Volunteers from the Mama Tee’s Event. Photos: Raymond Jones
By Raymond Jones
During a pivotal event in the 20th century, at the end of the Selma to Montgomery March in 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr declared, “Let us march on poverty until no American parent has to skip a meal so that their children may eat.”
Nearly 60 years later, on a cold, blustery King Day holiday in South Philadelphia, a small army of young people traveled through the early morning snow and slush, delivering fruit, vegetables, and canned goods to the Mama-Tee Pop-Up Grocery Store food pantry. The pantry’s mission, listed on its website, is “to help food-insecure neighbors access free fresh food.”
Dr. King’s declaration of tackling poverty and hunger as an act of social justice continues in the plight of economically marginalized 21st-century parents and children living in Philadelphia.
“So, the importance of our activities today emphasizes the importance of helping your brother out. That’s the importance of Dr. King’s message,” said Nadia Fisher, team lead for Mama-Tee’s Pop-Up. Fisher smiled at volunteers dropping food off at the pantry. Appearing younger than her 24 years with a fresh, caramel-colored complexion, Fisher moved quickly through the crowd, thanking them for their efforts and organizing the group in an assembly line. A dozen volunteers huddled together, blowing on their hands and moving constantly to defy the cold weather, lined up quickly under Fisher’s direction. Half of the team supervised the packing of the food boxes, while the other half taped and labeled each box, neatly stacking them for delivery.
Volunteers packing food delivery boxes.
Photos: Raymond Jones
“We are here at the pop-up on Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. We go out to our list of fridges at least twice a week for restocking and cleaning,” Fisher said. She added that people can access the fridges in their area when they need them most and that they are open to everyone.
The list of the 18 fridge sites includes:
NLNA: 700 N. 3rd St (NoLibs) Donation Hub
Martha: 2113 E. York St (Kensington).
YMCA: 1400 N. Broad St (North Philadelphia)
St. Christopher’s Hospital For Children: 160 E. Erie Ave (North Philadelphia)
Castellino’s Italian Market: 1255 E. Palmer St (Fishtown)
Alchemy Hair Lab: 2401 E. Letterly St (Kensington)
308 N. 39th St. (West Philadelphia) RELOCATING
Caribe Towers: 3231 N. 2nd St. (Fairhill) 2 fridges
Opportunity Towers I & II: 1717 W. Hunting Park Ave. (Nicetown) 2 fridges.
Opportunity Towers III: 5524 Haverford Ave. (West Philadelphia).
Hue Boba Cafe: 4600 Woodland Ave. (West Philadelphia).
Community Partnership School: 3033 W. Glenwood Ave. (Strawberry Mansion/Brewerytown).
234 Winona St. (Germantown)
Fairmount Bicycles: 2015 Fairmount Ave. (Fairmount)
Myers Recreation Center: 5801 Kingsessing Ave (Kingsessing) OUT OF ORDER
Porcos: 2204 Washington Ave (Point Breeze) RELOCATING.
According to the Mama-Tee’s Pop-Up Grocery Store website, over 207,097 people across Philadelphia have received food. The CJ Wolfe Foundation was the lead partner for the 2025 MLK Day community fridge supply event.
“When we talk about food insecurity, we need to be clear we’re grappling with a national emergency,” said Jess Bautista, chief communications officer for the Share Food Program.
The Share Food Program is one of the largest free distribution entities in the Philadelphia area, having distributed over 22 million meals last year.
“We can’t do this alone. Thankfully, we don’t,” Bautista said.
Mama-Tee’s began their work in 2020 during the pandemic. Over the years, their partnerships and supporters have expanded to include the Greater Philadelphia YMCA, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Wells Fargo Bank.
Erin Coleman, a 41-year-old resident of South Philadelphia living within walking distance of the pantry, saw the volunteer announcement for the distribution on the CJ Wolfe Foundation site and decided to help.
“This is my first time volunteering,” Coleman said. “I brought food here this morning and I am willing to do whatever I can to help. My god kids live around the corner, so we may be able to do a little something with the pantry on Saturdays.”
The volunteers, mostly young African American Gen Zers between the ages of 18 and 28, from the neighborhood or home from college, shot videos to post on their social media promoting Mama-Tee’s Pop-Up Grocery Store organization and the fridge replacing activities.
Loading boxes of food in a van for delivery to fridges, Morgan State University students Elijah Burton, 18, and Lateia Keel, 20, were excited to find a community effort to give back while home from college break.
“Why not go out and serve the community?” Keel said. She said she regularly volunteers for projects at school and wanted to continue that commitment on the King holiday in her neighborhood.
“I’m just here to try to do something,” Burton said.
The work of Mama-Tee’s Pop-Up Grocery Store on King Day embodies a quote from the late civil rights leader, “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.”
For more information on the Mama Tee-Pop-Up Grocery Store organization, call: (215) 585-2767 or email: hello@mama-tee.com.
The post Mama-Tee Pop-Up Community Fridge Project and CJ Wolfe Foundation host MLK Day cleanout and replenishment events appeared first on The Philadelphia Sunday Sun.