Briggs announces state grant for community-based organization working to address food insecurity
Rep. Tim Briggs April 27, 2026 | 9:21 AM
HARRISBURG, April 27 – A $500,000 state grant was awarded to Upper Merion Township-based It Takes A Village To Feed One Child, a community organization working to address food insecurity and support at-risk populations across Pennsylvania, state Rep. Tim Briggs announced today.
The funding, administered through the Commonwealth’s Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program, will support a new, integrated youth-enrichment initiative serving approximately 80 children annually in high-violence and high-poverty neighborhoods in Philadelphia. The program will provide coordinated, trauma-informed and prevention-focused services during after-school and summer hours – times when youth are at greater risk of exposure to violence.
“It Takes A Village To Feed One Child is doing critical work that goes far beyond food distribution,” Briggs said. “By addressing food insecurity and supporting vulnerable populations, they are building stronger, safer communities. This investment in community-led solutions will have a lasting impact across the commonwealth.”
It Takes A Village To Feed One Child provides more than 250,000 meals and snacks each month to more than 100 child, adult, and at-risk centers, with services that extend far beyond its local office, Briggs said.
Through this initiative, community partners will deliver academic enrichment, social-emotional learning, mentorship, and conflict-resolution programming designed to build resilience and interrupt cycles of violence. Grant funding will also support staffing, training in trauma-informed care and de-escalation, and the resources needed to operate and sustain the program.
The VIP Grant Program supports community-based efforts to reduce violence across Pennsylvania by providing funding and technical assistance to strengthen and expand proven strategies.
This investment builds on broader efforts led by Briggs to address gun violence through both policy and community-based initiatives. As chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, he recently convened a hearing with the Office of Gun Violence Prevention and the Special Council on Gun Violence to examine strategies for reducing violence across the commonwealth. The council recommended prioritizing funding for community violence-prevention efforts, which include annual funding for the Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program. Since 2021, PCCD has announced a new round of grants each year to sustain and expand their efforts.
“Programs like the VIP grant initiative empower organizations that are already making a difference,” Briggs said. “By investing in their capacity and growth, we are creating safer environments for everyone.”
Briggs represents the 149th Legislative District, which includes Bridgeport, West Conshohocken, Upper Merion and parts of Lower Merion in Montgomery County.
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CONTACT: Ryan Bevitz
House Democratic Communications Office
Phone: 717-787-7895
Email: rbevitz@pahouse.net
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