By Gianluca D’Elia; reporting for The Intelligencer
Posted Mar 20, 2020 at 3:00 PM
WSFS Bank awarded grants to eight food pantries and nonprofits in the Delaware Valley region, including Rolling Harvest Food Rescue and Family Services of Montgomery County.
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A man with a cart full of food, including fresh produce picked by Rolling Harvest volunteers, walks past the nonprofit’s truck.
Eight food pantries and nonprofits in the Delaware Valley have received $25,000 grants each from WSFS Bank to aid them during the coronavirus outbreak, including organizations from Bucks and Montgomery counties and Burlington County in New Jersey.
On Friday, Burlington Township Food Pantry, Rolling Harvest Food Rescue and Family Services of Montgomery County were announced as recipients of the grant from the Philadelphia-based bank, which aims to help out local nonprofits during the pandemic.
“I can’t thank the bank anymore than I thanked them yesterday,” Burlington Food Pantry Executive Director Domenic Zulla said Friday morning. “It’s outstanding, and it’s something I never expected. It will go to good use.”
“In this pandemic we have seen an increase in phone calls and food needs,” he added.
Cathy Snyder, founder and director of Rolling Harvest in Lumberville, said she was taken by surprise.
“This was unsolicited, and it’s something that never happens for nonprofits. It’s a light at the end of the tunnel,” Snyder said.
How can I help out local food banks?
Donations to Burlington Township’s food pantry can be made at btfoodpantry.org. The pantry, located at 1200 Route 130 North, is open Wednesdays 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. for food distribution.
Rolling Harvest accepts donations on its website.
Family Services of Montgomery County also has a donation page set up online.
In Montgomery County, staff from Family Services said the funding would help them maintain service programs like Meals on Wheels and assist seniors who can’t leave their homes.
“Thanks to the generous support of WSFS Bank, Family Services will continue to provide much-needed programs to Montgomery County residents during the COVID-19 outbreak and beyond,” Executive Director Tim O’Connell said in a statement. “For example, our dedicated Meals on Wheels staff and amazing volunteers are continuing to deliver meals to more than 130 homebound elderly individuals in western Montgomery County each weekday during the COVID-19 outbreak.”
WSFS announced a $300,000 pledge Friday from its WSFS Community Foundation to help local charities’ coronavirus relief efforts. In addition to the $25,000 grants given to eight local food organizations, another $100,000 will be distributed over the next few months to support pandemic recovery efforts in various communities, according to WSFS.
“Serving our communities includes partnering with local nonprofits who play a critical role in helping those in need,” said Vernita Dorsey, WSFS senior vice president and director of community strategy. “By providing this grant, we are helping to restore and ensure a better life and brighter future for members of our communities impacted by the pandemic.”
The grant money was much-needed in Burlington, Zulla said. Even before the coronavirus outbreak, the food pantry has been in need of repairs to its roof, driveway and air conditioning.
The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the food bank’s need, and Zulla said he fears the state’s tightening restrictions could affect his ability to operate the pantry in the next couple of weeks.
“We’re getting phone calls all over from Maple Shade, Willingboro, Wrightstown, you name it,” Zulla said. “It’s difficult to keep up with it. Right now, we’re anticipating hams and turkeys for Easter, but I’m lucky if I’ll be open then. I don’t know what to expect.”
Rolling Harvest is a gleaning organization that purchases surplus from local farms to distribute to local residents in need. The organization has been struggling lately to get food to senior citizens in public housing, since they’re no longer able to visit because of coronavirus restrictions.
Rolling Harvest also has a volunteer base that is largely made up of older adults in their 70s and 80s, who the organization doesn’t want to put at risk, Snyder said.
“There are real challenges. It’s our time to be creative and rogue as we can,” Snyder said.
She said the WSFS grant will go a long way in ensuring Bucks County’s most vulnerable populations have access to nutritious food amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
“The money is giving us an opportunity,” Snyder explained. “We have farmers we can reach out to, so to offer extra funding to purchase their surplus means the world to us.”
