With SNAP benefits being cut by the federal government and grocery prices rising, a nonprofit called It Takes a Village to Feed One Child is providing 250,000 meals a month in the Philadelphia area.

The organization will be hosting an event, open to the public, “Athletes at the Table: Panel and Networking Combating Food Insecurity,” on Saturday, May 16, from 2-4:30 p.m., at the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential, 8801 Stenton Ave. in Wyndmoor.

Former Philadelphia 76ers Aaron McKie and Theo Ratliff, as well as former Philadelphia Eagle safety Rodney McLeod, will headline a panel “to talk about how nutrition and exercise help build brain health and healthy development, leading to success both on and off the court/field,” according to Stefanie Arck-Baynes, a spokesperson for the event.

McLeod and his wife, Erika, started a nonprofit, Change Our Future, which supplies free haircuts, school supplies, sneakers and more to children in need. Erika was also a medical assistant and patient advocate for Fountain Medical Association in Mt. Airy.

These Philly athletes and others will remind attendees why this short-term impact on people’s wallets could have long-term effects on their health. The event is not technically a fundraiser, although donations will be accepted.

In a phone interview last week, Ratliff, who played in the NBA for 16 seasons, including with the Sixers in 1997-2001 and again in 2008-2009, explained why he was involved in this effort. (Ratliff led the NBA three times in shots blocked per game, and while at the University of Wyoming, his 425 blocked shots were the second most in college basketball history, behind only Georgetown’s Alonzo Mourning, who had 453.)

“Philadelphia has a part of my heart,” Ratliff told the Local. “I come from a small town in the Black Belt of Alabama, so I know about food insecurity. I’m very into anything that will help the people who have lost their SNAP and Medicaid benefits. This is a worthy cause. I was also involved with their turkey giveaway at Thanksgiving last year.”

Founded in 2017 by Mark Wainwright, It Takes a Village to Feed One Child provides more than three million meals annually to more than 100 child, adult care, seniors, at-risk and emergency shelters, primarily in underserved communities in the tri-state area. It also hosts numerous food distributions and pop-up pantries.

According to a Philadelphia City Council report, between 210,000 and 300,000 residents in the city experience food insecurity, representing 13.6% to 21% of the population. About 25% of the city’s children are considered food-insecure, much higher than the national average. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about 9.1% of households with children in the United States are food-insecure.

Michael Harris, executive marketing and finance director for It Takes a Village, told the Local last week, “The purpose of the May 16 event is to educate the public on two issues, brain health and food insecurity. The reason why the pro athletes are involved is that people tend to listen to celebrities. We have been helped by funds from the Department of Agriculture, but as you know, they have been cut back by the current administration, which makes our job even harder.

“We have set up pantries at area churches, senior homes, daycare centers, even universities. I did not know before that even some college students do not have enough to eat and are facing food insecurity. I was really shocked to find this out. And it’s not just that so many people are food-insecure but that the food they do have is not healthy, full of sugar and chemical additives. Part of our job is also to educate people about the importance not just of food, but of healthy food like fresh vegetables.”

For more information about the May 16 event or about It Takes a Village to Feed One Child, visit Feed1Child.org. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com.