In just three years, TUH-Episcopal Campus’ Food Pantry has made a transformative impact on the surrounding community: providing fresh produce and nutritious staples to those in need, and becoming a trusted resource for many residents.
“A lot of people are working hard, but still figuring things out day-by-day,” explains Community Program Coordinator Racquel Williams. “It takes a huge weight off their shoulders to know they and their family can rely on us for a week’s worth of food.”
The Food Pantry has also taken over Temple’s Food Delivery Program, which delivers groceries to qualifying families, especially in North Philadelphia. “Last year, we served over 55,000 people across both programs,” says Patrick Vulgamore, MPH, Director of Addiction Medicine Services.
To meet the community’s growing needs, the Food Pantry underwent an expansion that tripled it in size. It also recently received funding from the City of Philadelphia, the W.W. Smith Charitable Trust, The Barra Foundation, and the Good Food, Healthy Hospitals Program to support its distribution efforts.
“This is a testament to the difference the Food Pantry is making in our community,” Vulgamore says. “With these investments, we can broaden our reach to serve even more of those in need.”
A Gateway to Wraparound Services
The Food Pantry gets much of its inventory from the Share Food Program, which serves roughly 500,000 people per month in the Philadelphia region through its food pantry partners.
“The Share Food Program started working with us after we’d only been open for four months,” says Vulgamore. “They dramatically increased the amount of food—and the different options—we were able to offer. Once we had a more diverse selection of food, community members really started showing up.”
“Episcopal has been an amazing partner for us and for its community, which is one where we're seeing rising need,” says George Matysik, the Share Food Program's Executive Director. “They’re especially effective at using food as a gateway to connect people to other wraparound services.”
One of those services is the campus’ Diabetes Prevention Program, which offers nutrition education classes to those at risk for developing diabetes. “When people come to the Food Pantry, they can get fresh produce and nutritious food that will keep them healthy, and we can also sign them up for those classes,” Vulgamore explains. “The classes meet right before the pantry opens, so it’s a great incentive for them to keep coming back for education.”
"A Joyous Experience”
“In the early days of the pantry, I was spreading the word by handing out flyers at neighboring houses and local pharmacies, at assistance offices and housing services, and in our practices,” Vulgamore remembers. “That got people in initially, and once they started going home with groceries that lasted them a week, they told their friends and neighbors, and things really picked up.”
“We partnered with national food rescue nonprofit Sharing Excess, who showed us that the best way to start running a food pantry is to just get out there and do it,” he continues. “And that’s exactly what we did. Providing our neighbors with easily accessible, nutritious options is crucial, and Temple’s investment in this program shows our commitment to meeting our community’s needs.”
Temple Health employees and community members regularly volunteer at the pantry, which is open on Tuesdays from 2-4 pm. “Being here is a joyous experience,” Vulgamore says. “We just got eggs for the first time in a few weeks, and it made people so happy to be able to take them home. This is such an important resource—and it shows how Episcopal is a trusted partner in community health.”