Double Trellis Food Initiative’s (DTFI) mission is to serve as an immediate stopgap for the most food-insecure individuals in marginalized communities of Philadelphia in a way that is both culturally relevant and grounded in human dignity and social justice, while also working to directly address some of the root causes of food insecurity through our workforce development program, educational nutrition workshops, and food justice advocacy work.

The need for support for food insecure people in Philadelphia is tremendous. Philadelphia is the “poorest” of the largest U.S. cities, with 23.3% of residents living in poverty (2019 American Community Survey). According to Feeding America, 17% – or almost 270,000 – of Philadelphians experience food insecurity daily. The number is even higher amongst Philadelphia’s children who experience food insecurity at a rate of 24.8% (chalkbeat.org). 

We prioritize Black and brown communities, LGBTQ+, Disabled, low-income, and other marginalized groups. DTFI primarily focuses on the houseless and housing insecure population, and we work regularly with harm reduction groups in Kensington in North Philadelphia and various neighborhoods across West Philadelphia serving those engaged in regular substance use. We prioritize these groups as they currently and historically have disproportionately high rates of food insecurity. Across all of our programming, we served approx. 13,819 individuals in 2020 and 24,247 individuals in 2021.

Since June of 2020, we have cooked and distributed over 25,000 dignified meals along with over 35,000 lbs of groceries to Philadelphians at no cost to them. As we look forward into the future, your generous support will help our growth into offering career training for formerly incarcerated individuals and expanding our meals distribution programs year-round. Food insecurity occurs every day in Philadelphia and we must work together to help alleviate these most basic needs.

Our first 30 donations of $100 or more will received a free limited edition Double Trellis apron in the mail. We will contact all supporters via email for shipping information.