By Angelique X
A community’s response to hunger should be judged by whether people can get food when they need it. Volunteers and donations matter, but their efforts need dependable supplies, suitable storage, and transportation. As cities decide how to support food assistance, I believe those practical needs deserve the same attention as recruiting people to help.
The scale of the problem makes that choice urgent. In its report published in December 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated that 13.7 percent of American households experienced food insecurity at some point in 2024. This is a national challenge, but the response ultimately depends on whether assistance reaches a household in a form it can use.
A box of groceries may help one family while leaving another person’s needs unresolved. An older adult who cannot travel to a pantry needs a way to receive food. Someone who cannot prepare a meal may need something ready to eat. A distribution plan should account for those differences before counting a delivery as a success.
That is why I believe public officials and funders should treat community food distribution as an essential service requiring reliable support. Asking more people to volunteer is worthwhile. Expecting their generosity to compensate for missing food, vehicles, or equipment places too much responsibility on people with too few resources.
In my community work in Philadelphia, I have had to travel to Lancaster to obtain food when local supplies were insufficient. At the time of our discussion about these challenges, more than 100 people were waiting for assistance. That experience shapes my concern about a system in which the ability to serve someone can depend on what happens to arrive that day.
The uncertainty also involves timing. Our team has received requests involving older adults and people with disabilities, including people leaving hospitals who need food outside our usual operating hours. A request late in the evening raises immediate questions about who can prepare a meal, who can deliver it, and what supplies are available.
I also visited an older man in a hospital after receiving a call about his situation. He needed help with legal matters as well. That visit stayed with me because it brought several kinds of vulnerability into one person’s circumstances. It reinforced my belief that meal access should be considered alongside the other support someone may need.
My argument is not that every neighborhood group should provide a round-the-clock service. It is that a city’s food assistance plan should identify who can respond when ordinary arrangements are insufficient. A referral is useful only if the receiving organization has the resources to help.
Philadelphia already offers an example of funding that recognizes practical needs. Its 2025 Food Justice Initiative grants support community-led projects, with spending that includes personnel, supplies, and equipment. One funded project includes refrigeration shared with a food pantry. I would like that attention to delivery capacity to become a consistent principle of public support.
That means making room for smaller organizations in planning and allocation decisions, while requiring appropriate food safety practices and clear reporting. Neighborhood knowledge deserves consideration alongside organizational size. Decisions should reflect unmet need, residents’ ability to travel, and whether a group can provide groceries, prepared meals, or delivery.
With dependable resources, community groups may be better able to plan routes, arrange staffing, and respond before a request becomes a crisis. Without them, even committed teams may have to leave people waiting. For someone seeking help, the difference is whether support arrives in time to be useful.
City officials should work with community providers to map unmet needs, publish how food and funding are allocated, and establish an ongoing budget for purchasing, storage, preparation, and transport. Funders should ask providers which recurring expenses prevent them from serving people reliably, then consider supporting those expenses. Plans should also identify a response for urgent requests outside regular hours.
People willing to help deserve a system that makes their effort effective. People who need food deserve one they can depend on.
About the Author:
Angelique X is the founder of Philly People of Hope, a community organization in Philadelphia. Her work focuses on food assistance and practical support for residents, including older adults and people with disabilities. Through this work, she advocates for dependable food supplies, accessible delivery, and stronger support for grassroots organizations. She believes community providers should help shape how resources are distributed so assistance better reflects the needs of local residents.
