Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Philadelphia Housing Authority Partner to Offer Family Dinners at Two Philadelphia PHA Sites

PHILADELPHIA, April 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) today announced a new food program partnership in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of the program, which supports CHOP's Healthier Together Initiative to combat food insecurity, CHOP will bolster the PHA's existing student breakfast and lunch food program by providing frozen, family-style dinners (which feed a family of four to five) at two PHA sites in West/Southwest Philadelphia: Westpark Apartments and Bartram Village. Poor Richards Catering, based in West Philadelphia, will prepare and deliver all meals. Dinners will be distributed daily during the scheduled pickup time.

The program will provide 2,000 dinners per week to the PHA residents; a different vegetarian and non-vegetarian option will be provided each day to offer variety.

"This initiative addresses food access and affordability, which is a priority health issue in our community and has been exacerbated by the current COVID-19 pandemic," said Alonzo South, Senior Director, Community Engagement at CHOP. "CHOP's Healthier Together Initiative focuses on addressing hunger and poverty in our local neighborhoods, and this program would not be possible without an incredible amount of support from our local, diverse business community during a critical time."

"We are grateful to CHOP for stepping up to help meet the food access needs of some of our most vulnerable children and families," said Cynthia F. Figueroa, Deputy Mayor Office of Children and Families, City of Philadelphia. "Committed partnerships like this are critical to efforts to continue serving, and providing for, Philadelphians during this time of great need."

"We are most grateful to CHOP for helping out during this global emergency. Access to good, nutritional meals is critical if families are to maintain their health," said PHA President and CEO Kelvin Jeremiah. "Many families in the city depend upon the school lunch program or other meal programs because of the high poverty rate here and related food insecurity."

"There is no doubt that the current climate has shaken all of us; as a food vendor, we could never have anticipated this halt in our normal operations," said Vinesh Vyas, owner of Poor Richards Catering. "Despite all the uncertainty and stress that comes from this, we truly believe that a fresh, hot, home-cooked meal greatly contributes to well-being. Our entire team at Poor Richard's Catering is dedicated to providing this small, yet powerful, relief to our Philadelphia Community. We are honored at the opportunity to make a difference, even to just one family." 

The program is expected to run for 10 weeks; beginning on Monday, April 6th and running through Friday, June 12th.

About Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 564-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu.

Contact: Joey McCool Ryan
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
(267) 258-6735
McCool@email.chop.edu

Jan Pasek
Philadelphia Housing Authority
(267) 266-3418
Jan.Pasek@pha.phila.gov

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SOURCE Children's Hospital of Philadelphia