Food to supplement needs for a week and other supplies help 400 West Philadelphia Families
In the United States, the roots of hunger run deep. In Philadelphia, 26 percent of households live below the poverty level and far too many children go to bed hungry. This is why The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation and ShopRite supermarkets operated by the Brown Family, teamed up for Get Ready Fest™, among the signature programs of The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation to effectuate positive change in the lives of youth, families and communities. Four hundred (400) West Philadelphia families, pre-identified by ACHEIVEability, Daroff Charter School, People's Emergency Center and Intercultural Family Services, received vouchers as a invitation to the Get Ready Fest™ event held on July 22, 2019 from 10:00 am to 2:00 p.m. at Universal Daroff Charter School at 5630 Vine Street in Philadelphia.
Since 2014, Get Ready Fest™ has provided thousands of families residing in vulnerable commodities with access to a wide array of essential resources including 25 pounds of shelf-stable food, essential dignity and hygiene items and health and wellness products to help them thrive. Additionally, the program offers education, social service information relating to GED, job training and placement; and senior and veteran support services; and resources for children including books, school supplies, haircuts, face painting and snacks.
“Brown’s Super Stores, who operates 12 supermarkets in the Philadelphia region, has been a key player with the Foundation on our efforts to address hunger and wellness and we are proud they have signed on for Get Ready Fest™,” said Malcolm Jenkins, two time Super Bowl Champion and Pro Bowler who is Chairman of The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation. “Since its inception, the program has served more than 7500 families (roughly 30,000 individuals) throughout Camden, NJ, Columbus, OH, New Orleans, LA and Philadelphia, PA. We are truly proud of the impact we have made so far,” he added.
“We are proud to partner with The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation and to join in its effort to bring healthy food and other choices to families in West Philadelphia,” said Sandy Brown, Director, Brown’s Super Stores. Joining Brown’s is Pepsi, which has been doing local community events with the Brown family for over 25 years. “Get Ready Fest™ was a perfect fit for the two of us to continue our partnership to provide food and food products for vulnerable families; our organizations found the synergy with Malcolm’s foundation to be perfectly aligned and we look forward to more future partnerships.”