PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Community organizations found themselves ramping up operations this week, working hard to help those in need get through the snow and bitter cold.
“Volunteers have been showing up to shovel, to put salt down,” said Kathryn Nolan with South Philadelphia Community Fridge. The organization operates seven locations where neighbors share fully cooked food and essential grocery items.
“Things that are really expensive, so olive oil, vegetable oil, canola oil. These are things that allow folks to cook,” she told KYW Newsradio.
“We always encourage things like coffee and tea, which we know is really a love language from neighbor to neighbor. We know how important coffee is for folks.”
The organization runs on donations and help from volunteers, and as Nolan says, they don’t take days off when the weather takes a turn.
“You know we also need to make sure that the pantries and the fridges are kind of like steady in the wind and snow,” she said, “so folks will pop out to go check their local fridge and pantry, which we always really appreciate.”
With rising food prices, Nolan said it’s getting harder to afford fresh food. “Our neighbors are only growing hungrier, so we’ve definitely seen an increased need at our seven locations,” she said.
And while the organization focuses on food, it also aims to keep people warm. “Many of our neighbors can’t afford heat, which is truly horrible and a massive human rights violation, so we want to make sure that we can provide things like hand warmers, soup,” she said.
“You know, we consider these things a form of love to share with our neighbors.”