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This year’s Lenten food drive runs Wednesday, March 2-Tuesday, April 12, 2022. Nutritional Development Services (NDS), an agency of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, is hosting its annual “One-Can Meal” food drive to enable broad and meaningful participation in the Lenten season. For over 35 years, NDS has hosted this Lenten food drive as a way to help fulfill the season’s call to almsgiving. Last year, NDS collected approximately 22,500 pounds of non-perishable items through this initiative to benefit hundreds of food-insecure families and individuals in our area. Those interested in helping our neighbors in need can support NDS’ Community Food Program by purchasing items online through You Give Goods at https://yougivegoods.com/lent2022. All goods donated now through Tuesday, April 12th will help stock the shelves of NDS’ network of 50 food cupboards throughout the Greater Philadelphia region including five food cupboards operated by Catholic Social Services; five soup kitchens; and numerous community outreach programs. NDS is also partnering with elementary and high schools throughout the Archdiocese of Philadelphia as well as Parish Religious Education Programs (PREP) to organize collections within their school communities. Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to collect non-perishable “one-can” meal items to benefit those in need. Examples include low-sodium soups and beans, canned vegetables, and canned proteins among other options. To further help those in need this Lenten season, faithful can also participate in Rice Bowl, an initiative of Catholic Relief Services (CRS). This faith-in-action program provides a tangible way to incorporate prayer, fasting, and almsgiving into our Lenten journeys. A quarter of all donations made to Rice Bowl support NDS and are used to combat hunger and poverty locally. For additional information, please visit http://archphila.org/crsricebowl/. # # # Editor’s Note: For [...]

For the second year in a row, Convergence Acceleration Solutions (CAS) Group has donated $50,000 to archdiocesan Nutritional Development Services (NDS). The funds will help restock more than 50 area food cupboards operated by the agency’s community food program.

Nutritional Development Services (NDS), an agency of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, is working with the Saint Pio Foundation to distribute 1,000 boxes filled with nutritious food to individuals and families in the Philadelphia area who are food insecure. 

Nutritional Development Services, (NDS) an agency of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, partnered with WSFS Bank to help our neighbors in need throughout the five-county metropolitan area who are facing hunger.

The $50,000 matching gift challenge will support NDS’ hunger relief efforts in the Philadelphia Region.

Nutritional Development Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (NDS) is launching its annual Holiday Food Drive and Alternative Christmas card initiative to benefit those throughout the five-county metropolitan area who are in need and facing hunger.

Catholic Social Services and Nutritional Development Services are organizing shipments of food and clothing to aid in relief efforts.

Nutritional Development Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (NDS) is hosting its annual Peanut Butter and Jelly (PB&J) Drive in conjunction with Archdiocese of Philadelphia Schools (AOPS) and Parish Religious Education Programs (PREP) throughout the five-county Philadelphia region.

Nutritional Development Services has been on the frontlines of the fight against hunger for nearly five decades. Nutritional Development Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (NDS) recently wrapped up its 13th drive-through food distribution event capping a months-long effort to address pandemic-related food insecurity throughout the five-county Philadelphia region. Through this program, NDS distributed over 93,000 federally funded meals for children and nearly 7,500 federally funded “Farmers to Families” Food Boxes to area households in need and facing hunger. In reflecting on the events, Ms. Lizanne Hagedorn, executive director of NDS said, “Knowing that children, individuals and families throughout our metropolitan area do not have enough food to eat on a consistent basis is a challenge and a matter NDS works to counter daily. In the context of the pandemic, when the critical need for food was exposed, NDS along with our volunteers and community partners immediately responded to provide additional relief and distribute these food resources throughout the five-county region where needed most. We hope redoubling our efforts has brought some much-needed goodness into people’s lives.” Since October 2020, NDS has coordinated the Saturday distributions as a way to bolster day-to-day initiatives which include providing assistance to those in need with food and food-related resources through its network of over 50 food cupboards and outreach programs. With the “Farmers to Families” food box program concluding, pop-up food events and smaller scale giveaways will be organized by NDS to continue assisting area households facing financial challenges and other hardships stemming from the ongoing pandemic. # # # Editor’s Note: For 47 years, Nutritional Development Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s (NDS) mission has been to serve children and those in need with healthy food. NDS accomplishes its [...]