An incredible new endeavor has successfully been operating for the past three weeks in Philadelphia . Step Up to the Plate, an inspired effort by Broad Street Ministry, Project HOME, and Prevention Point Philadelphia is addressing the increasing need of individuals experiencing food insecurity and health challenges during the COVID-19 crisis.
On April 13, we loaded up our truck and headed to Center City. Catering By Design has taken the foodservice lead of the largest segment of this vast new program. The first stop was City Hall then to Kensington where we provided 1,000 take-away bags at cost each containing a freshly made sandwich for lunch, a cookie and a healthy and hearty bowl for dinner. As word spread, Step Up to the Plate upped their daily meals to 2,500 a day. Besides the meals, health services are provided by Project Home’s medical team at the Hub of Hope. There are additional critical services supplied by an array of participants.
Funding for this campaign is slated through May and brainstorming is occurring on how to extend through August as it clear that the need will not disappear over the summer. CBD is collaborating with our friends at 12th Street Catering to supply the City Hall and Kensington food sites. Dietz and Watson kindly donated 3500 pounds of honey maple turkey to support the effort. We have also been coordinating with SHARE, the city’s largest food pantry to obtain fresh fruit for the bags whenever available. To provide a sense of scope, we just loaded 15,000 apples into our commissary! So many amazing organizations have indeed stepped up to the plate for our fellow Philadelphians and we are grateful for this opportunity to play our own small part.
“It is critically important for the nonprofit, government, philanthropic, and private sectors to be coming together at this moment to address the needs of our neighbors struggling with deep poverty, homelessness, and hunger,” said Mike Dahl, Executive Director of Broad Street Ministry. “The Step Up to the Plate campaign represents the very best of what we can accomplish as the City of Brotherly Love. Broad Street Ministry is proud and humbled to be standing shoulder to shoulder with all of our partners in this effort and we look forward to inviting many others to join us.”
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Step Up to the Plate is a partnership of Broad Street Ministry, Prevention Point Philadelphia, Project HOME, and the City of Philadelphia. Catering partners are Catering by Design, 12th Street Catering, Herb Scott Catering, and The Wawa Foundation. Additional partners are Mural Arts Philadelphia, Muslims Serve, and Center City District. Funding for Step Up to the Plate is provided by Connelly Foundation, The Daniel B. and Florence E. Green Foundation, Haas Charitable Trust, Hummingbird Foundation, Independence Foundation, JBJ Soul Foundation, Philadelphia Health Partnership, Philadelphia Foundation, the PHL COVID-19 Fund, and William Penn Foundation.