Photo from West Philly Food Swap’s Facebook page.

If you’re a good cook/canner/baker or grow your own food read on. On Sunday, June 9, 2-4 p.m., the Chester Avenue Community Garden (4715 Chester Ave) and local produce buyers for Reading Terminal Market’s farm food stands Alexandra Jones and Jessica Bickis are hosting West Philly’s first Food Swap.

Here’s how it works: Bring your own creations, such as jars of jam, tubs of hummus, loaves of bread, bunches of herbs, or eggs from the chicken coop to share with others. The only rules are that items must be homemade or homegrown and should be individually portioned or packaged. Participants lay out their items on tables or blankets, and everyone browses the items and signs up on a “swap card” with an offer of what they want to trade and for what items brought by others.

The event is free and spots are limited so interested swappers are asked to RSVP at foodswapwestphilly@gmail.com.

To learn more about this event please check the West Philly Food Swap’s Facebook page. You can also check out these food swapping tips from a local food fermentation expert and swapper.

When was the last time you played at recess? The Philadelphia branch of Playworks, a non-profit organization that promotes play and physical activity at schools, is inviting local residents to rekindle the joy of play and lunchtime recess at Philly Recess Day, a free community event happening on Tuesday, June 4, from 12-12:30 p.m. The event draws awareness to the benefits of physical activity by offering adults all over Philadelphia the “chance to experience the joy of participating in their very own recess.”

Playworks will host games at The Porch at 30th Street Station and other locations in the city, but everyone is encouraged to participate in the event by having your own recess fun wherever you are (work, school, etc). If you need a reminder of what games you can play at your recess, download a free game book on the Playworks website.

Happy Recess Day!

Photo by Mike Lyons/West Philly Local

A 2-alarm fire this morning at an abandoned five-story apartment building at 4726 Chestnut Street prompted evacuation of people from an adjacent building. The fire broke out shortly after 6 a.m. and was under control around 7 a.m. The fire started on the first floor of the building. No one was injured, according to Deputy Fire Chief James Bonner.

The building is part of a row of attached apartment buildings along the south side of the block. Nine people were evacuated from the building at 4724 Chestnut and the building at 4728 Chestnut, also abandoned, sustained heavy damage.

Please note that Route 21 bus is currently on detour due to the fire. For more information, go to Septa’s website.

Update: The American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania (2221 Chestnut St.) is helping all nine people (five families altogether) displaced by the fire. The families will be given meals, a place to stay, and full casework services, all for free, according to Red Cross spokesperson Dave Schrader. If you would like to help, you can donate money to the disaster relief fund at redcrossphilly.org or to the local Red Cross House endowment fund by calling 215 405 8801.

Last Friday, May 24, we reported about a robbery at Forman Mills at 48th and Market that happened that afternoon. There were four masked, armed suspects in that robbery. Today, police released information and surveillance photos and videos linking this robbery and group of robbers to a series of robberies (six so far) at various commercial properties in the city, dating back to April 19. The suspects in these robberies are still at large and police are asking for public’s assistance in identifying them.

Robbery at Little Caesar’s Pizza. (Photo via Philly Police Blog)

A few of the robberies were in West Philadelphia, including robberies at Little Caesar’s Pizza located at 5901 Lancaster Avenue on May 15 and at the Dollar General Store, 801 North 48th Street, on May 22.

For more information about the robberies, description of the suspects and surveillance videos, go to Philly Police Blog.

If you have any information about the robberies in West Philadelphia you are asked to contact the Southwest Police Detectives at 215-686-3183/3184.

Here’s a good chance to support the University City Arts League (UCAL). Their annual auction and dinner, “Spring Fling,” is this Saturday (June 1), 6-10 p.m. This year, the event is being held at the Hall of Flags, Houston Hall, University of Pennsylvania (3421 Spruce Street) and tickets are still available. The auction raises funds for children’s arts programs, summer camp scholarships and other programs and operational expenses. Tickets are $65 for one or $120 for two and you get access to silent and live auctions, open bar, dinner and live music.

The evening will be divided into two segments: a silent auction from 6 to 7:30 p.m. where an estimated 150 items and gift certificates will be available for bidding and a live auction, beginning at 8 p.m. The auctions include items from a cabin in Vermont to oriental rugs to an iPad to dinner at some of the city’s most popular restaurants.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.regonline.com/ucal. For more information, visit http://ucartsleague.org/

Oolong, Matcha, Pekoe, and Chai are four adorable black and caramel colored male Guinea Pigs ready to be adopted. Oolong is the biggest boy, about 1 year old, and he is the leader of the pack. Matcha is the teenage brother, 6-12 months old, who is still trying to figure out if he wants to be a mature adult, or a rowdy youngster. Pekoe and Chai are the babies of the family, 2-6 months old, they are tiny and still learning the ropes on how to be good little piggies.

These poor little guys were surrendered to the ACCT Philly animal shelter and are now hanging out in their big, bright window enclosure at the Baltimore Pet Shoppe, greeting all the passersby with their chorus of squeaks, grunts and chatters. All four piggies are healthy and have silky, soft coats. They are friendly and inquisitive. They are available for adoption individually (adoption fee is $20 each) or in pairs, but with ACCT Philly’s Adopt-A-Buddy program, you pay only one fee, and the second adoptee is free of charge.

Guinea pigs do best when they have another of their kind to talk to and play with, so if you already have one at home, consider adopting a buddy. If you are interested in one of the babies, why not take an older role model to help him grow up?

Stop by Baltimore Pet Shoppe at 4532 Baltimore Ave any day to meet these carefree critters. Business hours are 10 am – 7 p.m. weekdays, 10 – 6 Saturday, and 11 – 6 Sunday. In most cases you can adopt and take home your new pet same day. As an added bonus, Baltimore Pet Shoppe offers a 15% discount off any purchases you make when you adopt a shelter pet.

If you have questions please call the Shoppe at 215-222-PETS (7387) or email Natalie@acctphilly.org