Truck Loads Of Food, Essentials Delivered To Philadelphia Families In Need
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- To eat or buy back-to-school supplies? A quarter of the people living in Philadelphia don't know where their next meal is coming from, let alone being able to afford school supplies for their children. But a special delivery Monday made it a bit easier for hundreds of families.
Two trucks loaded with 28,000 pounds of food, books, and toiletries rolled into Clara Barton Elementary School in Feltonville, ready to help feed about 800 families for an entire week.
"It's about 70 pounds of product, so it's a a lot for them. Shelf stable items, canned food, peanut butter, pasta sauce, cereal, quaker, chips. It supplements a family of four for up to a week, said Jessica Webb with the Feed the Children, a global nonprofit that focuses on supplying the needy with essentials. "People are making choices right now. Do you pay your [air conditioning] bill? Do you buy school supplies? Being able to provide this, to help supplement that income right now is very important, especially because school is still out, kids aren't getting that meal at school anymore, until school starts."
It's something that those in need are very thankful for. Shatia says this is a life saver for her and her daughter
It's a blessing," she said. "I really do struggle with getting food for her and stuff for her all the time, so this will actually help us a whole lot, and we should be alright for a while.
"Spaghetti, rice, cereal for my grandson. Especially the books. He's likes reading," said Valerie. "It means a lot, I am not working right now, so I can use everything that I am getting."