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Who we are
Food and friendship for every neighbor
Our mission and our passion come down to two simple, crucial parts of life: food and friendship.
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Our mission
No one should be hungry or alone in a world of caring people
In 1974, Rita Ungaro-Schiavone began delivering homecooked meals from her Philadelphia home, driven by that single belief. She did not build a food program. She built a habit of neighbors noticing neighbors.
Fifty years later, Caring for Friends is a network of 10,000+ volunteers and 500+ food pantry partners, community distribution partners, schools, and faith-based organizations serving all five counties across Greater Philadelphia.
We fulfill that mission through home-delivered meals, low-income senior centers, pantry partners, school food assistance, veterans work, homeless outreach, and a food bank that rescues 12 million pounds of food a year.
Our impact
What a grassroots network adds up to
- 6.1M
- Meals provided each year across five counties
- 12M lbs
- Food rescued from farms, manufacturers, and retailers annually
- 50+
- Years serving Greater Philadelphia, since 1974
- 5
- Counties served: Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery
Our story
Five decades of food and friendship
What began at one woman's kitchen table is now a movement across Greater Philadelphia.
1974
It started in a kitchen
Rita Ungaro-Schiavone founded Aid for Friends in her Philadelphia home, cooking and delivering meals to homebound neighbors she met while volunteering at the YWCA.
1980s–90s
From one table to a network
The program grew from Rita's kitchen into a network of parish volunteers and community food sites reaching neighbors across the region.
2000s
COVID rapid response
By continuing operations throughout the pandemic we doubled the number of people served, keeping meals and connection flowing during the hardest stretch in recent memory.
2022
Expanding hope, one neighbor at a time
We expanded the Homebound Program to serve 300 additional neighbors with meals, groceries, and meaningful visits.
2023
Growing our community network
One hundred additional pantry partners joined the network, widening access to food throughout Greater Philadelphia.
2024
50 years of caring
Caring for Friends celebrated five decades of nourishing the region with meals, hope, and friendship.
Today
Region-wide, still grassroots
10,000+ volunteers and 500+ partner pantries, schools, faith organizations, shelters, and senior centers deliver food and friendship across all five counties.
Get involved
Where to go next
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Fifty years in, the work is still neighbor to neighbor.
Give a gift, or give a few hours a week. Both become a meal and a visit.