A staggering one in ten people in Philadelphia suffer from food insecurity, according to Philabundance, an organization that aims to eliminate hunger in Philadelphia by reducing food waste and distributing excess food to those in need. Despite what you may believe, food scarcity is not the problem; still-edible food is thrown out after every meal. On top of this, food service venues like cafeterias, restaurants, cafes, and farms tend to throw out food that they do not sell. This is food that could be going to people in need. Food insecurity forces many citizens to rely on local organizations like Philabundance and Community Plate—an SCH-founded food redistribution group—to help put food on the table for their families as inflation and housing prices rise.

Founded by sophomore Judah Meyer, Community Plate brings the idea of food salvage to the SCH community. As part of his CEL Capstone project during the first semester, Judah gathered excess food from the cafeteria at the end of each week and then donated it to The Whosoever Gospel Mission Kitchen in Germantown. In an interview, Judah said, “now that we know the food salvaging model works it is time to expand, and we need all the help we can get.”

So, you may ask: How can I help?

Community Plate is growing and we need volunteers to build our organization and help more people in need. If you are at all interested in helping the community and getting some community service hours, please fill out this form. In addition to being a great source of service hours, working for Community Plate helps everyone.
With your help, we can serve more people and hopefully make the world a better place.