84 truckloads of food donated to Philabundance during 17th annual Toyota Tundra Food Drive in Philadelphia

A convoy of 84 Toyota Tundra pickup trucks made its way to Citizens Bank Park Thursday to deliver food in support of Philabundance. The Tri-State Toyota Dealers Association hosts the event, now in its 17th year. 

Philabundance is the largest hunger relief organization in the region and serves communities across nine counties in the Philadelphia area.

Earlier this week, an assembly line of volunteers spent a morning in South Philadelphia packing dozens of senior food boxes at Philabundance.

"We actually distribute a couple thousand boxes to seniors across our region," Dorothy Wong, chief partnerships and strategy officer at Philabundance, said.

Each box will help meet what leaders at Philabundance say is a growing need in the community.

"Right before the holidays, we really see that our pantries are seeing and serving more and more neighbors," Wong said.

Philabundance partners with some 300 community organizations in the Philadelphia area, including Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry in Delaware County.

"Every month, we have probably about 60 families that have never used our pantry before, at least since before the pandemic," the Rev. Christopher Heisey-Terrell with the pantry said. 

The Prospect Park pantry serves more than 400 households a month, he said.

"I don't know how we would do this without partners like Philabundance that go out and find the resources that support pantries like ours so that we can actually spend the time in the community," Heisey-Terrell said.

Events like the annual Toyota Tundra Food Drive help Philabundance and hundreds of other pantry partners fulfill their missions every year. 

"There's no gift that's too small right now," Wong said. "And we really appreciate that we can come together to really make the greatest impact possible."