Philly mural artist illustrates how the mission of Philabundance is 'More than Food'
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- "I was lucky enough to grow up in a family full of art and good food," said Calo Rosa.
Rosa, originally from El Salvador, came to Philadelphia to build a career in mural arts in 2013.
He recently turned a blank wall into a colorful story about Philabundance's hunger relief efforts. He had the help of volunteers and staff at Philabundance who pitched in to select a design and bring the artwork to life.
The mural is titled, 'More than Food,' and is easily visible to passersby on Pattison Avenue.
Rosa added both his mother and son to the image, representing the past and future. But it was also important for him to incorporate imagery representing the totality of the work done by Philabundance.
"We went through a process to try to understand the organization's mission and goals," he said. "We talked with Pam, the founder, and we understood how everything works."
The mural was unveiled with roaring applause at a recent dedication. There, Philabundance CEO Loree Jones Brown emphasized the importance of Feeding America's Hunger Action Month.
"We invite people, consider volunteering with us," she said. "We invite you to host a food drive in your community or at your school. We invite people of course to donate funds to help us purchase healthy food for folks."
Philabundance is on the cusp of celebrating its 40th anniversary next year and relies on help from community partners year-round.
"As long as there are people who are food insecure, as long as we have generous donors and supporters, we're gonna be doing this work," said Jones Brown.
To learn more about Philabundance's work, visit their website.
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