Food Justice

From gardening, to meal making, to food pantry collection, to public advocacy, food justice is a central value at St. Andrew’s. We gained national attention for mobilizing our wider community to make tens of thousands of meals during the pandemic.

Four people, two women and two men, posing behind and beside stacks of donation boxes containing food supplies in a community center or food bank. One woman is pointing to a poster that reads 'POVERTY IS COMPLICATED. FEEDING A CHILD ISN'T.' The group appears cheerful and engaged in a volunteer activity.

And there are so many ways to move forward together to address hunger, food insecurity, and poverty today! Scroll down to learn more about our work and how you can join us in advocating for national and local policies to end food insecurity, providing non-perishable foods to and providing homemade meals, non-perishable food donations, and online cash donations to feed the hungry. Here’s how:

A collection of canned and boxed food items displayed on a windowsill in front of stained glass windows, with a framed poster about St. Andrew's community and spirituality.

Advocate for Social Justice

Poverty and hunger are structural issues in our society - and they need structural solutions. While immediate aid (like donations of meals and other food) is vital, so is changing the structure and policies in our country that enable people to go hungry in the wealthiest nation in the history of the world. We partner with Bread for the World as well as our local government and other congregations across Bucks County to organize and advocate for social change.

A woman with glasses and a blue patterned hoodie standing behind a table of food and drinks at an outdoor community event in a grassy area with trees and a historic cemetery in the background. The table has cans of Liquid Death sparkling water, cartons of Silk oat milk, a bottle of Campbell's tomato juice, and a large container of potato chips; several people are gathering around other tables in the background.

Donate non-perishable foods for the St. James Welcome Table and the Interfaith Food Alliance

The Interfaith Food Alliance (IFA) serves families with children in Morrisville. St. James is our partner tuition-free Episcopal school in North Philadelphia and its Welcome Table serves the entire neighborhood. The need has spiked with government cuts to feeding programs, meaning that both IFA and St. James are stretching to serve more and more people – often with fewer and fewer resources. Please drop off donations to the Sewing House (tiny house on the corner of West Afton and Penn Valley Drive), which is open 24/7. Volunteers regularly deliver food to IFA and St. James.

Group of people packing meals in aluminum containers in a room with green walls, windows, and checkered flooring.

Make meals or soups for Caring for Friends

Caring for Friends (CFF)provides frozen meals to seniors and others who are food insecure in the Philadelphia area. St. Andrew’s has provided meals for CFF for more than 40 years and gained national attention for mobilizing our wider community to make tens of thousands of meals during the pandemic.

Join us in the Parish House for a meal-making blitz every third Saturday of the month from 8:30am to 10:00 am. If you’re able, please bring a cooked and labelled protein (meatloaf, ham, turkey and gravy, etc.), and stay to help assemble the meals. Click here to learn more about volunteering with CFF.

For those who prefer to make meals solo, food trays, soup containers, and labels are available 24/7 in the Sharing House (tiny house on the corner of West Afton and Penn Valley Drive). 

Monetary Support

Our “wooden bowl” is in back of the sanctuary every week collecting funds for three of our key community partners addressing hunger: The Interfaith Food Alliance, St. James School, and the Yardley Farmers Market. You can also donate online via the Donate page and designate your donation in the memo by marking “Hunger” (we’ll divide it among all three) or note to direct it to whichever organization you like. You can send checks to St. Andrew’s for any of these organizations and we will distribute them! Donations for Caring for Friends are also appreciated and will benefit our program through the purchasing of food for meal-packing and containers.

Shelves filled with various food and household items such as cereal, pasta, and cleaning supplies in a room with a stained glass window and signs including one that says "The caterpillar is the only one hungry."

Volunteer on Saturdays at the Yardley Farmers Market

St. Andrew’s partners with the Yardley Farmers Market to make local, nutritious food more available to people on SNAP (aka “food stamps”).  When people present their SNAP card to our table at the market, we provide them with up to $30 in matching funds to spend with vendors. Yardley Farmers Market moves inside for the winter and continues year-round – and volunteers are always needed!

Yardley Farmers Market logo with a carrot and green leaves, tagline 'naturally local'.