The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 30, 2008: Demand heavy for Philabundance food program
A measure of these hard economic times could havebeen taken yesterday at the Grand Marketplace in Willingboro.
That’s where Philabundance, the region’s largesthunger-relief organization, has moved its produce-distribution program afterdemand caused it to outgrow its previous location in just two weeks.
The program, Fresh for All, debuted in Willingboroon July 16, drawing 230 people to a parking lot off Beverly-Rancocas Road.
The next week, 290 people showed up.
“The parking lot, which we thought was large, turnedout not to be so large,” said Kelly Hile, Fresh for All’s manager.”We were definitely overwhelmed.”
Yesterday, more than 150 people showed up at the GrandMarketplace, a shopping center on Route 130, despite little notice of theswitch. Fresh for All also changed the distribution day from Wednesday toTuesday.
A crowd had gathered by 1 p.m, a half-hour early, standingon the hot blacktop in 90-degree heat, a few people holding umbrellas to fendoff the sun.
There were families with children, the disabled, theelderly, the working poor.
“People do need it,” said Andre Staples, adisabled veteran from Willingboro. “Justbecause we’re in the suburbs, it doesn’t mean we have everything we need.”
Rising food and gas prices are a growing burden. Andsummer can be tough for people in need, especially those with children used togetting government-subsidized meals at school. Food-pantry supplies aretypically lower this time of year because donations are concentrated during thewinter holidays and colder months.
Hile said she believed that the Willingboro site servedmore of the working poor than the four other Philabundance distribution points,such as the one in Camden,which tends to draw from the city’s poverty-strickenneighborhoods.
“Here, they’re coming from all over the place,”she said.
Participants must register with the program, but no one isturned away.
“If you show up and say you need help, you’re goingto get help,” said Marlo DelSordo, Philabundance’s communications manager.
The goal, she said, is to provide five pounds of fruit andvegetables for each person in a household. The food is donated by wholesalevendors at South Philadelphia’s produceterminal and importers such as Four Seasons and Del Monte.
Fresh for All arrived yesterday with more than 8,000pounds of produce, handed out by volunteers.
Supplies from Philabundance feed 900,000 people in theregion through nearly 600 agencies. Fresh for All is the only program throughwhich Philabundance gives food directly.
In addition to Willingboro and Camden,produce is distributed once a week in Sharon Hill and Woodlyn, both in DelawareCounty,and in Salem, SalemCounty.
In Willingboro, Fresh forAll is working with Stop, Drop Your Guns Inc., a youth-empowerment programfounded by Kelly Logan, a teacher and former police officer whose daughter wasaccidentally shot and killed by a friend in 2003.
Loganhas been helping to get the word out about Fresh for All.
“The way the economy is, it’s very difficult,”he said. “This is awesome. We’ve never had this in Willingborobefore.”
He said he liked that the program provided mainly fruitsand vegetables.
“The way this generation is, it’s fast food, fastfood, fast food,” said Logan,a former high school football star.
Makeda Smith of Willingborohad her first visit to Fresh for All yesterday. She had learned about theprogram from a flyer.
“Anything extra is a big help,” she said.”The grocery stores in Willingboro aren’tthat good at all.”
Loganwas impressed with the turnout, but he predicted that next week – when word ofthe new location and time has spread further – will be “trulyoverwhelming.”
“No one’s ashamed to be in line,” he said. . . .It’s about helping the community, and they get it.”
For information on the Fresh for All program, call215-220-1920 or visit http://go.philly.com/fresh
Contact staff writer Troy Graham at 856-779-3893 or tgraham@phillynews.com.