Philly House forced to serve out of mobile kitchen this Thanksgiving, but the mission continues

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Philly House, Philadelphia’s longest-running homeless shelter of 146 years, is now serving the homeless population from a mobile kitchen in the shelter’s parking lot. This change comes after an August building inspection found water damage in the kitchen, causing the floorboards to be removed, rendering their kitchen unusable.

“This is the first Thanksgiving in which we’re not going to be able to serve walk-ins,” said the Rev. Jeremy Montgomery, president and CEO of Philly House.

With no help from insurance, which only covers “sudden” circumstances, Philly House must pay the full $300,000 to replace the floor directly out of pocket. For now, the shelter uses a mobile kitchen with a walk-in fridge.

Before the damage, Philly House was able to accommodate up to 600 people for every meal. The shelter serves a public lunch and dinner, while breakfast is for registered guests only.

“Right now, we’re even limited to 120. … And so we’ve had to keep close tabs on those who are walking in our doors because we run out of food,” Montgomery said. “We pride ourselves on always being open 365 days of the year and some of these individuals I only get to see once a year. So, I never miss a Thanksgiving myself being at Philly House. … It’s going to be really disappointing this year to have to refer them to other opportunities to be at other tables.”

Registered residents only

This Thanksgiving, Philly House will only be able to serve registered residents who are currently employed. It’s a dramatic shift from previous years when they could serve walk-ins.

To maintain a traditional Thanksgiving for all, the holiday meal served every year is turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, casserole and pie. It is expected that Philly House’s kitchen will remain under construction until late January, affecting Christmas as well.

Michael Johnson, director of donor experience, is optimistic considering the unforeseen circumstances.

“The good news is that even with a mobile kitchen, we are still able to serve folks and we are still able to get meals out every day, even for walk-ins,” Johnson said. “It just means that on some of the bigger things, like Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day, we’re not able to serve quite as many. And that’s hard. That’s hard on us because we really do feel strongly this purpose of reminding everyone that God does not make disposable people.”

Philly House relies on volunteers for food and housing services

Two first-time volunteers, Tsion and Shanea from The Block Church, spent their evening helping with Philly House’s dinner service. Volunteer shift hours tend to be one to two hours during the dinner shift that runs from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Their evening consisted of giving out water bottles outside the mobile kitchen and “giving a smile,” believing that although circumstances change, “God’s principles do not.”

“Volunteers are an essential part of us messaging folks that their lives do matter and that this city has not forgotten them,” Johnson said.

On a normal year, Philly House can host 60 to 80 volunteers on Thanksgiving Day who spend the day decorating for the holiday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“We decorate an outdoor, heated pen to be our football zone,” Montgomery said.

Now, due to different conditions and safety regulations, significantly fewer volunteers will be able to be hosted. This year, for each food service, only eight to 12 volunteers are needed.

This month’s federal government shutdown has highlighted the needs of those who don’t have consistent access to food. While Philly House aims to serve those who may not be able to register for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the group itself has not faced any difficulties regarding the government shutdown.

“We serve the most vulnerable generally. It is the homeless individual that is on the streets where even two out of three [people who] walk through our door lack even any government ID. And so oftentimes, when we consider things like government shutdown and effective federal funding programs, we’re much farther downstream,” Montgomery said.

Philly House receives funding through individual donors. They currently have 5,400 donors for the male-only shelter. ”For every four to five men that you see on the street, there tonight is perhaps only one shelter bed,” he said.

To get a bed in the city of Philadelphia as an unhoused person, you must go through the city’s Office of Homeless Services, which assesses someone’s needs and assigns them to a shelter.

Ways to help

To help Philadelphia’s unhoused population at any time, Montgomery suggests calling the 24/7 homeless outreach hotline that dispatches trained professionals to help get someone off the street to safety. That hotline number is 215-232-1984.

Additionally, you can visit Philly House’s website to donate or volunteer.