237 Cases of Priority Items Donated to the Delaware Valley’s Largest Food Bank
PHILADELPHIA – Temple Men’s Basketball, Learfield’s Temple Sports Properties and The Fresh Grocer of Progress Plaza teamed up this season to give back to Philabundance, the Delaware Valley’s largest food bank. For every three-point basket made during the 2015-16 men’s basketball regular season, The Fresh Grocer of Progress Plaza set aside one case of non-perishable food and goods for Philabundance. The Fresh Grocer, along with Temple head coach Fran Dunphy and members of Temple Athletics administration, came together to make the donation on Wednesday, May 25th at Philabundance’s 302 W Berks Street location in Philadelphia.
“By sponsoring the Three’s for Hunger program we help strengthen our organization’s commitment to Philabundance and the organization’s important hunger relief efforts in our community,” said Patrick J. Burns, president and CEO of Burns’ Family Neighborhood Markets, owner and operator of The Fresh Grocer of Progress Plaza. “We look forward to supporting this great program for years to come.”
The Temple men’s basketball team connected on 237 three-point baskets during the 2015-16 regular season, which means 237 cases were donated. It was an outstanding year for the Owls in three-point shooting as they led the American Athletic Conference in that category.
“This partnership with the Burns Family and The Fresh Grocer of Progress Plaza has been a great success,” said Temple head coach Fran Dunphy. “Any chance we have to help the community we embrace, and the fact that we were able to help give back to our neighbors just by making threes is tremendous.”
“This has been a banner year for Temple Athletics, not just on the playing field, but in the classroom and in community initiatives such as this one. This has been a wonderful partnership and has provided us an excellent opportunity to give back to the neighborhood,” said Temple University Director of Athletics Dr. Patrick Kraft.
Donated items consisted of a variety of non-perishable foods identified by Philabundance as a priority for the hungry in our community.
“Philabundance is grateful to Temple University’s Men’s basketball team and the Burns’ Family Fresh Grocer of Progress Plaza for their Three’s for Hunger program, which will provide 237 cases of needed items to help feed our neighbors in need,” said Glenn Bergman, Executive Director of Philabundance. “Most people don’t realize the urgency of hunger in our area, but with 750,000 food insecure people in this region, programs like this help make a big difference by proving nutritious, protein-rich foods, like tuna and peanut butter, for those who can’t afford it.”
About Learfield
Temple Sports Properties is one of nearly 120 collegiate properties represented by Learfield, which manages athletic multimedia rights and sponsorship. In its four decades, Learfield has developed trusted, long-term relationships with some of the most revered institutions and associations in the world of collegiate athletics. The company also titles the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup with award co-founders NACDA and USA Today. For more information about its history, collegiate portfolio and job opportunities, visit www.learfieldsports.com.
About Burns’ Family Neighborhood Markets
A member of the Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned cooperative, Patrick J. Burns currently operates five Fresh Grocer supermarkets and one ShopRite supermarket, located throughout the Greater Philadelphia area. Under Patrick’s leadership, Burns’ Family Neighborhood Markets specializes in providing high-quality perishables in urban and suburban environments and are committed to understanding the needs, tastes and traditions of the communities in which their stores are located, and make it a priority to offer an assortment of products and services to meet those various needs. Burns’ Family Neighborhood Markets are also committed to improving food access and to promoting the health and wellness of its customers, associates and communities.
About Philabundance
Philabundance seeks to drive hunger from our communities today and end hunger forever. It serves approximately 90,000 people per week, a third of whom are children and 15% of whom are seniors. In 2015, Philabundance distributed approximately 28 million pounds of food through its own neighborhood distribution programs and through a network of more than 350 member agencies in 9 counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. For more information about Philabundance, visit philabundance.org or call 215-339-0900.