Pennypack Farm & Education Center Responds to Community Food Insecurity
Background: Millions of people worldwide suffer from hunger and undernutrition. A major factor contributing to this problem is food insecurity. This condition exists when people lack sustainable physical or economic access to enough safe, nutritious, and socially acceptable food for a healthy and productive life. Food insecurity may be chronic, seasonal, or temporary, and it may occur at the household, regional, or national level. In the USA in 2007, 36.2 million people lived in food-insecure households, including 12.4 million children. The lack of access to high quality fresh produce has been identified as one of the leading causes of the obesity epidemic among the poor.
Montgomery County, PA is one of America’s the most affluent places to live. However, more than 20% of the counties’ residents are at risk for hunger. The high cost of housing, health care and utilities coupled with the recent economic decline, make it hard for many of our neighbors to put quality food on the table.
Pennypack Farm’s Food Donation Program: We have been able to triple our food donation program because of generous donations which allowed us to purchase a large cooler. Food is packed in plastic bins and distributed to area food cupboards on the days that they are open. These food pantries lack refrigeration for fresh vegetables. Currently we are donating over 100 units per week to three food cupboards (Loaves and Fishes at the Jenkintown United Methodist Church, Beth Shalom’s Mitzvah Food Pantry and Hope Gardens Transitional Housing.)
Reports from the Food Cupboards indicate that the food is well received, especially by families of Italian and African American descent. Family members are now becoming accustomed to receiving fresh vegetables and are sharing favorite recipes. Food pantry workers are looking up recipes for unusual vegetables and have planned cooking demonstrations.
Please consider donating online so that we can continue great programs like this.
