By Gina Christian • Posted March 20, 2020

As area residents grapple with school and business closures due to the coronavirus, archdiocesan outreaches are working to provide food and diapers to families in need.

Nutritional Development Services (NDS) will continue to offer federally funded meals to children at 13 sites throughout Philadelphia, Chester, Norristown and Upland, said executive director Lizanne Hagedorn.

Each year, NDS (a beneficiary of the Catholic Charities Appeal) serves approximately 10 million meals through the USDA’s school breakfast, lunch and child care food programs. Hagedorn and her staff are collaborating with local school district officials to sustain the meal programs at selected locations.

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To minimize any interpersonal contact that could accelerate the spread of the virus, NDS has shifted to a “grab and go” delivery system, Hagedorn said.

“People can pull up in front of the building, and someone outside will hand them the food,” she said.

NDS staff are also continuing to support some 22 emergency food pantries throughout Philadelphia and the four suburban counties.

Several of the pantries are managed by archdiocesan Catholic Social Services (CSS; also a beneficiary of the Catholic Charities Appeal) at its seven family service centers, which now have “expanded pantry hours,” said Amy Stoner, director of CSS’s housing and homeless services division.

A ‘staggering’ ripple effect

Demand for both food and diapers has increased, with client visits up at a number of CSS outreaches, according to site managers.

“We are seeing an increase in food pantry requests outside of the normal days of operation,” said Maritherese Mitchell, administrator of CSS’s Bucks County family services centers in Levittown and Bensalem.

Martha’s Choice Marketplace, the emergency food pantry at CSS’s Norristown site, experienced a “100% increase in client volume on Monday,” said director Patrick Walsh.

He expects that trend to continue due to the pandemic, as concerns rise “about food availability, income loss resulting from the shutdown and stock market volatility over the past week.”

Those receiving federal SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits may also find themselves short on food supplies, said Hagedorn.

“We’re in the middle of the month, and people using SNAP generally run out of their benefits before the end of the month,” she said.

Currently, the estimated average monthly SNAP allocation for a household of four is approximately $465. Until last week, some 700,000 low-income Americans were set to be disqualified from the program through a Trump administration rule change that has since been blocked by a federal judge.

Hagedorn said the “ripple effect” from the pandemic, school and business closures, and the typical mid-month SNAP stretch is “staggering.”

Archdiocesan workers have also been impacted, including the direct service providers at St. Edmond’s Home for Children.

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Located in Rosemont, the home is an intermediate care facility for children aged six weeks to 21 years with a range of profound physical and intellectual disabilities.

The site’s staff food pantry is “needed now more than ever,” said administrator Denise Clofine.

“Direct service providers are among our working poor,” she said. “Some have family members who are out of work and are really struggling.”

In addition to groceries, diapers are placing a strain on many household budgets.

Infants and toddlers require between 8 to 12 diaper changes per day, according to the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN). With monthly disposable diaper costs averaging about $80 per baby, one in three American families experience what NDBN calls “diaper need.”

Diaper need can take a toll on an infant’s health, said Stoner.

“Babies who are sitting in dirty diapers for long periods of time can develop rashes and urinary tract infections,” she said. “It’s a major health issue.”

Emotional well-being is also at risk, she added, since “when a baby is sick and has difficulty calming herself down, it leads in turn to frustration for the parents.”

Stoner said CSS’s diaper stock levels are sufficient for now, but “that will diminish quickly.”

Mitchell said she is coordinating with the nonprofit Greater Philadelphia Diaper Bank to maintain stock levels at her family service center.

‘We need more help’

Along with supplies, outreach sites need more workers, Mitchell said.

“Strategically, we do need to monitor and provide for staff and volunteer well-being,” said Mitchell, noting that the site’s food cupboard has seen “a steep decline in volunteers, with the average age being over 70.”

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Mitchell and her staff have enlisted family members to take on tasks normally handled by such volunteers.

At Martha’s Choice, Walsh and assistant director Eli Wenger are “reallocating volunteers” to protect vulnerable populations, while forming a plan that “takes into account the cycles of infection and recovery that will likely go on within our staff team,” Walsh said.

He recognizes the need to sustain operations at Martha’s Choice “minus one or even two staff,” but they are “desperate for able-bodied young people” to assist with operations.

“We need more help to maintain even at our current level,” Walsh said, noting that on Tuesday the food pantry accepted and distributed some 8,000 pounds of food within nine hours.

For those unable to assist in person, NDS is sponsoring an online “One-Can Meal” drive. Participants can shop for an array of non-perishable food items, or for complete “food boxes” ranging from $25 to $250.

Tax receipts are available at the time of purchase, and the donated goods will be shipped directly to NDS after the drive ends on April 3.

