By Nicoletta Ariano & Jake Leonard
“We deal with food insecurity, so we are providing food to people who are hungry. People who can’t get out of their house, people who are homebound, people who are in senior housing facilities, and homeless,” Chief Operating Officer Eric Gantz says when describing his organization “Caring for Friends.”
Caring for Friends was founded in 1974. Its founder, Rita Ungaro-Schiavone, believed that no one should be hungry or alone in a world of “caring people”. The organization’s mission is simple: to provide food and friendship in the five-county Philadelphia region.
“Caring for Friends” delivers meals to community members who are unable to cook for themselves. The organization has its own kitchen, pantry, and warehouse.
Meals are prepared, packaged, and eventually sent out for delivery all in-house.
“Caring for Friends” is primarily a volunteer-based organization and volunteers are needed in various different areas. Volunteers work in the kitchen, pack meals, and deliver the meals to clients.
Hannah Leiheit, the Volunteer Coordinator at “Caring for Friends,” is very grateful for all the help the organization receives.
“It’s really beautiful to be a part of something that like, you don’t have to go out and, like, drum up support for. People automatically are saying, ‘Oh, yeah, Caring for Friends. I did this Internet search and I found out that they do this. Oh cool, let’s support them by doing this and let’s just do it out of the goodness of our hearts,’” she says.
Caring for Friends is located at 12271 Townsend Rd, Philadelphia, PA. The organization can be contacted at caringforfriends.org.
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