PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Amid rising costs and policy shifts in Washington, Philabundance hosted a hunger action symposium Friday at Rutgers University-Camden to address food insecurity.
Uncertainty was an underlying theme of the symposium as policy makers, researchers, advocates and lawmakers gathered to discuss solutions to what is expected to become a growing problem. Loree Jones Brown, CEO of Philabundance, said two years ago, about half a million people in the area the organization serves were considered food insecure. A year later, that number rose to 600,000.
"That's in the whole region if you look in the city of Philadelphia alone, 1 in 3 kids are food insecure,” said Brown. “So the numbers are actually going in the wrong direction and with what we think is going to come in terms of changes to the economy and federal policy, we're worried that that's going to go up even higher."
Salaries have not kept up with inflation, and with people losing jobs and cuts to government programs, she said they're already seeing a higher demand. Barbee Izquierdo is an advocate with Feeding America. She shared her story and her own experience of being food insecure.
"It was very difficult to get a job and feed my children even while having a job, just trying to make ends meet, it was very difficult and facing the stigma of what food insecurity looks like was also a barrier,” said Izquierdo.
Many at the conference voiced concerns about economic uncertainty, and that ensuring access to nutritious food is more urgent than ever.
Organizations continue to come up with new ways to help those in need. Latoya Williams with Family Promise, a nonprofit that supports families experiencing homelessness and food insecurity, said one of their latest initiatives is a food locker at their pantry in Roslyn.
"It gives the opportunity for clients to receive their food and dignity, but also meeting them where they're at if they have a certain school schedule or work schedule where they're able to not meet us during our open hours,” said Williams.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Philabundance serving the community.