Philabundance volunteers take part in statewide Pennsylvania Day celebration

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philabundance volunteers are taking part in a statewide celebration of Pennsylvania Day.

Volunteers are busy filling boxes with food Wednesday at the Philabundance warehouse in South Philadelphia.

"Today, we're celebrating Pennsylvania Day with America250," said Philabundance CEO Loree Jones Brown.

They're honoring the significance of Pennsylvania's impact on the country by taking part in a major volunteer effort.

"We call it Pennsylvanians helping Pennsylvanians. People across the state, just like here, are helping people who are food insecure. They are doing food drives. They're packing food for our neighbors," said Jones Brown.

July 20th is also one of the largest days of service leading up to America's 250th birthday in 2026.

"Philabundance does about 3,500 boxes a month, so we're hoping to help with that. Our goal is 400 boxes today," said Kate Clifford, Delaware County America250PA.

Miss Pennsylvania Volunteer 2022 also joined in on the efforts to help out.

"Not only is it part of my title, but it's part of what I do and it is the foundation of this organization," said Carolina Jones, Miss Pennsylvania Volunteer 2022.

However, the need for help is increasing as more and more families run into hard times while trying to put food on the table.

"We saw this happen all through COVID the last couple of years. We were hoping that we had turned a corner, but the reality is with food prices going up, and gas prices going up. The numbers of people seeking our help are going up," said Jones Brown.

The folks at Philabundance said the more volunteers the better, and that a little bit of time could go a long way toward helping other families.