West Chester, PA (Octubre 3, 2023) – The Oxford Neighborhood Services Center (NSC) will receive $50,000 in state funding to support their food pantry, state Senator Carolyn Comitta announced.
“While this investment will provide continued support to its food pantry, the Oxford Neighborhood Services Center also offers a wide range of support services and programs, including referrals, translations, guidance, life skills, and assistance with healthcare, housing, utilities, transportation services and more,” Comitta said. “For more than 50 years, the nonprofit organization has helped people and families in need. I want to thank all of the NSC supporters, staff, and volunteers for their work on behalf of the Oxford community.”
The funding, which was awarded through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) Reach and Resiliency Grants comes at a time when the non-profit organization continues to assist families and children impacted by the four-alarm fire that struck downtown Oxford on Septiembre 13 and 14.
“We are crisis first responders helping individuals and families get back on their feet, stabilize their affairs, and have the tools and resources to live with self-determination and confidence,” said NSC Director Aaron Karpas.
The NSC continues to collect donations and items in support of those impacted by the fire, including personal care and toiletry items, clothing for children and teens, overnight bags, and gift cards for local supermarkets, pharmacies, restaurants, hardware stores, and ride-share services.
In addition, the NSC is currently helping the victims of the fire find permanent housing and seeking apartments or houses for rent in the area.
For more information and a complete list of in-demand items visit oxfordnsc.org or call 610-932-8557.
The TEFAP funding comes as part of more than $1.6 million in grant support awarded to 40 food banks, pantries, shelters, and soup kitchens across Pennsylvania.
“No one should go hungry in a state with the wealth and bounty we have in Pennsylvania,” Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding said. “But far too often families do not know where their next meal is coming from and they need our help. Expanding the capacity of organizations to supply fresh, healthy food to families in need is just one part of a broad Shapiro Administration strategy to work toward a healthier, more secure Pennsylvania.”
TEFAP Reach and Resiliency Grants are being awarded to organizations distributing USDA Foods through TEFAP contracts with the state, county, or a county-designated Lead Agency.
Funded projects include expanded cold storage, warehouse space and equipment, delivery vehicles for food distribution, and other investments that expand TEFAP’s reach into isolated or underserved rural or low-income communities.
The Department of Agriculture will be announcing a second round of TEFAP Reach and Resiliency Grants, with more than $2.5 million in available funding, in Octubre 2023.
According to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap, in 2022, more than 1.1 million Pennsylvanians, or 8.9 percent of everyone in the state, and 13 percent of our children, may not know the source of their next meal.