Food Pantry Advocacy Toolkit (2018)

Philabundance created this resource to help food pantries and other organizations working in emergency food and the safety net to become effective anti-hunger advocates. 

In the current environment, it is important for all those who care about safety net services - such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) - to raise their voice in the public debate.

Creating a culture of advocacy with organizations and the emergency food system is a journey. With this toolkit, pantries and others can take steps to develop and nurture that culture among staff, board members, volunteers, consumers and others.

Some advocacy strategies highlighted include:

• Collecting consumer stories
• Supporting voter registration
• Educating the public on hunger and food insecurity
• Engaging clients in advocacy efforts
• Attending town hall meetings
• Contacting or meeting with elected officials

The toolkit discusses what kinds of advocacy related activities a 501(c)(3) nonprofit can engage in. Tools are also provided to help organizations craft an advocacy plan. 

This document is intended to be shared widely. The full toolkit can be downloaded below.