"The Feed" – 2026 Spring Newsletter

In Focus: Shiffon Carrol

Philabundance Community Kitchen (PCK) graduate Shiffon Carrol, Class 94, runs Cheffon LLC in Philadelphia and works as a private chef. We talked to her about her time at PCK in 2024 and where she wants to go next.

Tell us about yourself and what brought you to PCK. What class were you in?

I had the honor of being a part of “Class 94 24,” which is a chant my mother made up for our graduating class. I was intrigued with PCK from the beginning. For someone who always knew I wanted to be in the culinary world but couldn’t afford to go to culinary school or be in school debt, PCK was a perfect combination of education in my field and a release from financial burden.

What are your biggest takeaways from PCK? Was there anything unexpected or surprising that you learned?

My biggest takeaway was, honestly, the relationships I created. From my forever chefs, Chef Brian Ricci and Chef Hernandez, to my classmates, to Chef Kai, Chef T, and all the other amazing chefs, to the staff who were my instructors and the administration staff members, Ms. Tiffany and Mrs. Candace! Former Chef Kaheem and former staff member Ms. Kymelle got me the most amazing internship. PCK is truly here for you if you take advantage of the opportunity and time its staff offers.

What are you doing presently? What do you plan on doing in the future?

Currently, I happily work for myself. I still have a connection with a vegan restaurant, Flat Belly Veg, where I prepare and learn more about vegan food once a week. Other than that, I have my own business, Cheffon LLC. I am a private chef and currently offer other services, such as catering.

In the future, I plan on constantly finding new ways to connect with people other than my weekly clients, because I do have a passion for helping busy people, or just unskilled people, learn how to cook, and honestly, make their lives simpler, even if I can’t be in their home.

One goal of mine is to have a place for the hungry in Philadelphia while incorporating my culinary skills for people to purchase. From working in restaurants and seeing uncontrolled food waste constantly, there has to be a way I can help slow down the food waste while providing for those who are hungry.

What motivates you?

Honestly, my God-given gifts are what motivate me. I can’t imagine myself doing anything outside the culinary world. I feel like I would be disappointing my special talents.

What other skills do you want to develop in your journey/career?

The power of negotiation! I feel confident in my communication, problem-solving, networking, time management, customer service, and financial management. But when it comes to negotiation, I become very timid, shy, and, at the moment, less confident. This is a skill I could use with investors or clients when the time comes.

Learn more about the Philabundance Community Kitchen workforce development program at philabundance.org/pck.

Loree’s Table From

Dear Friends,

Here at Philabundance, we have stepped into 2026 with deep gratitude for the remarkable generosity that defines our community. As I reflect on the final months of 2025, I am moved by how your support helped us meet one of the most challenging seasons our neighbors have faced in recent memory.

When the federal government shutdown threatened to eliminate November SNAP benefits for nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians and 800,000 recipients in New Jersey, our community stepped up in extraordinary ways. Thanks to your generous giving and the way our extended Philabundance family rallied together, we were able to meet the surging demand and uphold our commitment to ensure that families did not go hungry during this crisis. Aided by your gifts, Philabundance increased its output by 25 percent in November, enabling us to distribute more food and serve more families.

That inspiring groundswell of support and collaboration continued throughout the fall and winter. Our community outdid itself again during WMMR Preston & Steve’s Camp Out for Hunger, which collected 1.8 million pounds of food and more than $1.6 million for Philabundance.

As our greatest champions and advocates, you have shown, time and again, that our community will not back down from a challenge. Your contributions fuel the responsibility we do not take lightly: keeping hunger at bay and restoring dignity to those we serve. As we look to the year ahead, we carry deep gratitude for partners like you who make this work possible.

Thank you for standing with us through every challenge the past year brought.

With deepest appreciation,

Loree D. Jones Brown Chief Executive Officer

Board of Directors

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, Jr.

