PHILADELPHIA – Today, Mayor Cherelle Parker supported Grubhub’s Serving the City program to deliver 500 meals from North Philadelphia-based restaurants El Coqui and Freddy & Tony’s to the William Cramp Elementary School community.

“As we go into the holiday season it is important to remember many families across Philadelphia are dealing with food insecurity. To increase food accessibility, we are supporting community-first initiatives and organizations working towards this, now and throughout the year,” said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. “The city is redoubling our efforts, building on our successful DHS/Community Schools partnership to add Extended Day/Extended Year schools to as food distribution sites in 2025.”

“Food insecurity is a significant barrier for some of our families, and hunger or the lack of good nutrition negatively impacts our children’s health and learning capabilities,” said Superintendent Tony B. Watlington, Ed.D. “The District currently serves approximately 104,000 meals daily to our students through our breakfast and lunch programs. Recently, we added dinner for 5,000 students participating in after-school or evening programs. We are thankful to partners such as GrubHub for supporting students’ academic achievement in this manner.”

According to the most recent data published by Feeding America, 15.2 percent of Philadelphians experience food insecurity. To help support those impacted at the local level, Grubhub is working with neighborhood restaurants to support underserved communities in North Philadelphia.

“We’ve already seen how successful Grubhub’s Serving the City can be in addressing food insecurity, with more than 40,000 meals distributed across major cities last year – and we’re committed to continuing our work in Philadelphia,” said Brett Swanson, Grubhub’s Sr. Manager for Community Affairs and Social Impact. “Working with members of the City Council has helped us understand the specific needs of each community across the city to help us ensure we’re getting meals to the people and organizations that need them most.”

Chief Deputy Mayor Vanessa Gerret-Harley and Superintendent Watlington were joined by William Cramp Elementary Principal Dr. Yonaira Rodriguez, City of Philadelphia Chief Education Officer, Dr. Debora Carrera, and 7^th District Councilmember Quetzy Lozada.

“Building strong partnerships between government, local businesses, and innovative tech companies like Grubhub is key to creating thriving local economies,” said Councilmember Lozada. “These collaborations drive job creation, increase access to services, and make our city more efficient, dynamic, and inclusive. By working together, we can ensure that Philadelphia remains a competitive, forward-thinking hub for both businesses and consumers.”

This event is part of Grubhub’s Serving the City program, which has donated over 10,000 meals to housing authorities, senior centers, veterans’ residences, and other community organizations in 2024.