mix of students from various ages, backgrounds and languages who are all united by a common goal: to build a brighter future.
“There’s a definite posture that the successful students in these programs have around change and transformation,” Matthews-Bass said. “They understand that they’re part of a bigger picture, and that they are the link between success for themselves and their families.”
Community support enables Philabundance to keep offering these transformative opportunities at PCK by allowing more people to experience the program’s life-changing impact. Together, we can foster empowerment and growth that not only benefits individual graduates, but also creates stronger, more resilient communities. Through PCK, we can help break the cycle of poverty and food insecurity for generations to come.
“I can say confidently, call my students. Call our staff members,” Matthews-Bass said. “We believe in this work, and if you need to see it to believe it, come visit us.”
On June 22, Citizens, Philabundance and the Phillies teamed up once again to help strike out hunger at the Phans Feeding Families Night and Food Drive. The annual event collects essential food and funds to help drive hunger from the nine-county region Philabundance serves.
To kickstart this year’s event, we welcomed Aaron Nola to the Philabundance Community Kitchen, where he helped pack children’s summer meals for our LunchBox program.
The Sunday night game against the New York Mets began with an extra-special honor. Philabundance’s longest-tenured employee, 30-year truck driver Chuck Fisher, joined actor Kate Flannery of The Office and Dan Fitzpatrick, Citizens Mid-Atlantic and Midwest Regions president, on the field for the ceremonial first pitch!
Together, the Phillies, Citizens and the fans donated $109,411 and 1,886 pounds of food this season. That’s over 200,000 meals for our neighbors facing hunger. Thank you to the Phillies, Citizens and all the fans who made this night a win—on and off the field!
In celebration of National Avocado Day, we teamed up with The GIANT Company and Avocados from Mexico on July 31 at the Philabundance Community Kitchen (PCK) for our 5th annual Top Guac competition!
Students and chefs from the culinary training program at PCK and GIANT store managers competed in teams of two for bragging rights for the best guacamole recipe in Philadelphia. This year, 6abc’s Sarah Bloomquist hosted the event, and the judges’ panel included FOX 29’s Thomas Drayton, Philabundance CEO Loree D. Jones Brown, and representatives from The GIANT Company and Avocados from Mexico.
Congratulations to this year’s Top Guac winners: Fayounda Mcfatten from PCK and GIANT’s Ron Sirak!
In addition to the contest, The GIANT Company, in partnership with Avocados from Mexico, donated nearly 60,000 fresh avocados to Philabundance, which our transportation team quickly delivered to communities across our nine-county region.
Thank you to our sponsors for hosting Top Guac, and for making fresh produce available to our neighbors!
Check out some recent highlights throughout our region to serve our neighbors in need and drive hunger from our community!
All Within My Hands Foundation
MAY 23. SOUTH PHILADELPHIA HUGER RELIEF CENTER: Metallica’s
All Within My Hands Foundation donated their time while the band was in town to pack over 2,000 breakfast kits for local children.
Survey Says: Philabundance
JULY 24. LOS ANGELES: Patti LaBelle appeared on “Celebrity Family Feud” and won $25,000 for Philabundance!
AUGUST 11. ROXBOROUGH WAREHOUSE: One hundred volunteers from the 128th Lott Carey Annual Session, hosted by
and
Philabundance is thrilled to announce $250,000 in Capacity Grants for 49 of our community partners across Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey.
Philabundance Capacity Grants help to improve our community partners’ ability to operate more efficiently and effectively to deliver food, programs and services to our neighbors in need. These grants will provide them with the operational capital needed to remain flexible and adapt to the needs of neighbors in a changing landscape of food insecurity.
“As federal resources continue to shrink and hunger remains a distressing reality in the Greater Philadelphia region, community-based nonprofits are often a lifeline for families in need of healthy food,” said Loree D. Jones Brown, CEO of Philabundance. “Investing directly in our partners and their infrastructure allows us to swiftly and efficiently meet the needs of thousands of our friends and neighbors who experience food insecurity.”
Since 2020, $4.4 million in Philabundance Capacity Grants have been allocated for capacity-building infrastructure, such as refrigerators, freezers, refrigerated vans and technology to empower community partners and improve the food distribution network.
