As a chef, I am extremely passionate about food. It allows me to express myself artistically and scientifically. It’s is an instrument I use to perform my craft. More often than not, food as a functional part of our daily lives is taken for granted. But when a parent, student or neighbor doesn’t not know where their next meal is coming from, other important factors in their lives—like improving in school or advancing in a career— take a back seat. This is the reality for more than 22% of Philadelphia residents, the highest rate in PA. What’s more, is hunger doesn’t exist in a vacuum; the lack of access to nutritious food perpetuates the cycle of poverty that traps families for generations.
That’s unacceptable. And it’s one reason why I’m United2Feed.
On Thursday, I teamed up with the United Way as their Cause Champion for United2Feed to help tackle our region’s hunger crisis and support stronger, healthier communities for this generation and the next. Together with 500, volunteers, we packed 120,000 meals for local families. These meals will be distributed to more than 1,300 food pantries throughout our region.
As a chef and community member, I believe it’s important to give back and educate others on the severity of this epidemic. I’m calling on you to join the movement to LIVE UNITED against hunger with me:
- Donate shelf-stable foods to local food banks
- Text Hunger and your first and last name to 40403 to make a financial donation.
- Visit the advocacy page to support the United Way’s campaign to protect SNAP
Let’s join together to make a substantial impact in the fight against hunger in our region. We can’t end hunger in one day, but each of us can make a difference by getting involved and giving back.