On Saturday, April 23, the day after International Earth Day, the Green Committee of Garden Court Condos invites neighbors in West Philly to drop by between 2 and 4 p.m. On the sidewalk in front of GC (Pine St. between 46th and 47h), several of Philadelphia’s green organizations will present their options for more sustainable lifestyles. These include:

– The Rounds, Philly’s new startup which provides weekly deliveries of basic goods and local specialties with little or no packaging — and will be providing sample snacks;
– PECO, which offers home owners and residents promotions for converting to LED lighting, plus tips and subsidies for conserving electricity; and Continue Reading

IMPaCT, an evidence-based center at Penn Medicine that hires and trains trusted laypeople from local communities, is looking for Philadelphians who are interested in applying for the position of a Community Health Worker. If you have ever helped a family member or friend get health care services and feel passionate about changing things harming your community’s health, this may be the job for you!

Community health workers act as caring neighbors who help people address the social, medical and community problems that lead to poor health. Some of the key duties include: Continue Reading

The Enterprise Center has received $1 million in federal funding to help support Black-owned businesses along 52nd Street.

Presented by U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans on Friday, the money is part of a “revitalization” effort along 52nd Street, which Evans called the “anchor” of West Philadelphia Black community.

“This is just a downpayment,” Evans said.

The funding comes as The Enterprise Center nears construction of a new resource center at 277 South 52nd Street, which is part of its 52nd Street Initiative that hopes to draw new businesses and spur investment along West Philadelphia’s “Main Street.” Continue Reading

Here is a letter we received from Alice Wells from Friends of Walnut Street West Library on the importance of supporting our local libraries.

Dear Library Friends, Community Members, Neighbors, Readers, Parents, Students and all who use and love our city’s libraries:

Philadelphia’s public libraries are STILL in dire straits. What budget and staff increases we began to see before the pandemic have been lost. Federal funds recently pumped into the City were not used to restore library funding! In short, unless we fight for them we will continue to see neighborhood libraries closed more than open because of continued understaffing. Continue Reading

Walnut Street West Library, one of the oldest Free Library of Philadelphia branches, has reopened its doors to the public after last week’s fire in an electrical transformer located under the sidewalk on 40th Street, in front of the library.

“Walnut West [head] librarian Bruce [Siebers] arrived at work early last Thursday morning, January 20, before anyone else. When he turned on the lights, they flickered, then suddenly there was a WHOOSH and black smoke billowed into the rooms,” writes Alice Wells, a member of volunteer group The Friends of Walnut West Library. “He ran outside – smoke was visible from the street too. In moments the block was filled with fire trucks, police cars, an ambulance and PECO and PGW trucks.” Continue Reading

The 2022 tax season will officially begin on Monday, Jan. 24 with community-based tax preparation and filing sites opening again across Philadelphia, including several locations in West Philly. The sites are run by The Campaign for Working Families (CWF), a non-profit organization that provides free tax preparation to working families and individuals and helps connect them with valuable tax credits, such as child tax credits, EITC, childcare credits, and more.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, all sites will operate by appointment only. All appointments are for a brief visit so that individuals can drop off their documents for CWF tax experts to prepare. Click here for more information and to schedule an appointment. Continue Reading