Unsung Heroes: Philadelphia's Food Pantries
Maia Saks (10-3)
It is impossible to count the ways in which the Covid-19 pandemic has upended and affected all of our lives. For students and teachers, it has completely altered the experience of learning as we knew it, as we've all had to adapt rapidly to an unfamiliar, all-online version of school. And for everyone, it has meant a radically different way of living, unlike anything we’ve experienced before—concerts, parties, and indoor events are largely things of the past for now, and every interaction with those outside of our household is shrouded with precaution.
However, it would also be impossible not to acknowledge that this pandemic has affected some much more than others. The poorest, most marginalized, and most vulnerable populations throughout the nation have been hit the hardest, and in many cases, have struggled to stay afloat without adequate support. The celebrated “essential workers”—those performing the jobs that cannot be done virtually—have had to bear the brunt of the pandemic’s worst effects financially, combined with a heightened health risk. Unemployment has skyrocketed, and those jobs that have not been lost have become much more difficult. As a result, unsupported populations have dealt with a devastating increase in hunger and food insecurity. A study by the Institute for Policy Studies at Northwestern University reports that the pandemic "roughly doubled food insecurity in the United States."
Food insecurity is not new to Philadelphia. According to Philabundance, a large local food bank, 1 in 5 Philadelphians face hunger, and according to Philly Family, Philadelphia ranks consistently in the top ten U.S. cities with food insecure residents. However, the pandemic and subsequent economic devastation have caused food insecurity to skyrocket. The Philadelphia Tribune reported in July that Philabundance had distributed 80% more food than it did by the same time in 2019. The organization is on track to give out an average of 2.25 million pounds of food a month, compared to 1.25 million pounds a month prior to the pandemic. “The spike has been huge,” said Patricia Neale, director of Feast of Justice food pantry in Northeast Philadelphia, wife of Masterman English teacher David Neale, and mother of Masterman student Luke Neale, adding, “We went from 285 household visits per week pre-Covid to 1,500 per week post-Covid.”
Mrs. Neale has been the director of Feast of Justice since 2007. Prior to her work there, she interned at a church that was running a small food cupboard, and took over as director of the food cupboard when she became a pastor at the church. Today, her organization is still based out of that same building, St. John's Lutheran Church in Mayfair, as an independent nonprofit not affiliated with the church. The organization is one of the largest food banks in the city, and a staple in its Northeast Philadelphia neighborhood. During the course of a typical week, it is open to the public for 3-hour-long shifts, and during each shift, it distributes food to hundreds of families. “We're open Monday to Saturday, and we have a core group of volunteers and staff who unload and sort deliveries, pack food for distribution, schedule appointments, and pick up donations from grocery stores,” Mrs. Neale explained. “Overall, we hand out 35,000 pounds of food each week.” Collectively, the volunteers work about 350 hours each week. Three Masterman students, Inis Trifka, Angelina Sali, and Luke Neale, volunteer regularly. Each week, any of the 1,100 registered Feast of Justice members can sign up for specific appointment times, and come to the church to pick up their food.
Food banks like Feast of Justice have made an indelible contribution to the city during the pandemic. Feast of Justice has worked to manage the increase in demand, adjusting its methods and practices to accommodate new customers and making inroads to acquire more food. As Mrs. Neale explained, “While the city provided truckloads of food over the summer to us and about fifty sites throughout Philly, that flow of food has dried up, as have many other contributions that came in this spring.” Luckily, she added, federal and private grant money has significantly increased this year, although there is no assurance that it will continue. “People are hungry in the city, and the tanking economy hasn't helped,” Mrs. Neale said. “We've been blessed as an organization that our employees have stayed healthy and the food has been plentiful.”
Though it serves a much smaller population than Feast of Justice, the Home and School Association here at Masterman has found its own way to make a contribution. Shortly after the pandemic hit, members of the HSA formed the Masterman Mutual Aid Committee, dedicated to providing assistance to members of the Masterman community in need. “The committee was really set up in response to the pandemic and some of the financial hardships people are experiencing, to provide aid to people in our community from all walks of life,” said Rob Khurana, Masterman parent and chair of the Mutual Aid Committee.
“When the pandemic first hit last year and shut down all of the schools, everyone was scrambling to understand - what did it mean?” said Barbara Dalleo, president of the HSA. Ms. Dalleo described the HSA’s process throughout the spring as she and her fellow members decided how to organize, fund, and allocate aid within the Masterman community, eventually deciding on food - “What could be more more important than food?” Ms. Dalleo said. Since Masterman students come from every corner of the city, the new committee, led by Mr. Khurana, settled on handing out supermarket gift cards. Although the school does not provide funding, the HSA executive board, inspired by the idea, put together enough money to kickstart the project, and from there, it has been supplemented with donations. “The community has been very generous, both parents and teachers, and have done a wonderful job of spreading the word,” Mr. Khurana remarked.
Gift cards are requested through a short online form, filled out by anyone who needs it. From there, HSA members procure gift cards and mail them out to requested addresses. The process, as Ms. Dalleo and Mr. Khurana emphasized, is confidential. “Personally, I have no idea who is requesting these gifts,” said Ms. Dalleo, “And I don't want to know. This is totally trust-based. People who have had strong jobs- things were just ripped out from under them. So it's very important that no one feels uncomfortable in making this request.”
The work isn’t easy, whether on a large scale like at Feast of Justice or a much smaller scale like our Masterman food pantry. “In a community that outwardly doesn't “look" like it is struggling, it is heart-breaking to see and hear about the real struggles that exist. It is difficult to not get swallowed and overwhelmed with the sheer volume of need,” lamented Mrs. Neale. However, the experience is rewarding, and provides motivation and inspiration. “It gives us charge to continue our work, as well as to advocate for change with the upstream issues, like low wages or unsteady employment, racial bias, and high housing costs, that cause or exacerbate the food insecurity,” said Mrs. Neale.
Both organizations look forward to continuing their efforts after the pandemic ends, and the Masterman HSA hopes that the Mutual Aid Committee will be able to grow and flourish in the future, becoming a central part of the Masterman community. “With this pandemic, we’ve seen how important it is to be inclusive and do what we can to step up,” said Ms. Dalleo. “We’ve been recognizing things that we might not have been as aware of in the past and embracing that, and understanding that there is always a way to become stronger and better as a community.”
“It is humbling and heart-warming to see how volunteers can selflessly give, putting themselves on the front line, to help their community,” remarked Mrs. Neale. “In a time when we have become so divided and individualistic, it is amazing to see overflowing love for others, day after day.”
To donate or volunteer at Feast of Justice:
https://www.feastofjustice.com/copy-of-volunteer-1
https://www.feastofjustice.com/aaa
To contact the HSA:
mutualaid@mastermanhsa.org
president@mastermanhsa.org (Barbara Dalleo)