HISTORY
Philabundance was founded as a nonprofit food distribution system in 1984, to reduce food waste and fight hunger in the Delaware Valley.  In 2005, Philabundance integrated with the Philadelphia Food Bank to become the region's largest nonprofit hunger relief organization. Today, Philabundance offers a full plate of services to Delaware Valley residents at risk of chronic hunger and malnutrition.

Mission
Philabundance works to end hunger and malnutrition in the Delaware Valley by acquiring food and distributing it through organizations serving people in need.

People We Serve
We fulfill our mission through a network of agencies in the Delaware Valley.  Our member agencies include food cupboards, shelter or residential programs, social service agencies, emergency kitchens, and neighborhood distribution programs, who reach approximately 900,000 low income residents.

Of the population we serve, approximately 23% are children and 16% are senior citizens.  The remaining recipients are parents, caregivers, and single adults, which include homeless, mentally ill, and disabled people, who receive support from nonprofit social service groups.  Philabundance provides food to approximately 65,000 people per week, at an aggregate cost of less than 25 cents per meal.

As the region's largest food relief organization, Philabundance delivers food to member agencies in 10 Delaware Valley counties:  Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania and Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Mercer, and Salem Counties in New Jersey.

Philabundance provides food if and when a disaster strikes. During the Hurricane Katrina aftermath Philabundance was the fourth largest provider of food to the Gulf.

Food Acquisition & Distribution
Philabundance collects and distributes food from businesses, organizations and individual food donors.  In fiscal year 2007, we acquired 24 million pounds of food and distributed 18 million pounds of food in our service area, while we exported 6 million pounds of food to out of area food banks.   

Philabundance has undergone a metamorphosis from a food recovery organization to a dependable supplier of food to the community.  This involves identifying the types of food that the neighborhoods need and securing those provisions to meet the demand.  Product supply includes staples that most households or on-site feeding establishments use on a regular basis with an emphasis on foods that promote good health.

Disbursement
Weekly Deliveries – Philabundance’s fleet of eight trucks is on the road five days a week distributing produce, breads, dairy products, canned and packaged foods, and prepared meals to member agencies.

Warehouse Pick-up – Access on demand for agencies, who may pick-up perishables at the Galloway location, or non-perishables at the Berks Street location.

Boxes – Philabundance assembles and delivers boxes of food designed to provide balanced meals to vulnerable populations.

Seniors & Childrens Programs
Commodity Supplemental Food Program -- Through the Commodity Food Supplemental Program, low-income seniors and women with children receive boxes of USDA-donated food that Philabundance sorts and delivers at no cost to senior centers, emergency food cupboards, and subsidized housing complexes.

Philabundance Community Kitchen (PCK) --   A job training program that provides students with hands-on instruction grounded in food service skills, while preparing meals for people in need. PCK prepared approximately 500,000 heat-and-serve meals in 2006, which were delivered to nonprofit agencies and emergency and homeless shelters.

Funding
Philabundance is supported by contributions from individuals, corporations, businesses, foundations, and religious and civic groups. In 2006, food donations accounted for approximately 92 percent of the food we delivered; 4 percent was purchased. Government commodities accounted for the remaining 4 percent.