Hunger is oftentimes spoken of as a foreign issue, but in the United States hunger is just as serious as it is elsewhere. According to Feeding America, a hunger-relief charity, hunger affects one in six Americans. Derek Fiorenza, a member of the Downingtown community, is working to make a change for the people of Chester County who experience hunger at a debilitating rate. Fiorenza created a nonprofit organization called Fiorenza’s Food for Friends, or F4, through which he aims to ease the burden of hunger in people’s lives.

‘I look at life and there are three basic needs,’ said Fiorenza, ‘You need food, clothes and shelter before you can even get a job. We’re trying to help in providing those basic needs.’

Fiorenza and the volunteers at F4 collect nonperishable food items and deliver them to local food banks and homeless shelters in the surrounding area. Fiorenza claims that a big difference between F4 and other similar nonprofits is that F4 does not charge a transportation fee to deliver the food items. ‘We’re involved in the transportation,’ said Fiorenza, ‘We’re not charging our partners to work with us. We don’t charge a membership fee.’ F4 also does not accept federal, state or local funding. All of their work runs on food donations and fundraising efforts.