David Leone

Adele Lindenmeyr, PhD

Marisa Magnatta

David Miller

Desiree Murphy Morrissey

Aleni Pappas

On October 30, Philabundance hosted its 3rd annual Community Partnerships Day, a time for our 300+ community partners from across our service area to connect and learn from each other.

The daylong event included panel discussions, including “Beyond the Shelf: Understanding Food Insecurity,” moderated by Cindy Wedholm of Mattie N. Dixon Community Cupboard, and “Voices from the Frontlines: From Scarcity to Strength—Stories in Food Access,” moderated by LaToya Ellison of Family Promise of Montco, PA and Main Line.

“I hope that today provides us all with strengthened connections and new ideas about how to not only support our neighbors, but also bigger and better ways about how we can work together to help them survive the threat to their benefits,” said Philabundance CEO Loree D. Jones Brown. “I also have hope that today can provide us all with the renewed energy and drive we need to meet this challenge head on.”

Todd Peterson

Martin Phillips

Milton Pratt, Jr.

Pam Rainey Lawler

Estelle Richman

John Ruane

Nyeema Watson, PhD

Cindy Wedholm

Angela Wurster

TRUSTEE

Alan Casnoff

In addition to connecting with each other, partners had the chance to connect with members of the Community Partnerships and Government Affairs teams, as well as Philabundance’s nutrition educator.

“One of the things I gained today was about food insecurity,” said Beverly Terrance, food bank manager at Grace Community Christian Center. “It affects so many other areas; if you have to juggle between food and your light bill, or your health care, or your

3rd

children’s needs, it’s really a hassle. It’s good that we’re able to have this resource and we’re able to share.”

Partners also had the opportunity to demo our new data input system, Service Insights, which Philabundance has been implementing at partner sites across the region to efficiently and effectively track neighbors’ needs.

“I don’t think we could do the job that we do if it wasn’t for Philabundance,” said Terrance. “Ninetyfive percent of our food comes from them, but [it’s] not only food. I just received a $3,000 grant because of Philabundance, and I was able to get a brand-new computer and printer that I really needed. Plus, some storage shelves.”

Thank you to all the speakers, panelists, and community partners who came together for a day of connection and learning!

Food Pantry Community Partner Spotlight

Annual Thanksgiving Food Distribution and Resource Fair

St.

In Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood, you can find one of our community partners who helps us distrbute food to local neighbors—St. Michael’s Food Pantry.

As a Kensington local, Donna Seather knew St. Michael’s as a neighborhood resource but did not visit the food pantry until the COVID-19 pandemic. Her grandson lost his job, compelling him and his daughter to move in with Seather. She decided to visit St. Michael’s to support her newly full household.

“Coming to the food pantry helped me a lot,” Seather said. “I could keep food in the house and still pay my bills. I’m a proud person and wouldn’t ask anyone for help, but I took a chance one day, and it was the best thing I ever did.”

After two years, Seather’s grandson was financially able to move out of their shared home. Seather continued to visit the food pantry, but as a volunteer.

“The women at St. Michael’s showed me kindness, respect, and friendship, and I’m grateful for what was given to me,” she concluded. “I feel like I’m giving back and helping, like I’m doing something to contribute.”

Philabundance hosted its annual Thanksgiving Food Distribution and Resource Fair this year on Saturday, November 22, at our Berks warehouse in North Philadelphia.

The free distribution of 1,000 Thanksgiving turkeys and assorted vegetables helped make the holidays easier for food-insecure and struggling families, especially those who were impacted by the disruption to SNAP benefits and missed paychecks from the government shutdown.

“I’m on a fixed income; this food pantry really helps to make ends meet. With utilities going up and everything going up, food included, it’s difficult.”

—Lutheran Settlement House Pantry Guest

For the third year, the event was also accompanied by a variety of relevant resources—from career development opportunities to financial literacy, affordable housing support, and more—to offer well-rounded support to our neighbors in need.

The distribution allows us to connect directly with our neighbors to address the immediate need of hunger and provide support and resources to help end it for good.

