December 16, 2024

2024 marked an incredible milestone as the Center for Hunger-Free Communities celebrated 20 years of research and advocacy. As we transition into 2025, we’ve redefined our mission, vision, and values through a collaborative process involving staff and program members. This effort aligns with our ongoing commitment to shared power and valuing lived experience and includes restructuring our operations to reflect these principles.

Key Achievements Over the Past Year

Our team accomplished a lot to be proud of over the past year

• Network Program Expansion: The Building Wealth and Health Network launched a youth program at two new sites with support from a grant from the Calvin K. Kazanjian Economics Foundation. We’ve returned to some in-person classes while maintaining remote cohorts. 
• Richmond, Virginia Site Launch: Partnering with VCU and the Salvation Army, we launched an independently run Network site in Richmond. This partnership sets the stage for additional expansion and multisite research on program effectiveness.
• Updated Network Financial Curriculum and Financial Incentives: Our financial literacy curriculum has expanded beyond savings to cover wealth-building strategies like life insurance and investing, and we have transitioned from matched saving financial incentives to a guaranteed incentive model to provide Network members more wealth building opportunities and flexibility. We also implemented a new payment process that streamlines our process and allows members to receive class incentives faster than ever before.
• Post Class Engagement: We introduced a member-led initiative (Network Nation) to provide ongoing education, peer support, and advocacy opportunities for graduates of our Network classes. We also began a women’s grief and loss support group both in person and online to support collective healing for community members.
• Trauma and Healing-Centered Training: We’ve broadened our reach, with staff presenting globally, from Pennsylvania to Zambia, sharing our approach to trauma and healing-centered work.
• Consultation with Cornell University: We supported Cornell University in integrating healing-centered financial empowerment into their SNAP-ED nutrition education program curriculum.
• Program Evaluation: Through the hiring of a new Director of Research and Evaluation, we improved our data collection and program evaluation to better meet the needs of our partners and support ongoing Network program improvement.
• Policy Advocacy: Our policy briefs on wages and family leave continue to draw attention from media and policy makers as we advocate for community and worker rights.

Looking Ahead to 2025


Our work in the coming year will focus more intentionally on community healing and economic equity through a number of key initiatives and adjustments to our work.

• New Network Partnerships: We are working to expand our healing-centered financial empowerment programming beyond workforce development to reach high schools, reentry populations, and LGBTQ communities. We’re also beginning to offer education and training for Drexel faculty, staff, and students.
• Expanded Post-Class Opportunities: We will continue to support post-class opportunities through hiring a full-time staff member to support Network Nation and offering community advocacy training that supports member-led political action campaigns. We are also planning a large-scale reunion and member celebration in April.
• Academic Research: We have already begun steps to reopen a formal research program at the Center to evaluate the Network’s impact on youth participants and the outcomes of an updated incentive structure.
• Reparations: Through engagement with the Philadelphia Reparations Task Force, the Center will be a central voice in shaping wealth-building opportunities and addressing the poverty in the city.
• New Identity: The Center plans to expand its reach through a comprehensive rebranding initiative to better highlight our broader commitment to community healing and economy equity. It will continue to include hunger/food security but dig deeper into actionable solutions to counter trauma/violence, community disinvestment, wealth disparity, and economic insecurity.

We look forward to another successful year to come.