Casa del Carmen is fighting hunger amid soaring community need
At Casa Del Carmen in North Philadelphia, the food pantry has seen a doubling of community need over the past two years.
"The need is very, very, very concerning," says Janet DeJesus, Office Manager & Food Pantry Coordinator at Casa Del Carmen.
"We're seeing more people now than ever coming through those doors, and clients who used to come once a month are now coming twice."
Rising costs continue to strain families.
"The cost of food is going up, and the cost of living in our area is going up," adds Meghan Sidorski, Administrator at Casa Del Carmen.
According to DeJesus:
"We get sometimes up to 35 families a day."
Sidorski agrees the pressure is overwhelming. "Often our shelves are empty because we can't meet the demand of our neighborhood."
Founded in the 1950s, Casa Del Carmen began as a ministry of welcome.
"It was created by a group of nuns with the goal of welcoming newly arrived Puerto Ricans to the North Philadelphia community," Sidorski explains.
DeJesus joined the pantry 33 years ago, shortly after its early beginnings.
"It makes me feel good that I'm giving someone something they need," she says.
When the pantry's decades-old freezers finally failed, DeJesus applied for and received a grant from Philabundance to purchase three new ones.
"It makes a big difference - a very big difference - because we didn't have anywhere to store our meats," she says.
The grant also covered shelving, tables, a chair, and a mini jack to help volunteers move food more efficiently.
"Philabundance is a great support to our pantry," Sidorski says.
As an employee of Catholic Charities of Philadelphia, Sidorski says the mission guides her daily work:
"I think about the mission of our agency to do the work that Jesus has called us to do."
Sometimes, she says, impact begins with something simple:
"Sometimes it's just a small act of kindness."
And for many families, the stakes are immediate.
"Your donation can mean the difference between somebody eating tonight."
