Ideas We Should Steal

Fight Food Insecurity With Free Hot Meals

Should PA become the tenth state to opt into the Restaurant Meals Program, offering SNAP beneficiaries access to pre-cooked food?

By Cristian Salazar

Life in Poverty, Punctuated by Gun Violence

Philadelphia’s status as the nation’s poorest big city is a major cause of its gunfire.

By Mensah M. Dean
Guest Commentary

“Rescue” Food. Feed People.

A citywide pilot used nearly 3,000 meals headed to the landfill to feed over 700 needy families in Philadelphia. A sustainable business leader and City Councilperson want to make it permanent

By Devi Ramkissoon and Jamie Gauthier

Why the Privilege of College Should Be a Right for All

A long-time university president reflects on the value of college beyond job preparation

By Elaine Maimon

Improving Economic Health, Generation to Generation

The 40-something year-old Norris Square-based nonprofit Xiente takes a new, all-ages approach to tackling poverty among some of Philadelphia’s poorest residents

By Courtney DuChene
Guest Commentary

A Guide to Co-Creating Kensington’s Future

The executive director of the New Kensington Community Development Corporation has spent years working to fix what ails his struggling yet resilient neighborhood. Here’s what his community needs

By Dr. Bill McKinney
Guest Commentary

PA Workers Deserve a Living Wage

Champions of workplace justice and sustainability argue it’s high time for our state to raise the minimum wage

By Devi Ramkissoon, Samuel Jones, and Jude Husein

“Unacceptable” Work

George Matysik has led Philly’s Share Food Program to become the largest hunger relief organization in the region. So why does he think he shouldn’t have the job at all?

By Rachel Wisniewski

Temple Makes a Promise to Philadelphia Students

A long-time university president applauds the city-based public research university’s new plan for free tuition and fees — the Temple Promise — for Philly families who earn below an income threshold

By Elaine Maimon
Guest Commentary

No One Should Go Hungry in College

More than 20 percent of all college students — and 35 percent of Black students — don’t have enough to eat. We have the tools, a renowned scholar and advocate says, to ensure everyone is well-fed

By Sara Goldrick-Rab