Above all, said Stoner, “we need to support each other during this challenging time” through collaboration and communication, especially from a spiritual perspective.

Amid the pandemic, Stoner has been quoting a favorite maxim of Father Christopher Walsh, pastor of St. Raymond of Penafort Parish in Philadelphia:

“Stay prayed up.”

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For COVID-19 resources and information from Catholic Social Services (CSS), visit https://cssphiladelphia.org/covid19/

For COVID-19 resources and information from NDS, including a list of NDS-sponsored feeding sites for children, visit http://nutritionaldevelopmentservices.org/covid19/#feedingsites

For emergency food and diaper assistance, contact the following archdiocesan Catholic Social Services (CSS) and Nutritional Development Services (NDS) outreach locations. Clients are urged to call ahead of time.

Bucks County

CSS Family Service Center
100 Levittown Parkway, Levittown, PA 19054
215-945-2550
Monday and Friday, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., Wednesday 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. (diaper pantry)

CSS Fatima Catholic Outreach Center
2915 Street Road, Bensalem, PA 19020
215-639-4254
Note: Food pantry services suspended as of March 23. Contact the Bucks County CSS Family Service Center.

Chester County

St. Agnes Day Room (NDS partner)
233 W. Gay Street, West Chester, PA 19380
610-692-2990
Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. 

Delaware County

CSS Family Service Center, Chester City
130 E. 7th St, Chester, PA 19013
610-876-7101
Monday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.; Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Note: Coffee Club services suspended as of March 24.

2625 W. 9th Street, Chester, PA 19013
610-497-3225
First through fourth Wednesday of the month, 9 – 11 a.m.; second and fourth Tuesday of the month, 4 – 5 p.m. 

B.V.M. Parish Food Cupboard (NDS partner)
1101 Main Street, Darby, PA 19023
610-996-1338
Monday and Thursday, 9:30 – 11 a.m.

St. Katharine Drexel Outreach Center (NDS partner)
1408 W. 2nd Street, Chester, PA 19013
484-490-5079
Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m; Tuesday and Thursday, 12 noon – 2 p.m.

Montgomery County

CSS Family Service Center / Martha’s Choice Marketplace
353 E. Johnson Highway, Norristown, PA 19401
610-279-7372
Food pantry distribution: Wednesday, 4 – 6 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Volunteer staffing during the following hours: Monday, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; Tuesday -Wednesday, 2 – 7 p.m.; Thursday, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 2 – 7 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Philadelphia County

CSS Family Service Center, Northeast Philadelphia
7340 Jackson Street, Philadelphia, PA 19136
215-624-5920
Note: Food pantry services and diaper assistance are currently suspended. All services will resume effective March 30.

Casa del Carmen (CSS)
4400 North Reese Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140
267-331-2500
Monday – Wednesday, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

CSS Family Service Center, Southwest Philadelphia
6214 Grays Street, Philadelphia, PA 19142
215-724-8550
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. (food only); Tuesday, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. (diapers only)

Beloved Baptist (NDS partner)
2107-09 W. Toronto Street, Philadelphia, PA 19132
215-225-0813
Every third Saturday of the month, 10 a.m. –  12 p.m.; call as needed otherwise.

Community Center at Visitation B.V.M. (NDS partner)
2646 Kensington Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19125
215-426-9422
Monday, 9 – 11:30 a.m.; Tuesday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Dreuding Center (NDS partner)
1321 N. Lawrence Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122
215-787-3275
Tuesday, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.; Thursday, 3:30 – 6:30 p.m.

Holy Cross Baptist Food Cupboard (NDS partner)
1900 N. 63rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19151
215-879-8190
Last Wednesday of every month, 9 – 11:30 a.m.

Lutheran Settlement Food Cupboard (NDS partner)
1340 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19125
215-426-8610, x2014
Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Mission of St. Joan of Arc Food Cupboard (CSS/NDS partner)
2025 Atlantic Street, Philadelphia, PA 19134
610-731-5483
Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Mother of Mercy House (NDS partner)
709 E. Allegheny Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19134
215-739-1079
Note: Closed until March 30

Our Lady of Hope Parish (NDS partner)
5200 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19141
215-868-1390
Monday – Wednesday, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

St. Barbara Parish (NDS partner)
5359 Lebanon Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131
Wednesday, 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.

St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish (NDS partner)
636 N. 43rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-386-0302
Tuesday, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

St. Helena Parish Food Bank (NDS partner)
6127 N. 5th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19120
267-252-9353
Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

St. Vincent Parish Food Cupboard (NDS partner)
109 E. Price Street, Philadelphia, PA 19144
215-438-1514
Monday, Tuesday and Friday, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.