In an effort to combat food insecurity, the Philadelphia 76ers, in partnership with the GIANT Company, hosted a student-focused event on Friday, Nov. 8, at John H. Webster School in Kensington.
Titled “Fuel the Future,” the event saw the Sixers lead a class of students in a basketball clinic and other fun fitness stations, led by Jr. 76ers Coaches who were joined by Franklin, the students were also be treated to a performance from Squad 76.
By harnessing the power of basket, the 76ers continue to help combat the ongoing issue of food insecurity throughout the local community, not just by drawing attention to the issue, or instructing their communities on how to combat it, but also by providing resources. Their are nearly 500 students across grades PK-5 at John H. Webster, all of which received a full bag of groceries for themselves and their families, courtesy of Carlisle, PA’s own GIANT Company.
“We are so lucky,” said John H. Webster. “It means that we are the City of Brotherly Love. We are here. We are fortunate. Our community is always in need. We do have a food pantry here, so the bag of groceries is just a plus for our families. Families are extremely excited to get the bag of food. They were all aware ahead of time that our students were coming home with a bag of food and very thankful as well.”
In 2022, the average food insecurity rate in America was 12.8%. In Philadelphia, that rate was 15.2% — for Philadelphia children, it is 30.4% as of 2022, according to Philabundance.
“It’s every person’s job to battle food insecurity for our families,” Arabia said. “We’re fortunate in the school district Philadelphia; every child does receive breakfast [and] every child receives lunch. So we’re very fortunate that our children come to school and receive breakfast and lunch. We also are a community school in the city of Philadelphia. We do have a food pantry that [has] donated food. We also, every week, have a food distribution [through Share Food Program] right off of Frankford Avenue for our families to come and just pick up food.”
“I feel as though we are getting better as a city when it comes to providing food for our families; if every school could have what we have at Webster or be in a community school, it would just really heighten the [ability to provide] food for our families.”
