Combating Food Insecurity in Philadelphia: A Multi-Pronged Effort Part 3 (Food Education and Government Responsibility)

At 79, Sallie had never cooked a meal. Her husband of more than 50 years had always taken charge in the kitchen, but after his recent passing, Sallie knew it was time to learn. When her nutritionist heard about her situation, she immediately enrolled Sallie in a workshop run by Vetri Community Partnership, a non profit organization in Spring Garden that provides nutrition education through cooking classes. 

Vetri Community Partnership is one of many initiatives in Philadelphia working to address food insecurity, a persistent issue affecting the city at rates higher than the national average. More than 980,000 residents live in neighborhoods oversaturated with unhealthy food options, and as of June 2024, nearly one-third of the city’s population relied on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to meet their basic nutritional needs. Food insecurity disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic communities, who experience it at rates three to five times higher than their White counterparts, a disparity rooted in the racialized systems that shape our food environments. Many advocates refer to this systemic issue not simply as food insecurity, but as food apartheid.

In the first article of this series, we examined organizations delivering emergency food services to meet urgent needs. In the second, we explored solutions aimed at improving access and affordability. But what happens once individuals have both physical and financial access to nutritious food? That’s where a third strategy emerges: food education.

In this final article of our series, we investigate how food education supports people in making informed, health-oriented choices once food is on the table. We also consider the role of government—both local and federal—in shaping long-term solutions to food insecurity, and how policies can support or hinder efforts to build healthier, more equitable food systems.

A day in a Vetri Community Partnership Class 

Photo credit: Laura Duarte Bateman 

It was a sunny spring morning, and the Vetri Community Partnership kitchen was preparing for the third session of its Cooking for Heart Health workshop. By 11 a.m., a diverse group of 20 participants of various ages, backgrounds, and levels of cooking experience, gathered to learn how to prepare meals that support cardiovascular health.

Laneya, a homeschooled student, was there with her mom, who had made the class part of their educational curriculum. Noel discovered the workshop through a colorful flyer at his local community center and decided to give it a try. Val, a retired nurse, saw the program as an opportunity to adopt healthier habits in retirement. Though they came for different reasons, everyone shared a common goal: to learn how to cook and eat in ways that support better health.

“Not everyone feels comfortable in the kitchen, or in a kitchen that is not your own,” points out Ambrazia Sublett, a Registered Dietician and one of the teachers. But as the weeks go by, says Sublett, participants become more acclimated. “You start to see tremendous growth in just 4 classes. It’s all about supporting people in feeling confident in making healthy choices.” 

The class began with a recap of the previous session. Instructors took turns walking participants through the day’s key nutrition lessons, culinary techniques, and the featured recipe: a colorful burrito bowl topped with a lime-cilantro vinaigrette. After that, it was time to tie aprons and get to work.

Participants broke into groups and dove into the recipe, chopping vegetables, mixing spices, and learning knife skills along the way. Afterward, everyone gathered to enjoy the meal they had prepared together.

For Maddy Booth, CEO of Vetri Community Partnership, this kind of education represents a “second level of food access.” While traditional food access focuses on getting food into people’s hands, this next level is about teaching people how to use what they have; how to make nutritious, delicious meals with what’s available to them. 

At one cooking station was Dr. Graziani, a family medicine practitioner who had discovered Vetri Community Partnership through a conference where she learned about kitchen education initiatives. Since February, she has referred several patients to the workshops, one of whom joined her in class that day.

As a healthcare provider, she sees food education as a crucial tool in preventive care. It’s one thing to tell someone they have high blood pressure and need to eat better; it’s another thing entirely to show them how. For her, the workshops serve a dual purpose: they benefit individuals looking to improve their health and they equip providers with practical, culturally sensitive ways to support their patients. “It’s about putting medical education into practice.”

Another key benefit of kitchen education initiatives like Vetri Community Partnership is the opportunity to experiment with new ingredients without the financial risk. “You just need some practical applications of ingredients so you’re not purchasing them and taking a risk on something that maybe isn’t your cup of tea,” explains Booth. “We’re here to provide that testing ground, that kind of experience.”

Noel, one of only three men in the class, agrees. After facing food insecurity for some time, he’s now building both confidence and culinary skills to help maintain a healthy lifestyle. “Here I’m learning about ingredients I never would’ve picked up before, like ginger and cilantro,” he said, noting how he’s learned to use them as flavorful, low-sodium alternatives to salt-heavy seasonings.

Food As Medicine, A Preventative Approach

In addition to the work of Vetri Community Partnership, Philadelphians can access food education through a variety of initiatives. The Free Library of Philadelphia offers cooking classes through its Culinary Literacy Center, where the definition of food education includes accompanying education in math, science, languages and history. The Food Trust runs a Farm to School program that connects preschool through eighth-grade students to their local food system through hands-on nutrition, agriculture, and food education. The organization also offers an online learning hub that features a wide array of videos, from sugar-awareness lessons to simple, nutritious recipes that families can make at home. “When people know how to eat healthy, and know how to make healthy choices, they tend to make healthy choices,” says Mark Edwards, CEO of The Food Trust. 

