• What are food pantries and soup kitchens?
• Who can get food from a food pantry or soup kitchen?
• How do I find a food pantry or soup kitchen?
• Who runs food pantries and soup kitchens in Philadelphia?
• How many people do these programs help?
• How can I help these programs?

Q: What are food pantries and soup kitchens?
A: Food pantries are agencies that distribute bags of groceries to people in need. There are an estimated 700 food pantries in Philadelphia alone.

Soup kitchens serve hot meals to people in need.

Q: Who can get food from a food pantry or soup kitchen?
A: It depends on the food pantry. Some food pantries serve people whose household income falls below a certain limit, often 150% of the federal poverty limit. Other food pantries have less stringent requirements.

Soup kitchens usually serve anyone, regardless of income.

Q: How do I find a food pantry or soup kitchen?
A: Refer to our Philadelphia Food Pantry Map. The maps lists addresses, phone numbers and hours of operation for many food pantries and soup kitchens in the region.

NOTE: All details on the map are subject to change. Before visiting any food pantry or soup kitchen, call ahead to confirm that it is open and that it has food available.

Q: Who runs food pantries and soup kitchens in Philadelphia?
A: Most food pantries and soup kitchens are small, faith-based programs, often run by one or two volunteers. Many of the people who run these programs are seniors with limited resources of their own.

Q: How many people do these programs help?
A: In fiscal year 2010, more than 411,000 people in Philadelphia went to a food pantry for help. More than one-third of them were children.

Although food pantries and soup kitchens form vital safety nets in their communities, they struggle to feed the growing number of people coming to them for help. Every fall, the Coalition Against Hunger conducts a needs-assessment survey of food pantries and soup kitchen in Philadelphia. In 2009, the survey [PDF] found:

• 51% of food pantries and soup kitchen did not have enough food to meet demand
• 45% were forced to turn people away because they ran out of food to give them
• 64% of volunteer coordinators spend personal money on their programs

Q: How can I help these programs?
A: There are several ways you can help:

• Adopt-A-Pantry: Donate online to help food pantries and soup kitchen buy items they need to feed more people in the community. Your contribution is 100% tax-deductible.
• Volunteer: Search our Volunteer Opportunities database to find an opportunity that’s right for you, whether you want to serve meals, package food or educate others about hunger.
• Learn: Find out more about the women and men who run food pantries and soup kitchens in our region by reading about the Coalition's Hunger Fighters Network.