Food Stamp Enrollment Campaign

PHENND was actively involved in the Food Stamp Enrollment Campaign of the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger. The Campaign started in January 2003 and for two years, PHENND employed a Student Volunteer Coordinator whose job it was to recruit, train, place, and monitor college student volunteers as Food Stamp Pre-screeners. Volunteers from Philadelphia colleges offer pre-screenings and application assistance at CareerLinks, Heath Centers, and other locations around the city.

In the first two years, over 100 students from 8 different campuses across the PHENND network participated in the campaign to some extent. Notably, the Campaign became a service-learning placement for courses at Penn, Bryn Mawr, and Villanova. Those faculty continue to utilize the program in their courses and have found it to be one of the most exceptional service-learning experiences their students have ever had. As of 2007, the Campaign has trained over 250 students.

* Click here to view Prof. Mary Summers’ syllabus for her PSCI 135 course, “The Politics of Food and Agriculture.”
* Click here to read an article about the project: “Service-Learning with a Food Stamp Enrollment Campaign:Community and Student Benefits,” Michigan Journal of Community Service-Learning, Spring 2008.

The Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger continues to support the Campaign and encourages the ongoing participation of the region’s higher ed’s. To participate, contact Rachel Meeks, at 215-769-0659 x. 103.