Our History
The Food Cupboard at Jenkintown United Methodist Church started more than 40 years ago with a single individual who saw a need in the community and decided to do something about it. Muriel Happich filled bags with groceries for the less fortunate with her own money and distributed them with her own hands. Her charitable heart grew a legacy that became one of the largest food cupboards in the area staffed by countless volunteers from all walks of life.
Since April 2013, we have operated as a full-choice food cupboard. Patrons choose what they or their family want from a variety items on our menu: dairy, frozen foods, proteins, canned vegetables, canned fruit & juices, frozen meats, fresh breads, fresh produce and other miscellaneous items.
In 2015 the Community Cupboard Garden was established in partnership with and located at, Lighthouse Fellowship United Methodist Church. Annually, produce is grown and donated to the food cupboard.
In 2020, Jenkintown Food Cupboard Inc. received its 501(c)3 designation.
Quick Facts:
Each week, approximately 300 families (or 1,000 individuals) visit our cupboard.
An average of 14,000 pounds of food are distributed.
In 2024, with the help of our donors and partners, we distributed more than 2 million pounds of food to local pantries.
Of this 2 million pounds, more than 200,000 pounds were fresh produce and proteins that were rescued from becoming waste in a landfill.
Montgomery County, PA, has a food insecurity rate of 11% (14% for children).