From faith-based institutions in Delaware County to social service agencies meeting the needs of diverse families across Philadelphia County, the 2025–2027 Philabundance Capacity grantees are among the hundreds of Philabundance community partners to support the almost 700,000 individuals in our region experiencing food insecurity.
“Breaking Bread on Broad is [very] grateful for the new refrigerators we will be able to purchase with our Philabundance grant,” said Dan Seltzer, co-leader of Breaking Bread on Broad (BBoB). “Breaking Bread on Broad is the food pantry of Congregation Rodeph Shalom, whose mission is to provide our neighbors in need with food, diapers and period supplies each week. With this grant, we will be able to provide our BBoB neighbors with more fresh fruits, vegetables and protein to better feed their families.”
• Bucks County: Bucks County Opportunity Council; Faith Baptist Church
• Delaware County: Blessed Virgin Mary; Loaves & Fishes; Prayer Chapel Church of God in Christ
• Montgomery County: Bethel Community Church; Bethlehem Baptist Church; ElderNet of Lower Merion and Narberth; Grace Lutheran Norristown; Love Works Resource Center; Mattie Dixon Community Center; Mitzvah Circle; Upper Merion Area Community Cupboard; Patrician Society
• Philadelphia County: African Family Health Organization; Alexander McClure Elementary School; Bebashi; Bethany Missionary Baptist Church; Breaking Bread on Broad; Bright Hope Baptist Church; Broad Street Love; Brothers of Strawberry Mansion; Calvary Agape Outreach Services; Casa Del Carmen; Cast Your Cares; Christ Apostolic WOSEM; Community Center at Visitation; Episcopal Community Services; The Family Practice & Counseling Network; First Church Worship Center; Germantown Avenue Crisis Ministry; Grace Community Christian Center; Kensington Health Sciences Academy; Lutheran Settlement House; Mighty Writers; Mi Salud Wellness; Nationalities Service Center; North Light Community Center; Old Pine Community Center; Open Door Ministries; Our Brothers Place; Paul L. Dunbar School; Project HOME; Southwest Family Service Center; St. Paul Outreach; Word In Action International Ministries
• Southern New Jersey: Prince of Peace Lutheran Church; Puerto Rican Unity for Progress; SisterHood Inc.
Each summer, the team at Philabundance Community Kitchen (PCK) dedicates their time to preparing fresh, healthy meals for children facing hunger across our region.
To support the LunchBox program, PCK hosted volunteers every day this summer to help prepare 70,000 wholesome summer meals for 20 youth-serving community partners in all nine counties in Philabundance’s service area.
One of the volunteer groups who helped prepare the children’s meals was a group of students employed through MY Work, a summer program for high school students with disabilities created by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry’s Office of Vocational Rehabilitation to match students with job opportunities and work experience in their local municipalities.
“Every summer, I’m inspired by the determination, talent and enthusiasm of the students in the MY Work program,” said Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry Secretary Nancy A. Walker. “This visit to Philabundance highlights the impact MY Work is making not only on the students participating, but also on thousands of local children who are able to have breakfast and lunch thanks to the work being done at the organization’s community kitchen. Programs like this don’t just build skills, they build confidence, instill purpose and provide real opportunity.”
The program gives young adults an opportunity to gain real-world work experience while also making a difference in their community. Some of the meals students helped prepare this summer included sweet chili chicken wraps, zesty buffalo chicken pasta salad, build your own taco kits and waffles with handmade strawberry compote.
“We have had the blessing recently of getting the gap meals, and I will admit they are delicious because why would I feed somebody something that I wouldn’t eat myself?” said Melanie DeBouse, CEO at Children’s Mission Inc., one ofthe community partners who received the LunchBox meals this summer.
The approach to the program’s meals builds upon the successes, lessons and direct feedback of over 400 participating families and 40-plus community partners across our region over these past several years. This summer, 10,000 hearty and delicious frozen breakfast meals were added to the menu—a response to feedback from parents and partners.
“I am a witness to the care, the love and the beautiful taste that are incorporated in those gap meals,” said DeBouse. “We love the service that is offered by Philabundance. I am not currently a principal, but I have been, so I know the importance of being able to feed hundreds of children and families every day.”