Meredith from ‘The Office’ Chose Philabundance Whirlpool Donates Refrigerators to Community Partners Fighting Hunger

Through its Feel Good Fridge Initiative, the Whirlpool Corporation is donating refurbished, previously owned refrigerators to community organizations nationwide that combat hunger.

In October, two of Philabundance’s community partners received refrigerator donations through Whirlpool’s Feel Good Fridge initiative. SisterHood Inc. in Burlington, New Jersey, received four refrigerators to provide for the 500–600 people they see each week.

“It’s kind of beyond a great thing,” Arthur Muse, food pantry manager at SisterHood Inc., said. “It helps us preserve the food instead of having too much sit out. We can have a space for the vegetables and fruits we receive to keep them from going bad.”

St. Michael’s Food Pantry in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood also received two refrigerators that employees and volunteers are eager to use to store frozen supplies.

“We wouldn’t be able to feed the 100 families that we feed,” said Janice, a longtime volunteer of St. Michael’s. “This pantry has been here for over 50 years. Pre-COVID, we served 30–35 families max; we now serve over 100 families and growing.”

Both SisterHood Inc. and St. Michael’s are among the more than 300 community partners who rely on weekly food deliveries from Philabundance to keep their shelves stocked. With the number of people facing hunger increasing, extra storage and quality assurance are vital for organizations serving communities in need. Thanks to Whirlpool’s program, both organizations can better fight food insecurity.

Last season, The Office star Kate

(also known by her character name, Meredith) played Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire on behalf of Philabundance!

During the episode that aired on September 25, Flannery teamed up with her co-star from The Office, Oscar Nuñez. She competed like a champion, and the pair won a total of $1,000,000, with $500,000 going directly to Philabundance to fight hunger in our region.

As a longtime friend of Philabundance, Flannery knows the importance of food security and has participated in events like Camp Out for Hunger to help make a difference for the nearly 700,000 people in the region who are food insecure.

Thanks to Flannery’s partnership during the season finale episode of Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Philabundance can continue to drive hunger from our communities today and aim to end hunger for good.

In the Community with Philabundance

Check out some of the things we’ve been up to recently throughout our region, to serve our neighbors in need and drive hunger from our community!

28TH ANNUAL CAMP OUT FOR HUNGER

For the 28th year in a row, Philabundance joined forces with WMMR’s Preston & Steve to collect food and funds for communities facing food insecurity in Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey.

From November 10 to 14, the dynamic duo of Preston and Steve hosted the week-long broadcast blitz and food drive, live from the parking lot of Xfinity Mobile Arena. Every day from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., Preston and Steve’s broadcast featured local and national celebrities, TV personalities, and all-star athletes, including Robert Irvine, Aaron Nola, and Philabundance CEO Loree D. Jones Brown.

“People came out in big ways this year, and the reality is that things are harder,” said Jones Brown.

All week long, loyal listeners brought down food donations and experienced fun with friends and family through special events like Food Trucks and Fireworks night, an Eagles watch party, and live music.

“You always give credit to the generosity that people in this area show; they always step up in ways that you can’t even imagine,” said WMMR host Steve Morrison.

This year’s event was also filled with tributes to the late Pierre Robert, WMMR radio host for over 40 years, who was an integral part of Camp Out for Hunger.

“Pierre always told you there was no [donation] amount too small, too large,” Jones Brown said. “He very much wanted to lift up the voices of people who experience food insecurity.”

Thank you to all our 2025 Business Challenge participants for their collections and donations. Congratulations to the 2025 winners:

◆ 1st Place: Comcast

◆ 2nd Place: Subaru

◆ 3rd Place: Campbell’s

◆ 4th Place: Leidy’s We’re grateful for all the incredible volunteers, donors, and partners who made this year’s event possible. Your collective efforts yielded over 1.8 million pounds of food and more than $1.6 million to drive hunger from our communities.