Winter holidays are approaching fast, and residents have a chance to make them brighter for local kids by donating toys. The Office of Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (3rd District) is again hosting a toy drive for West Philadelphia children. There are two ways to participate in the drive – toys can be purchased directly through one of the registries or dropped off at the District Office located at 606 S. 52nd Street.

“Every child deserves to feel the warmth of the holidays,” Councilmember Gauthier said in a statement. “By participating in the 3rd District Toy Drive, you’re not just giving gifts— you’re sharing hope, joy, and the magic of the season.”

Please note that only new, unwrapped toys can be dropped off at the District Office. The hours are Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Here are the links to the registries:

Target Toy Registry

Amazon Toy Registry

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For many years, local community organization, Cedar Park Neighbors, in collaboration with area churches and other nonprofit organizations, has been preparing and distributing food baskets for neighbors in need during the holiday season. This holiday season is no exception. As always, to make this great initiative a success, CPN is holding their annual Holiday Basket Drive. Suggested donation this year is $45, which will help feed two families.

Donations are accepted online at: https://donorbox.org/holiday-basket. Payments can also be sent to: Cedar Park Neighbors Holiday Baskets, Calvary Community Center, 4740 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19143.

CPN members and volunteers will be packing and distributing the baskets on Saturday, Dec. 21, from 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. at Renewal Presbyterian Church, located on the corner of 47th and Cedar Avenue. Please feel free to contact the event organizer, Michelle Lewis, at mlewis1071@gmail.com if you would like to volunteer or are interested in donating bulk items. Also, feel free to ask any questions by email.

A portion of Spruce Street will be closed on Tuesday, May 14 and Wednesday, May 15 as part of the annual Penn student move out. On these days, Spruce Street will be closed to vehicular traffic between 34th-40th Streets from 7 a.m.-6 p.m.

Bicyclists will also have to get off their bikes and walk through the closure area.

SEPTA buses that use Spruce Street will be on detour during the move-out. Check septa.org for more info.

In addition, here’s some useful info on how students who live off-campus can donate unwanted items, including furniture, this month:

• Resurrection Church (42nd and Pine) is accepting donations of clothing, kitchen, small furniture, non-perishable food and other items on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. through May 25. Donations should go to the Pine St. side of the building through the patio door. The full list of acceptable donations is available here.

• A Curbside Donation Drive, organized by Penn for Refugee Empowerment and the Philadelphia Furniture Bank, will take place on Saturday, May 18 between 40th and 43rd, Baltimore and Chestnut. Participants should fill out this form to request furniture pick-up. For more details, visit the Penn Sustainability website.

Today is #GivingTuesday, the day when we’re reminded to give back to the community we’re part of. As always on this day, we’ll be posting/sharing messages from local non-profit organizations in this post and on our social media. Please consider supporting a local cause today with your donation or volunteering. Also, please visit our Civic Life/Neighborhood Resources page where you can find information on many other West Philly non-profits.

This Giving Tuesday, if you are able, consider participating in my annual toy drive! pic.twitter.com/Pan8uI93Xo

— Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (@CouncilmemberJG) November 28, 2023

 

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A post shared by Friends of Clark Park (@friendsofclarkpark)

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The map of proposed improvements to Clark Park.

The Master Plan process for Clark Park, which began last year, has been recently completed and now The Friends of Clark Park group is working with the City on a final plan. This new plan will help expand the park’s impact on the community, proponents say. It includes nature-based playgrounds (see image below), a multi-height basketball hoop, a permanent bathroom, and many other improvements to the park (see more details and images here). By the way, this is the first Clark Park master plan approved by the City since 2006!

To help the plan move forward, The Friends of Clark Park is seeking community support and Giving Tuesday has kicked off their first fundraising drive. The all-volunteer group is hoping that community members will support the plan with their donations, “no matter how small.”

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Winter holidays are approaching fast, and residents have a chance to make them brighter for local kids by donating toys. One of local holiday toy drives is being hosted by the Office of Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (3rd District). There are two ways to donate:

First, toys can be purchased online from one of these toy registries: https://bit.ly/3rdDriveTarget or https://bit.ly/3rdDriveAmazon.

New, unwrapped toys can also be dropped off at the 3rd District Office at 606 S. 52nd Street on Mondays-Thursdays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Donations are accepted until Dec. 14. Toy giveaway will be held on Saturday, Dec. 16 from 12-3 p.m.

See the flyer for more details.

Stay tuned for information on more holiday drives in West Philly.