PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Prior to the
COVID-19 pandemic, one in five people in Philadelphia were food-insecure. This number,
which was already higher than the national average, has been
heightened throughout the past year – and local children are among
the most critical in-need, missing vital access to free food
programs through school due to the pandemic's impact. Philadelphia's child food insecurity rate in
2020 is projected at over 32 percent, and the need to support the
local childhood community has never been more important.
![Toyota and its local partners support Philabundance’s efforts through the Lil’ Abundance campaign to provide more than 345,000 meals to help those in need Toyota and its local partners support Philabundance’s efforts through the Lil’ Abundance campaign to provide more than 345,000 meals to help those in need](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1431195/Lil_Abundance_Newswire_Moment.jpg)
Philabundance (a hunger relief organization serving
Greater Philadelphia and a member
of Feeding America) is at the forefront of the fight against
childhood food insecurity and needs assistance from the community,
now more than ever. "For food banks across the country, much of the
past year has been focused on adapting to meet the 60 percent
increase in need that we've seen because of COVID," explained
Philabundance CEO Loree Jones. "With
children remote learning due to the pandemic, many don't have
access to the school meals they depended on to get through the day.
This made our BackPack Program aimed at feeding children more
important than ever."
Philabundance's BackPack Program delivers much-needed free food
for kids, providing three to five pounds of shelf-stable food
(equating to 24 meals), per backpack. Altogether, this monthly food
distribution provides over 30,000 kids and their families with
access to nutritious food each month. And, every one of the more
than 7,000 BackPacks Philabundance distributes each month also
provides suggested recipes to further assist these families.
Prior to COVID-19, Philabundance's BackPack Program was
facilitated through local schools, with children looking forward to
the array of food and snacks they received monthly. Due to COVID-19
and shifting to remote learning, Philabundance pivoted the program
to serve students through its agency network of food pantries,
community centers and more. The 24 sites that will distribute the
BackPacks are located in zip codes with some of the highest rates
of food insecurity in Greater
Philadelphia.
To help Philabundance provide Philadelphia children and their families with
these nutritious meals, Toyota, its local Toyota Dealers
and many business partners across Greater
Philadelphia have come together under a new donation drive and
media campaign, branded Lil' Abundance, that will
both raise awareness for children's food insecurity and fund
two-months-worth of free food to kids and their families through
Philabundance's BackPack Program.
"Every year, Toyota and the Dealers are deeply humbled by the
chance to join with our local business partners to help
Philabundance fight hunger here in the Delaware Valley. There are a
lot of things people should be, and 'hungry' is just not one of
them," said Paul Muller, president
of the Tri-State Toyota Dealers Association (comprised of 25
dealerships in Pennsylvania,
New Jersey and Delaware). "This year, especially, the need
was clear to help Philabundance with their programs to support
local children and their families facing hunger during
unconscionable – and in many ways, unprecedented – challenges.
Toyota and about two dozen of our local business partners came
together to create and launch the first-ever Lil' Abundance
campaign to 'help feed lil' mouths.'"
Through the Lil' Abundance campaign, Toyota, the Tri-State
Toyota Dealers and local business partners have come together to
enable Philabundance with the ability to provide meals to children
and their families – all distributed safely and socially-distanced,
given the current circumstances stemming from COVID-19. In total,
Toyota and its partners' Lil' Abundance campaign efforts will
provide Philabundance with two full months of BackPack Program
funding, providing free food for kids and more than 345,000
meals.
"Toyota and our local Dealers have always made it our mission to
give back to the community," said Ben
Pyle, general manager of Toyota's Central Atlantic Region,
which includes Pennsylvania and
Delaware. "Working with
Philabundance again this year gives us the chance to support local
families in an incredibly impactful way during such a challenging
time. We're happy to support this important cause and bring relief
to our neighbors in need."
