Members of the GROW Clinic and C-SNAP Philadelphia joined up with the Drexel School of Public Health to spend a recent Saturday morning completing the annual Walk Against Hunger on April 14th.

Alison-Grace Steitz, Research Assistant, showed up extra early at 8:00 AM with pretzels and coffee for The Team. The weather was deceptively sunny, as temperatures stayed around 43°F (6°C) due to wind chills. Soon other members of the GROW team arrived, including Phyllita Bolden, Research Assistant, Jennifer Breaux, Research Coordinator, and Dr. Mariana Chilton, GROW Principal Investigator. Dr. Chilton brought along her three children, Sam, Gabi and Zora.





GROW and C-SNAP members attend the walk. Back row, from left to right- Jennifer Breaux, Research Coordinator; David Luftman, MPH Candidate; Leah Hsu, MPH Candidate; Alison-Grace Steitz, Research Assistant; Chris Bui, MPH Candidate; Merieka Stenson, MPH Candidate; Phyllita Bolden, Research Assistant; Andrea Naftz, PsyD Candidate; Ian Peters, Website Administrator. Front row- Gabi Gamberg, Student; Mariana Chilton, GROW Principal Investigator; Zora Gamberg, Student; Sam Gamberg, Student. Not Pictured: Dr. Hans Kersten, GROW Medical Director; Jenni Beary, GROW Nutritionist.

Ian Peters, Website Administrator, logged the team in at 8:15 AM with 19 participants (not counting Mario, the Drexel Dragon). Unfortunately, Emily DePaul, Research Assistant, and Dr. Hans Kersten, GROW Clinic Medical Director, were unable to attend. The assembled team started the six-mile walk.



GROW and C-SNAP members with Mario the Drexel Dragon

At mile one the group received a call: Dr. Hans Kersten was on his way, with his youngest daughter Rhoslyn in a stroller. With the happy addition of these two new members, the team pressed on and completed the walk in about two hours.

The entire Team walk lasted from 9:30 AM to just before noon. The money raised at the Walk Against Hunger was distributed to organizations throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey providing food and other services to families and individuals.


Walk participants get ready

According to the Department of Agriculture, over 35 million American households experience food insecurity at some point during the year. Click here to read our previous post on the recent USDA change in terminology from "hunger" to "food insecure".

The walk was organized by the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger. To visit their website click here.