Despite the rainy weather, more than 100 people gathered this afternoon at Calvary Center for a planned action and march showing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

At Calvary Center as march gets ready. pic.twitter.com/0ayOgeKx5k

— West Philly Local (@WestPhillyLocal) January 3, 2015

While the action was going on, about 10 police vehicles were parked outside the Calvary.

About 10 police vehicles near Calvary Center as meeting/March gets underway pic.twitter.com/jTI9vQtOre

— West Philly Local (@WestPhillyLocal) January 3, 2015

After the action at the Calvary the participants poured out on the streets for the West Philly Families Solidarity March to Clark Park. This photo was taken shortly after 4 p.m.:

UPDATE (7:30 p.m.): Due to rain in forecast, the gathering and the first part of tomorrow’s event will be held at the Calvary Church (48th and Baltimore, entrance on 48th St), starting at 3 p.m. There will be a march after that, from the Calvary to Clark Park. See more details here.

Earlier: Local parents and recently formed Philly Anti-Racist Solidarity group are organizing a march this Saturday (Jan. 3) in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and against institutional and interpersonal racism.

Parents, caregivers, children, and the whole West Philly community and beyond are invited to participate in the event, which will kick off at Clark Park. “We stand for Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, Eric Garner, John Crawford, Tamir Rice, Rekia Boyd, Renisha McBride, Aiyana Stanley Jones and so many more. We march for racial justice and for our collective humanity,” reads the event announcement on Facebook.

The gathering and a portion of the event will take place at the Clark Park bowl (43rd and Chester), starting at 3 p.m. There will be singing and chanting, and moments of making noise (a “Noise-In”) and silence in remembrance of lost lives. After Clark Park, participants will head to Baltimore Avenue for a peaceful march to Cedar Park (49th and Baltimore).

Participants are asked to bring musical instruments of all kinds and signs. In an effort to create a safe space for all participants, the organizers are asking that Saturday’s action be peaceful and non-violent. The event will take place rain or shine. For more information about the march, please visit this Facebook page.

The West Philly Families Solidarity March is coordinated with the Philly Town Hall meetings. The third in a series of meetings for community members to discuss and respond to racist police brutality as well as policies that contribute to institutional racism will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 6 at the Calvary Church (48th and Baltimore). The first meeting took place on Dec. 2 and gathered more than 400 people, according to the organizers. Approximately 500 people showed up for the second meeting on Dec. 16. More information is available here.

Over the past few weeks Cedar Park residents have been donating money for holiday food baskets for their neighbors in need. Now it’s time to give away those baskets put together by volunteers at Cedar Park Neighbors (CPN). The annual CPN Holiday basket packing and distributing event will take place on Saturday, Dec. 20 at the Renewal Presbyterian Church (47th and Cedar), from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., and more volunteer help is needed to make this event a success.

Also, volunteers who are comfortable lifting heavy items are sought to help with unloading poultry at 8:00 a.m. (meet at the church). If you have some free time this Saturday and would like to help out at the event please contact Michelle Smith-Lewis at: mlewis1071[at]gmail.com

Winter holidays are approaching fast and a great way to get into the holiday spirit is by helping neighbors in need. If you would like to help out here are a few drives going on in the neighborhood.

• Rep. James Roebuck and Penn Nursing are teaming up again for the “Socks for Seniors” drive. Through Friday, Dec. 19, donate a new pair or pairs of socks by dropping them off at Roebuck’s office located at 4712 Baltimore Ave. Your donations will go to senior residents and local nursing facilities.

Roebuck is also hosting a free senior fair this Saturday, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., at the Calvary Community Center (48th and Baltimore, entrance on 48th). The fair will feature free health screenings and several nonprofit and for-profit exhibitors, and will also provide information on state and local resources for seniors. Refreshments and door prizes will also be available. For more information, please contact Roebuck’s office at 215-724-2227.

• Local 44, a neighborhood pub at 44th and Spruce, is holding a Toy and Personal Care Items Drive, also through Friday, Dec. 19. All donations will go to women and children at the People’s Emergency Center, a West Philly community center. Please note that only new and unwrapped toys or personal care items are accepted. Click here for a list of most needed items.

• The People’s Emergency Center (PEC) is holding a non-perishable food drive. If you have any unopened Thanksgiving canned goods, please consider donating them to PEC. Donations can be dropped off at Rowan House (325 N. 39th St), on Wednesday-Friday, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Check out the flier below for more information.

• We’d like to remind that Cedar Park Neighbors’ Holiday Food Basket Drive is also underway. A suggested donation is $36. This amount will help CPN and their partners feed two families. To donate to the CPN Holiday Basket Drive, click here.

Today is #GivingTuesday, a nationwide campaign encouraging people to support not-for-profit organizations. We’re joining in and would like to remind our readers that there are dozens of great non-profits in West Philly, working on improving communities and schools, and providing help to those who need it most. Please visit our Civic Life page and choose an organization you would like to support. We will also be tweeting and re-tweeting #GivingTuesday messages from local non-profits throughout the day (@westphillylocal). Here are some of them:

#GivingTuesday: Every gift made to PEC online today will be doubled, up to $5k thanks to Elayne Howard & Associates https://t.co/8Pz2EA9zIt

— PEC (@PECCaresPhilly) December 2, 2014

It’s #GivingTuesday, head to our website to support #foodjustice in #westphilly.

— Agatston UNI (@AgatstonUNI) December 2, 2014

Help @WPCNS & our Greening Lea project on #GivingTuesday! Big plans w/Lea’s play yard in 2015! http://t.co/3Y3G8Q0Szu pic.twitter.com/2rzO8cFpJP

— West Philly Schools (@WPCNS) December 2, 2014

While many non-profit organizations would appreciate a monetary donation today, others are seeking volunteers. Repair The World: Philadelphia is teaming up with the West Philadelphia Alliance for Children (WePAC) to reopen a school library that has been closed for over a decade. Volunteers are welcome to help these organizations clean up the Andrew Hamilton Elementary School library this afternoon, from 4 to 7 p.m. The school is located at 5640 Spruce Street. Here’s the flier:

UPDATE (11/24/2014): The Holiday Basket Drive continues in Cedar Park and Cedar Park Neighbors will also be sending out letters to residents asking for donations, starting this week. To donate online, visit this page.

11/6/2014: Winter holidays are approaching fast – an exciting time for all, but also worrying for many neighbors who will struggle putting food on the table during this time. In a continuous effort to help Cedar Park residents and families in need, Cedar Park Neighbors (CPN) is holding a holiday food basket drive again this year.

CPN, in cooperation with some local churches and other nonprofit organizations, will prepare and distribute food baskets during the holiday season. Last year, they were able to help over 600 people in the neighborhood. In order to make this event successful again, they are asking for help from the community.

A suggested donation is $36. This amount will help CPN and their partners feed two families. To donate to the CPN Holiday Basket Drive, go to this page.

If you have questions, please contact Michelle at mlewis1071@gmail.com.