City Council members Jamie Gauthier, Isaiah Thomas, and Katherine Gilmore Richardson are hosting a 3rd District virtual town hall this Thursday, Dec. 3 as part of the COVID-19 Community Outreach series. Councilmembers Thomas and Richardson are also co-chairs of the Disadvantaged Communities Task Force.

Community members are invited to participate in an open dialogue about the City’s COVID-19 response. The City Council wants to hear what you have been struggling with during the pandemic, with a goal to provide support to their communities in the best way possible.

The virtual town hall, which will be moderated by Gauthier, will begin at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held via Zoom. For more details and information on how you can join it, please RSVP by sending an email to: DCT@phila.gov.

Today is #GivingTuesday, a chance to let not-for-profit organizations know that we appreciate their work.

Please check our list of West Philly-based non-profits here and support them with a donation or signing up to volunteer. We’ll also be posting messages from local organizations throughout the day (see below).

Support @ACHIEVEability on #GivingTuesday at https://t.co/XQ3TMArWAN. The devastating effects of COVID have shattered fragile safety nets as disparities in healthcare, housing, education, digital access & employment have been exacerbated. When the world stopped, our work did not. pic.twitter.com/IFED75W3BT

— ACHIEVEability (@ACHIEVEability) December 1, 2020

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Blue Stoop, a nonprofit organization and home to Philly literary community started by two West Philly writers, is holding its virtual winter fundraiser “Words of Revolution; Words of Solace” on Saturday, Dec. 5 from 7-9 p.m. Join Blue Stoop to hear readings from 10 of the most exciting voices writing in and around Philadelphia today: Brittney Cooper, Myriam Gurba, Anne Ishii, Airea Matthews, Trapeta Mayson, Kiley Reid, Nikil Saval, Eric Smith, Amber Sparks, and Elissa Washuta.

This is not another typical Zoom event – in fact, this will be an innovative video program produced by award winning Philadelphia cinematographer Aly Spengler.  Continue Reading

Here are Thanksgiving Day hours for local grocery stores and supermarkets in case you need to do some last minute shopping for your holiday table:

• Mariposa Food Co-op (49th and Baltimore): Thanksgiving Day: 8 a.m.-2 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 27: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
• ACME Markets (40th and Walnut): Thanksgiving Day: 5 a.m.-7 p.m.
• Supremo “Shop n Bag” (43rd and Walnut): Thanksgiving Day: 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
• ALDI (46th and Market): Thanksgiving Day: Closed
• The Fresh Grocer (56th and Chestnut): Thanksgiving Day: 6 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Shoprite at ParkWest Town Center (1575 N. 52nd St.): Thanksgiving Day: 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

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The holidays are approaching fast and a lot of charitable organizations are stepping up their efforts to help those in need. This year has been especially hard for many families and children already at risk because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some of the holiday drives going on in West Philly this year.

Photo courtesy of ACHIEVEability

ACHIEVEability’s Children’s Holiday Gift Drive

“This year has been tough for all of us, especially West Philadelphian children. Virtual learning and quarantine have impacted these kids in so many ways… This holiday season help bring joy to a child in need by donating a special gift.”

Sign up to provide holiday gifts for those in need by December 6 by emailing Matt at mlafronz@achieve-ability.org. Indicate how many children you would like to sponsor. After that you will receive a link to an Amazon wish list for each child you are sponsoring. Purchase a gift(s) totaling up to $50 for each child you sponsor, and wrap and label the gift(s). Make arrangements to deliver all items to ACHIEVEability at 21 S. 61st St., Philadelphia, PA 19139 by December 13. If you ship the items directly to ACHIEVEability from Amazon, please include a gift note with your package, including your name and contact information.  Continue Reading

Pennsylvania’s Community-Accessible Testing & Education initiative’s mobile testing unit, CATE, will be making stops in Philadelphia for the next three days. Adults and children needing COVID-19 tests can receive one at no-cost thanks to a partnership with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Philadelphia Fight.

CATE’s tour schedule includes the following stops in West Philly:

• Saturday, Nov. 21, 9am-12pm, Vine Memorial Baptist Church, 5600 W. Girard Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19131

• Saturday, Nov. 21, 2pm-6pm, Woodland Rec Center, 1414 S 47th Street, Philadelphia PA 19143

• Monday, Nov. 23, 9am-12pm, Mill Creek Playground, 4700 Brown St., Philadelphia, PA 19139  Continue Reading