Summer Meals NDS

11/07/2025

Sharing a letter from Heather Huot, Secretary and Executive Vice President for Catholic Charities of Philadelphia, and Lizanne Hagedorn, our Executive Director, regarding the current suspension of SNAP benefits. 💙

Right now, thousands of people in the Philadelphia area are facing empty shelves, missed meals, and difficult choices, and our food pantries are seeing a surge like never before. Families who rely on this support cannot wait. Your gift today ensures that no one is turned away hungry.

Give now: ccphila.org/donate

08/12/2025

NDS distributed a couple thousand nutritious lunches at the Back-to-School Carnival at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children on Friday.....all packed with an Italian wrap, raisins, sala & chips, juice, and milk!

07/30/2025

NDS recognizes FLAGSHIP CAPITAL MANAGEMENT for its support of the Summer Meal Program, which provides children with healthy meals during the summer months. Their generous donation helps NDS bridge the gap, ensuring children have access to meals while out of school.

Last year, NDS provided over 330,000 meals at 279 sites, including churches, camps, community agencies and youth programs-at no cost to families.

Thank you, Flagship Capital Management, for your commitment to ensure that children in the Philadelphia area have the nourishment needed to grow and thrive.

07/29/2025

Thankfully Hope is contagious! When children at SE Delco Summer Enrichment Program were receiving their prizes for the Hope contest, staff members noted that they planned to keep a Hope poster displayed throughout the year. Good things are happening there!

07/24/2025

07/24/2025

Congrats to the Summer Meals winners of the “Art of Hope” contest! Some of the best individual hope “murals” were submitted by Ivy, Cruz, Zori and Savannah. We were also inspired by the group murals of Southeast Delco Summer Enrichment Program, and Discover, Learn and Grow!

The "Art of Hope" summer theme was inspired by Pope Francis after he called the Church to focus on "Hope" during this jubilee year.

07/17/2025

Hope and excitement were in the air yesterday at NDS! Children from Discover Learn & Grow dropped off their entries for the "Art of Hope" contest of Summer Meals. They rounded out their visit with a quick tour in the City.

07/14/2025

Harris School was one of many of the Summer Meal sites celebrating the Day of Hope with NDS. All the grades got serious about spreading hope!

07/09/2025

🌟 Today, NDS came together to celebrate our Day of Hope — a beautiful reminder of the strength, dreams, and bright futures we believe in for all children💛

As we continue to embrace the spirit of hope this summer, we invite you to join in the celebration! 🎨📸 Share your inspiring photos, drawings, and artwork with us — we'd love to highlight your creativity and joy with the NDS community.

Let’s keep spreading hope, one smile, one story, one masterpiece at a time!

07/09/2025

NDS partnered with Holy Innocents Out-of-School Time summer camp today to celebrate the "Blessing of the Summer" at Holy Innocents. The prayerful ceremony was meant to bless the children and adults in all the Summer Meal sites sponsored by NDS and beyond. The children dedicated themselves to "Give Hope" to those around them. The Church's Jubilee Year theme, "Pilgrims of Hope" inspired the NDS Summer Meals theme, "The Art of Hope." To see more photos of the event, see the Catholic Philly Article: https://catholicphilly.com/2025/07/photo-features/catholic-charities-kicks-off-summer-with-free-meals-and-a-blessing-of-hope/

07/01/2025

Happy National Mascot Day⚾🦅🏀⚽️ Fuel up to cheer on your favorite Philly team with a nutritious meal from NDS! 🍎🥦
Click the link in our bio to find a free meal site near you🍽📍

06/30/2025

The US Senate is expected to vote tomorrow .... thousands of children in and around Philadelphia are at risk of increased hunger due to proposed cuts to SNAP and Medicaid, which will decrease eligibility for free school meals. Use the QR code to contact your Senators, and express support of free meals for children who need them.