Double Trellis Food Initiative's mission is to provide free, dignified, near-zero-waste meals for Philadelphians experiencing food insecurity and to provide paid culinary training for young adults who have been previously incarcerated.

Since June of 2020, we have prepared over 90,000 dignified meals to community members in across 14 different zip codes in Philadelphia.  We focus on a balance of nutrition, large portion size and most importantly, familiar food prepared with dignity and care.  Our current operating cost per meal is less than $4.00 and given to community members at no cost.

From the beginning of our work, we have received consistent feedback pointing to a strong community need for job training in the culinary arts. In May 2024, we launched our first cohort of two workforce development trainees, in a paid program to prepare young adults with a history of incarceration for stable, long-term employment in the culinary industry. Over four months, trainees receive holistic, experiential training and significant one-on-one attention to prepare them for lasting autonomy. This program additionally supports our meals program, as trainees help prepare meals to distribute.

As part of our commitment to sustainability, we operate from a near-zero-waste approach, beginning with the ingredients we use. We receive over 40,000 pounds of donated produce per year, rescued from local retailers who would otherwise have discarded it. After turning all the edible produce into our meals, we salvage scraps for stock, and then compost what remains. All in all, an additional 10,000 pounds of produce waste are salvaged or composted from the Double Trellis kitchen each year.

We are partnered with over 20 organizations whose work ranges from re-entry programs, youth engagement, elderly services, community fridges, harm reduction and food justice.  Our partnerships are designed to help provide and supplement anti-poverty work to low-income individuals in Philadelphia.

In order to sustain our day to day operations and continue to produce over 1,000 meals a week, the support from community members with capacity is a significant help.  All donations are 501c(3) tax deductible and a receipt will be emailed to you automatically after donation.

With your help, not only can we sustain our program but we can continue to grow and increase production to support our neighbors and community members.  Monthly donations are deeply important to our budgeting and sustainability.

Donate $20 = Feed a food-insecure family of 5

Donate $50 = Help provide over 80lbs of chicken to be prepared with love and dignity.

Donate $100 = Support a distribution site with over 25 meals!

For more information and pictures of our food, visit our instagram @doubletrellis and doubletrellis.org

Fiscally sponsored by FNC Philly.