Free Ramadan meals in Philadelphia from Philabundance
The "Driving Hunger Away During Ramadan" initiative aims to feed at least 200 Philadelphians a day.
On Wednesday, Pennsylvania state senator Sharif Street and nonprofit Philabundance kicked off the third annual “Driving Hunger Away During Ramadan” initiative.
The initiative aims to feed at least 200 people a day at different community spaces throughout the city from the beginning of Ramadan on March 22 through April 20, with the goal of feeding 6,000 Philadelphians. The meals for the first two weeks will be dairy-free boxes of chicken curry with rice, stuffed salmon with rice and spinach, and vegetable curry with rice.
“Unable to fast during Ramadan due to the heightened risk of COVID-19, practicing Muslims in the Philadelphia community, in line with their faith, chose to recognize the holy month by giving back and feeding anyone in need,” Street said. “The response of volunteers, along with those in need, was so overwhelming that we chose to make this an annual event.”
Food insecurity increased in Philly by 55% between 2019 and 2022 with the expiration of the SNAP’s pandemic extension and inflation rates at a high, according to Philabundance, one of the region’s leading hunger-relief agencies. But food pantries and distributions in the Philadelphia and South Jersey regions offer resources.
Meals are handed out at 6 p.m. at community spaces including the Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia in South Philly, Masjid Muhammad in North Philly, Francisville Recreation Center in Fairmount, Masjidullah Center for Human Excellence in Northwest Philly, Gladys B. Jacobs Manor in West Poplar, among others. For a complete list of distribution sites, check out Philabundance’s Instagram. A registration form for the event will track contact information and meal preferences, but all meals provided are first-come, first-serve. “Registering ahead of time does not guarantee meals,” it states.
“It’s a powerful time for us as food insecurity is again on the rise,” said Loree Jones Brown, CEO of Philabundance. “We are pleased to provide meals to those in need that are tasty and nutritious, as well as culturally responsible and welcomed by the diverse communities we serve across this region.”