Both The Food Trust and Vetri Community Partnership embrace the philosophy of “food as medicine”, the idea that food can serve as a powerful, preventative tool for improving health and well-being. But they’re also aware about the challenges of turning that philosophy into practice.

For starters, changing eating habits isn’t easy. “It has never really worked historically to try to ask somebody to make wholesale change overnight,” reflects Booth. “It’s about adding one vegetable to each meal, making those incremental shifts.”

Access is another barrier. Many communities simply don’t have reliable, affordable options for fresh produce. To meet people where they are, Vetri intentionally incorporates more accessible ingredients, such as canned or frozen vegetables, into their recipes, helping participants create nutritious meals with what’s realistically available. Similarly, The Food Trust offers lessons on how to prepare low-cost, nutrient-dense meals. Their education efforts are paired with their voucher initiatives (highlighted in Part 2 of this series) that give participants access to ingredients that last longer and can be used across multiple recipes, making healthy eating both practical and sustainable.

A third challenge is funding. “Funding for the prevention of diet-related diseases is not prioritized,” says Booth. “It’s very difficult to ask for funding when it’s nearly impossible to prove your impact through quantifiable data.”

Photo credit: Laura Duarte Bateman

Still, some data does exist to make a compelling case. “For every dollar spent on a nutrition education program, the government saves as much as $2 in food costs and up to $10 in healthcare costs,” says Mark Edwards, CEO of The Food Trust. The savings may be indirect, but the return on investment is clear.

Philadelphia’s Legacy of Combating Food Insecurity Through Public-Private Partnerships

Today’s efforts to combat food insecurity in Philadelphia are rooted in a long history of public-private partnerships that have shaped both local and national food policy. This legacy dates back over a century, when the city became one of the first in the country to implement school lunch programs. In 1894, the Starr Center Association began offering school lunches for just one penny. By 1910, the Philadelphia School District had adopted and expanded the initiative across all public schools. This pioneering model helped lay the groundwork for what would eventually become the National School Lunch Program, which feeds more than 30 million children nationwide each year, according to 2022 data.

This example highlights the power of well-defined roles in community-driven solutions:  community organizations identify urgent needs and pilot solutions, local governments provide the infrastructure and funding to scale them, and federal agencies build on that momentum to expand programs nationally. “It can’t just be charitable funding and grants. It can’t only be large government grants either,” recalls Community Engagement Manager with The Food Trust, Mignon Verdell.

Another milestone in Philadelphia’s food access legacy is the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI), a public-private partnership launched in 2004 by The Food Trust to fund new or expanding food retailers in areas lacking access to fresh, healthy foods. In 2018, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development recapitalized the initiative, further strengthening its reach. HFFI has since become a national model, supporting similar efforts in Massachusetts, Kansas and the Deep South, and informing federal initiatives through the USDA’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative and the U.S. Treasury’s CDFI Fund.

Most organizations in the food space have been at the forefront of this work for decades, building strong community relationships and adapting their services to meet evolving needs. “They’re all examples of public-private partnerships, where there is some level of federal resources, but it’s combined with, you know, the innovation and grit that we have here in Philadelphia of trying to figure out these complex problems” says George Matysik, Executive Director with Share Food Program. 

But now, that progress is under threat. Federal budget cuts are endangering longstanding programs that serve the most vulnerable. The abrupt cancellation of the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program, for example, resulted in a $12.5 million loss that supported 189 Pennsylvania farms and 14 food banks across the state. 

More cuts could be on the horizon. The House recently passed a version of the federal budget bill that proposes eliminating several safety-net programs, cutting nearly $300 billion in federal food aid spending. The proposed budget also makes substantial cuts to the federal CDFI Fund, which plays a key role in supporting small businesses and expanding economic opportunities in underserved areas. “The combination of cuts from USDA and the CDFI Fund will impact smaller food businesses operating in lower-income and/or rural areas that are not only food deserts but financial deserts,” says Bridget Palombo, Director of Healthy Food Access at The Food Trust. “We’re seeing a real attack on many of the core programs meant to help our most vulnerable citizens,” says Matysik. “We’ve gone from a war on poverty to a war on poor people.”

Once again, Philadelphia may find itself leading the fight against food insecurity in the face of growing national uncertainty. This year City Council established the Food and Nutrition Security Task Force which includes an advisory board of 25 leaders across multiple sectors. Task force members are divided into working groups focused on key areas: access, production, distribution, nutrition, and funding. 

By early next year, the task force will submit its recommendations to the president of the City Council, with the goal of creating an integrated citywide strategy to strengthen food systems and reach those most in need. One of the most pressing challenges ahead is navigating the uncertainty of federal support, and finding innovative, sustainable ways to fill the gaps it may leave behind. 

As advocates across Philadelphia’s food ecosystem work to address food insecurity, a final piece of the puzzle comes into focus: personal agency. When emergency food relief, affordable access to nutritious ingredients, and culturally responsive food education all align, the ultimate choice comes down to the individual. “While it’s everyone’s responsibility, it’s ultimately up to the individual,” reflects Mark Edwards, CEO of The Food Trust. “When people know better, they tend to do better.”