At the start of the pandemic, two local community organizations partnered to deliver free groceries to immigrant families in Philadelphia, writes Nate File for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Earlier this month, Puentes de Salud and Old Pine Community Center celebrated its fourth anniversary of serving as a lifeline for those communities. 

With a focus on South and Southwest Philadelphia, the two organizations identify families in need of assistance, organize, and package food donated by Philabundance, Sharing Excess and individuals, and hand deliver the bags of groceries to families each Sunday.

On average, the partnership serves 110 to 120 families weekly.

“It’s a huge support for people to be able to use their resources on other necessities. For some people, it plays that role where, truly, they wouldn’t have any food if they weren’t receiving this,” said Olivia Pandolfi, food access coordinator with Puentes de Salud.

Many of the people Puentes serves work in the informal economy hardest-hit when the world first shut down. When Puentes asked its families what help they needed, most highlighted food support.

Old Pine Community Center had a preexisting program that offered free, in-person meals on the weekends that was shuttered because of COVID.

Now, the partnership serves double the families it did in March 2020. 

Read more about the program serving as a lifeline for Latino immigrant families at The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

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