In response to the growing need for nutritious food among struggling community members in Montgomery and Bucks counties, nonprofit Keystone Opportunity Center (KOC) is reorganizing its Fresh for All program, and looking to the community for help in raising $4,000 to expand its distribution capacity.
KOC’s Fresh for All program, a lifeline for many, aims to provide greater access to fresh fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods to those who need it most. The program, a partnership with Philabundance, the Delaware Valley’s largest hunger relief organization, and Grace Bible Church, the program’s distribution site, provides 3,500 pounds of fresh produce to more than 270 families a week.
Over the years, Fresh for All has seen a rapid growth in the number of community members seeking assistance. In 2019, when the program began operating, Keystone distributed almost 133,000 pounds of food. By 2023, that amount nearly doubled to 246,420 pounds of fresh produce. More recently, Keystone has seen a dramatic increase in the number of families looking for support. In 2022, the nonprofit provided 7,174 boxes of food to community members, and last year, that number rose to 10,316 boxes of food.
Due to this rise in need and in the face of a recent reduction in the amount of fresh produce available, Keystone is reorganizing its Fresh for All program, and in the coming weeks, will be rerouting traffic through Grace Bible Church’s parking lot, expanding its distribution capacity, and adding more materials to support its work. To facilitate these expansion efforts, the nonprofit needs to purchase a second storage unit for the site.
“We have set a fundraising goal of $4,000 to purchase a new shed, have it delivered, and to move our current shed to the back of the parking lot,” said Julie Menardi, KOC’s Fresh for All coordinator. “We are appealing to the community to help us with this endeavor so that we can more effectively serve the people who come to us in need of nutritious food for their families. Any assistance from the community would be greatly appreciated.”
A fundraising page has been created to support the new shed campaign and can be found at http://weblink.donorperfect.com/foodservices. For information on how one can support Keystone Opportunity Center’s efforts, contact Clarice Foster at 215-723-5430, or by email, at cfoster@keystoneopp.org.
For information about Keystone Opportunity Center’s community initiatives, visit www.keystoneopportunity.org.
Join our readers whose generous donations are making it possible for you to read our news coverage. Help keep local journalism alive and our community strong. Donate today.