Similar to the annual "Toyota Tundra Food Drives," the Tri-State
Toyota Dealers Association, along with both Toyota Motor North
America and Toyota Financial Services, joined forces with more than
20 of the Dealers' local business partners (including
television/cable outlets, radio stations, local print and outdoor
companies, and Philadelphia's
professional sports organizations) to collectively create and
contribute to the Lil' Abundance campaign in support of the
important ongoing food distributions Philabundance's BackPack
Program provides to children and their families.
"As the local Toyota Dealers living and working in our
communities, we've been blown away by the support from our media
and professional sports partners to come together and help our
friends at Philabundance truly make a difference in people's
lives," said Paul Muller. "The past
year has served as a stark reminder of the food insecurity within
our communities, and it's more important than ever that we work
together to put an end to childhood hunger in Philadelphia and continue to find meaningful
opportunities to give back to those who need it most right
now."
"We're extremely proud of the effort and the incredible impact
Lil' Abundance will have. We are grateful for our longstanding
partnership with Philabundance, which year after year has given
Toyota and our Dealers such meaningful opportunities to make a
positive difference within local communities," added Briana Nelson, general manager of Toyota's New
York Region, which includes southern New
Jersey. "It's been an honor to come together again this year
on Lil' Abundance to fight hunger and provide healthy and
nutritious meals to children and families in-need across our
region, especially now when this support needed more than
ever."
The Lil' Abundance campaign efforts have enabled Philabundance's
BackPack Program efforts in January-February
2021. However, there remains another 10 months of the
calendar year when Philabundance needs support from businesses and
individuals across Greater
Philadelphia's communities to help food insecure
children and their families.
"Instead of just canceling the annual Haul Away Hunger
event, Toyota and their partners pivoted with us to help serve one
of our most vulnerable populations: children. No child should have
to wonder where their next meal is coming from, and thanks to
Toyota and its partners, thousands of kids across Philadelphia won't have to," added
Loree Jones. "We hope other
individuals and organizations can be inspired to help us on our
mission to end childhood hunger, for good."
To find out how you can help aid hunger relief through Lil'
Abundance and beyond, text DONATEFOOD to 44321 or
visit www.philabundance.org. Join the conversation on social media
with the hashtags #beethunger and #ToyotaLilAbundance, and tag
@toyotausa and @philabundance on Instagram. For those seeking food
assistance immediately, please call 1-800-5-HUNGRY or visit
Philabundance's website: www.philabundance.org/find-food.
Media Contacts
Micholl Azenon
347-271-2869
Micholl.Azenon@toyota.com
Emily Whelahan
914-255-0969
Emily.Whelahan@allisonpr.com
About Philabundance
Philabundance is driving hunger from our communities today
and working to end hunger for good. It distributes more than 50
million pounds annually through a network of 350 partners including
food pantries, houses of worship, hospitals, schools, libraries and
other service providers. Philabundance serves 135,000 people each
week including children, seniors, college students, single parents
and people who are working– a number that continues to grow due to
the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Give now or learn more at
Philabundance.org.
About Tri-State Toyota Dealers Association
The Tri-State Toyota Dealers Association (TDA) is comprised
of 25 Toyota Dealers in the Greater
Philadelphia market dedicated to providing customers in
Southeastern Pennsylvania,
Northwestern Delaware and
Southern New Jersey communities
with Toyota sales and service. The Tri-State TDA has an ongoing
partnership with multiple community organizations and causes,
including the association's focus on hunger relief in the
Delaware and Lehigh Valleys
through initiatives such as the annual "Toyota Tundra Food Drives"
in Philadelphia and Allentown and supporting the "Phans Feeding
Families" initiative with the Philadelphia Phillies.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in
North America for more than 60
years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation
mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands plus our 1,800
dealerships.
Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs
more than 47,000 in North America.
The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and
assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks at our 14
manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in
Alabama that begins production in
2021.
Through its Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights
the way it partners with community, civic, academic and
governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing
mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move,
anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit
www.toyotanewsroom.com.
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SOURCE Toyota