Feeding hope: Philabundance food drive
When Board of Pensions staff member Erica Dublin contacted Philabundance, a local nonprofit that fights hunger, to arrange a volunteer day for her team, she never expected its response — there was no food to organize, and volunteer opportunities were scarce. Donations had dropped significantly in recent months while food insecurity across the region continued to rise.
Food insecurity has grown so severe in the U.S. that nonprofits are struggling, their reserves dwindling. An estimated 47 million people, including 14 million children, face food insecurity each year.* In the nine-county service area of Philabundance, nearly 500,000 people face food insecurity and do not know where their next meal will come from.
Hearing firsthand how food insecurity was impacting her community, Erica decided to take her volunteering idea a step further. She created a food drive to benefit Philabundance and opened it to all companies located in the Board’s corporate office building in Philadelphia.
“I wanted to share with our community the spirit of generosity and care that defines the Board of Pensions,” Erica said.
The Board of Pensions also took part in the Notes of Sunshine Project, an initiative through Philabundance for volunteers to create greeting cards with an encouraging note inside. Each card serves as a symbol of support for and unity with individuals facing food insecurity, providing a compassionate touch to receiving food assistance. The cards are distributed across the 3,000 boxes that the organization supplies to seniors each month.
The Philabundance food drive and Notes of Sunshine Project were hosted throughout the month of April. A total of 3,129 essential food items were collected and will be distributed to communities throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey. Donations included some of the organization’s most-needed items, such as pasta, cereal, canned goods, and juices. The Board also created 80 cards for the Notes of Sunshine Project.
“This has been such an amazing turnout,” Erica said. “I am very proud of how the Board of Pensions pulled together for this great cause.”
“Erica’s decision to organize the Philabundance food drive demonstrates her commitment to our values here at the Board and is a testament to her character,” said the Reverend Dr. Frank Clark Spencer, President of the Board of Pensions. “I am grateful for the generosity our staff members have shown throughout this initiative, and I am inspired by their unwavering dedication to those in need. It reflects the compassion and justice at the heart of Presbyterian service.”
The Board of Pensions is grateful to Erica for organizing this fundraiser to address such a profound community need, and to all Board staff and building tenants who generously answered the call.
