Posted on 05 December 2014 by WestPhillyLocal.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.
Posted on 04 December 2014 by WestPhillyLocal.com
The University City Arts League (UCAL) is excited to bring back its annual Holiday Craft Show, which kicks off on Friday, Dec. 5. UCAL’s Holiday Craft Show is a neighborhood art and shopping tradition, which features work by more than 30 craftspeople. This is another great chance to find unique handmade holiday gifts. Your purchase will also support the crafters who will get a percentage of the sales.
The opening reception is on Friday, from 6 to 8 p.m. If you can’t make it on Friday, don’t worry – the craft show runs through Sunday, Dec. 21, when the closing reception will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. The UCAL gallery, where the craft show takes place, is open daily: Monday-Friday 3 – 8 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday 12 – 6 p.m.
UCAL is located at 4226 Spruce Street. For more information, visit the UCAL website.
Posted on 04 December 2014 by Mike Lyons
As the holidays approach and trips to stores increase, the pesky plastic shopping bags can start to pile up. Many people just put them in the blue curbside recycling bin. Plastic is plastic right? Nope. Not only do they not get recycled they can get stuck in the recycling machinery and jam things up.
You can probably guess how bad these things are for the environment. If not, here’s a reminder. Also, there’s the ongoing debate over whether they should be banned or taxed.
So what to do? The easiest solution is to carry a reusable shopping bag. But if that’s not your style or you always forget yours, you might be able to return plastic bags to nearby grocery stores. Here are a few places where you can turn the bags in:
• Fresh Grocer at 40th & Walnut, in the lobby near the elevators.
• Whole Foods on Callowhill.
• Shoprite at Parkwest Town Center, near 52nd and Parkside.
Are there other places that you know of? Please leave a comment and we will compile an ongoing list.
Posted on 03 December 2014 by WestPhillyLocal.com
Bartram’s Garden signature wreath. (Photo courtesy Bartram’s Garden)
There will be a few local holiday shopping opportunities this week, which we are happy to pass along. We’ll start with a great festive annual event at the historic Bartram’s Garden.
On Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Bartram’s Garden will be holding a Greens Sale and Holiday Market. The Greens Sale is a great opportunity to shop for beautiful handmade wreaths, centerpieces, and pine roping. Fresh evergreens and poinsettias will also be available for sale. There will also be an opportunity to decorate your own wreath at the DIY craft station or you can just purchase one made by volunteers.
The holiday market is a new event at the garden. It will feature local vendors and unique gifts for everyone on your list, including jewelry, pottery, handmade bags, natural apothecary and more! The event will also feature music and fresh apple cider.
The Bartram House, a national historic landmark, closes for restoration work next year, so guests are also invited to its tour while it’s still open.
Bartram members will get first pick of this year’s selection of wreaths and fresh cut greens during the preview party on Friday, December 5.
Bartram’s Garden is located in Southwest Philadelphia, at 54th Street and Lindbergh Boulevard (#36 Trolley line). For more information, click here.
Posted on 02 December 2014 by Mike Lyons
Curtis (left) and his crew. (Archived photo / West Philly Local).
There are a few things around that signal the arrival of the holiday season. The squirrels bulk up a little for the winter, parking is a little easier to come by as the students start leaving and, like clockwork, Curtis and his amiable crew set up their Christmas tree operation at 50th and Baltimore (just like they have every year for 25 years or so).
This year, they began selling trees on the triangle in front of Dock Street the day after Thanksgiving and will continue right through Christmas Eve. The selection is good – different sizes, types and prices. They also have stands if you need one of those and they will tie up your tree so it can go in your grocery cart (or on your car).
Curtis is typically open every day from 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m..
We’ll keep you posted on other spots to buy a tree around the neighborhoods, but as usual Curtis gets first mention of the season.
Posted on 02 December 2014 by WestPhillyLocal.com
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:
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:
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