Institute for the Development of African American Youth Inc

1 in 5 residents of Philadelphia suffer from food insecurity, and the outbreak of Covid19 has only exacerbated the problem. North Philadelphia residents living in a “food desert” are especially struggling right now. IDAAY* and La Salle Athletics are combating this problem by distributing over 800 boxes of free food weekly to the North Philadelphia community. In order to continue our efforts, we need your help to purchase a used refrigerated truck to store food during the impending warmer months. (*Institute for the Development of African American Youth).

Many residents in the North Philly area don't qualify for SNAP benefits from the government, making it more difficult to feed their families. To make matters worse, Covid19 relief resources are distributed unequally among Philadelphia's neighborhoods, leaving many of these residents suffering. 

Youth residents participating in IDAAY's Don't Fall Down in the Hood program volunteer each weekend distributing free food to their neighbors, empowering themselves to give back to their community. Food is distributed outside of the IDAAY building at 2305 North Broad St. - a special thanks to Caring for Friends for the food donations!

Our efforts have been incredibly successful, and we hope to expand our distribution to 1,000 boxes every week! We need your help and support  to continue providing for these families. All donations will go towards the Food Distribution program, contributing to the supplies and related costs as well as volunteer incentives. 
Take a look at the video below to see the impact we have begun to make!

Thank you to Macy's and Urban Outfitters for donating gift cards and clothes which help encourage the members and reward them for academic success and achievements, in addition to volunteering!

Institute for the Development of African American Youth, is a Leader in Urban Youth Development, Serving Youth and Families First in Philadelphia, PA. Since 1991, we have empowered over 27,000 youth to advance their education and improve their economic opportunities. We are nationally recognized. We offer education, training, prevention, intervention and social service programs tailored to under served communities in Philadelphia. 

For more information about Institute for the Development of African American Youth Inc visit: https://idaay.org  

Thank you for all of the donations! Here is a video of Archye, the director of IDAAY, extending his gratitude!





Mother of 5 from North Philadelphia talks about how the food distribution will benefit her family.

Pictured: La Salle Women's Basketball players and Head Coach, Mountain Macgillivray helping out IDAAY distribute boxes to the community.

Pictured: Aaron Spence of IDAAY, and Women's Athletics Coaches helping spread the word about the food giveaway.

Pictured: IDAAY youth participants helping to hand out food to the community.