Photo from Unitedbyblue.com

Each year, United by Blue, a Philadelphia-based urban-outdoor apparel and home goods brand, organizes cleanups of and around various waterways. To date, they have cleaned over a quarter million pounds of trash across 23 states and 2 countries.

On Tuesday, March 1, the company, which recently opened a store at 3421 Walnut Street, is hosting its annual Schuylkill River cleanup at Bartram’s Garden, where volunteers from local universities, businesses, environmental groups and neighbors of Bartram’s Garden will get together to remove a winter’s worth of trash.

Volunteers will be supplied with water, gloves, bags, and compete for prizes. All participants are invited to City Tap House-University City immediately following the cleanup for free pizza and drink specials.

The cleanup will take place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., and volunteers will meet near the parking lot at the top of Bartrams Garden (5400 Lindbergh Blvd.), to the left of the Welcome Center.

For more information and to sign up for Tuesday’s cleanup, go here.

Memorial services will be held Saturday for Edward Fell, a beloved long-time member of the Calvary United Methodist Church who died unexpectedly earlier this month.

“Ed was in many ways both the heart and face of Calvary – a long-time and active member and lay leader, as well as church administrator, building manager and community liasion,” read a message from the church. “As Pastor John (Pritchard) wrote in a letter to the congregation earlier today, ‘Ed’s deep faith, his devotion to Calvary, his service as ambassador of the Calvary community, his gentle spirit and cheery voice were gifts he gave to us all and gifts that we will deeply miss.'”

The public is welcome to the service on Saturday, Feb. 13.

Here is the schedule:

9-10 a.m.: Viewing (chapel)
10-11:45 a.m.: Funeral/Homegoing Service (chapel)
12 noon: Repast (lower level)

The Ahimsa House community garden.

On Sunday, Feb. 14, a local nonviolence center, the Ahimsa House, will host Big Love, its 2nd annual benefit concert and raffle. The concert features Unidos da Filadelfia, JOHNNY POPCORN, Hardwork Movement, Silverton, Red Cedar Strings, DJs BeeTee Beats and SarahCuda. Raffle prizes include private massage, yoga, and photography sessions, Sixers tickets, as well as gift certificates to local businesses, such as Honest Tom’s and Greensgrow West. All proceeds will go to paying back the loan for the Ahimsa House community garden.

Last year, we published an article on the struggles of the Ahimsa House to save their community garden. The garden began in 2011 after the center’s founder, Meg Ferrigno, purchased the Ahimsa House at 5007 Cedar Ave. with a wrongful arrest settlement from the city. She immediately went to work turning the vacant lot next door into a garden where members from the community could grow and harvest free vegetables. Ferrigno put the garden up for sheriff’s sale along with a deposit for first bid as caretaker of the lot, but the garden was bought out from under her.

Ferrigno saved the lot last year with the help of donations from the community and a personal loan. Forty thousand dollars on the loan still need to be paid back. This year, the garden became part of the PHS City Harvest program, which provided the mulch and materials to build raised beds. Anyone from the community can request a plot to grow on, and part of the garden also grows food for the West Philly chapter of Food not Bombs.

More information about the campaign to save the garden can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/ahimsagarden.

The show will be at the Rotunda on 40th and Walnut. Doors open at 6 p.m. with music starting at 6:30. Entry is on a sliding scale donation basis between $10-15. Baked goods, including vegan and gluten free options, will be available for purchase. For more information, check out the event’s Facebook page.

– Alyssa Songsiridej

                    Photo courtesy of WPCS.

The West Philadelphia Cooperative School (WPCS) is hosting a Night Out for parents and neighbors on Saturday, Feb. 6 from 6 – 9 p.m. to support diversity at the school. The event will be held at the University City Arts League (4226 Spruce St) and all proceeds will benefit the school’s 2016 Diversity Scholarship.

Community members are invited to join WPCS staff, parents and teachers in support of this great cause. This is an opportunity to mingle, enjoy local wine and beer, small bites from Harvest Seasonal Grill, student art, and fantastic raffles and door prizes. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online (go to: www.wpcsnightout.eventbrite.com). If you can’t make it to the Night Out but would like to contribute to the WPCS Scholarship, please make a donation here.

WPCS began in 2005 as a group of parents providing education in their own homes. The coop was founded on the idea that families from all backgrounds and walks of life deserve access to quality, affordable childcare. WPCS provides a learning environment that is inclusive and welcoming of difference. WPCS preschool now offers full-time care for ages 2-5 at their 4625 Baltimore Ave. location.

For more information, visit: http://www.westphillycoopschool.com/

This Monday, we’ll be celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We have compiled a list of many of the MLK Day of Service projects and events (including events for the whole family) happening in West Philadelphia. We have also included information about MLK Day celebration at the African American Museum in Philadelphia.

Check www.mlkdayofservice.org to find more projects in your area. If you know of more MLK Day events or projects, please post them in the comments below.

MLK Commemorative Symposium for Social Change at University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania and the surrounding communities come together to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This commemoration includes a day of service and special programming and events through Friday, Jan. 29, 2016 (click here for more events):

Friday, Jan. 15, 6 p.m. – God’s Great Expectations of Men of Color, Christian Association, 118 S 37th St – A panel discussion on men of color’s shared understanding of God or a higher power’s relationship to them and their mission in everyday work.

Monday, Jan. 18:

8:00 – 9:30 a.m. – MLK Day of Service Breakfast, Hall of Flags, Houston Hall, 3417 Spruce St. – Day of Service Breakfast with include performers and guest speakers, including Jasmine Senior, Affinity Group Director, NeXT Philadelphia, and Urban League Youth Outreach. Free and open to the public.

10 a.m. – 2 p.m. – Community Beautification Projects at Comegys Benjamin B School, 5100 Greenway Ave., Community Education Center (CEC), 3500 Lancaster Ave., Martha Washington School, 766 N. 44th St. Volunteers will clean, paint, and organize. Refreshments will be served. Come dressed for painting and doing light cleaning. Meet at Houston Hall for transportation to sites at 9:45 a.m. Free and open to the public. Contact: Robert Carter to register at 215.898.0104.  Continue Reading

Herban Quality Eats, a fast-casual restaurant that recently opened at 36th and Market, is kicking off its dinner service on Tuesday, Jan. 12 with a Pay-What-You-Want dinner. All the proceeds from the event will go directly to Morton McMichael School, a K-8 school located in West Philadelphia’s Mantua neighborhood. Dinner will be served from 5 – 9 p.m.

Herban, which is run by two Wharton grads, specializes in homestyle plates with a wholesome twist. The team’s mission is to “make nutritious taste delicious.”

The restaurant is currently open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Starting Wednesday, January 13 Herban Quality Eats will be open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. For more information, visit www.herbanqualityeats.com.