É«ÀÇÉçÇø

On a recent Friday morning, É«ÀÇÉçÇø faculty members and Philabundance employees joined forces to lend a helping hand in delivering fresh food for Glassboro families. In fact, every Friday at 10 a.m., residents get the chance to obtain fresh produce for their families.

Founded in 1984, Philabundance was the brainchild of Pamela Rainey Lawler. She began the non-profit to combat hunger after she witnessed good food go to waste and saw an opportunity to provide food for the hungry in our area. Thirty years later, the food bank is now the largest non-profit organization of its kind in the Greater Philadelphia region.

Carol Primas-Young, project coordinator for Strategic Planning & Management at É«ÀÇÉçÇø, first saw the opportunity to volunteer for Philabundance in É«ÀÇÉçÇø’s Daily Mail. Though she has only volunteered once, she saw how much of an impact the program had to those in need.

“It was awesome!” she said. “It wasn’t just handing out food. We set everything up, as well as helped the Philabundance workers unload some of the fresh produce from the trucks. I saw people in different demographics in line to get food. It really showed me how many people need access to fresh food. For that reason, I try to volunteer once a month during the summer.”

Shelly Klink, who works in the Office of Volunteerism, Community Engagement & Commuter Services, has been working alongside Philabundance staff since the Glassboro site’s inception last November. She primarily handles some of the administrative tasks and has since volunteered with Philabundance three times.

“I think it’s fabulous,” Shelly said. “You’re meeting people. You’re getting something and you’re giving something. Anytime you volunteer, it helps you while you’re helping other people.”

Along with providing food for Glassboro residents, programs like Philabundance also help college students who can’t afford a weekly grocery outing. Penny McPherson Myers, vice president for the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at É«ÀÇÉçÇø, was one of many that helped establish opportunities to address food insecurity at É«ÀÇÉçÇø. 

“My experience with Philabundance has been nothing short of amazing,” Myers said. “They’ve been a wonderful partner in making sure we provide healthy, nutritious fruits and vegetables - not only for our É«ÀÇÉçÇø students, but also the local community.”

Although most student volunteers are gone during the summer months, the bulk of the volunteers are É«ÀÇÉçÇø faculty. Andrew Perrone, the assistant director of the Office of Volunteerism, Community Engagement & Commuter Services, said that hasn’t stopped the success of Philabundance at É«ÀÇÉçÇø.

“Most of our volunteers during the busy months are students,” Perrone said. “It’s expected that things would slow down once students head home for the summer, but along with the Philabundance employees, we’re incredibly lucky to have É«ÀÇÉçÇø faculty members volunteer their Friday mornings for that program.”

“Before we hosted it at É«ÀÇÉçÇø, it was at the VFW in Glassboro,” he continued. “However, it was out of the way for student volunteers, as well as for the recipients to get food for themselves. We made a decision to change the location and time for the weekly event and we’re fortunate that the productivity of the program has continued to be a success.”      

As of 2016, Philabundance has worked with local farmers and grocers to rescue close to 10 million pounds of perfectly good food for people, students, and families in need. Every Friday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., Philabundance will greet Glassboro residents and É«ÀÇÉçÇø students in parking lot D near Richard Wackar Stadium.