It can be easy to get discouraged these days. Everywhere we look, there are signs of a struggling planet and, often, it’s difficult to see a clear path to an effectual response. 2022 may well eclipse recent years as the hottest on record. Rainfall has alternated between being absent or violent in Pennsylvania, one of
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With a smattering of bright yellow refrigerators across the city, Michelle Nelson is on a mission to better the lives of food-insecure Philadelphians in light of the pandemic. “COVID has amplified problems that have always existed and made them more prevalent,” says Nelson, the founder of the Mama-Tee.com Community Fridge Project, which established Philadelphia’s first
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Something special happens at the corner of Germantown Avenue and Church Lane every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon. A collective of neighbors and volunteers gather in The People’s Lot, with cardboard box cutouts that read “Free Food,” but that’s not all that brings people in. If you travel to The People’s Lot, you will see an
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Lynn Washington has spent most of her life encouraging people to read. As a graphic designer, she worked for the Free Library of Philadelphia, creating graphics and exhibits that would attract new audiences. As a mother, she read books to her children to excite in them a passion for learning. And now, as the owner
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During a recent Hike + Heal meetup on the Wissahickon Creek, one member shared her reason for coming on a hike: she had just moved to Philadelphia during the COVID-19 pandemic and was looking for a community of women. Hike + Heal founder Brandi Aulston was impressed by the woman’s search for community during such
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On Tuesday night, it was announced that an agreement was reached between the City of Philadelphia and the residents of Camp JTD, which formed at 22nd street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in early June. The City has promised residents of the encampment 50 houses in a land trust.The move-in process will take place after
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A whole week dedicated to vegan food? Count us in. This Sunday, October 18, marks the start of Philadelphia Vegan Restaurant Week — seven whole days of jam-packed vegan platters and desserts. Founded by Nicole Koedyker, PVRW began as an idea to promote more vegan experimentation in local restaurants. Koedyker and several of her now-colleagues
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I was saddened to learn the news that Dana W. Tobin, a Grid subscriber, recently passed away. I knew him only through a few email exchanges and one phone conversation, but even with that limited interaction, it was easy to see that he was a kind, thoughtful and modest person who possessed a curious mind
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On Tuesday night, it was announced that an agreement was reached between the City of Philadelphia, and the residents of Camp JTD. The City has promised residents of the encampment, which formed at 22nd street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in early June, 50 houses in a land trust. The move-in process will take place
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Philadelphia’s quiet heroes include block captains, volunteers who, under the sponsorship of the Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee (PMBC)—a division of the Streets Department—rally their neighbors to keep their blocks attractive. Now, in addition to beauty, some block captains help ensure food and a sense of security for their neighbors in the face of the COVID-19
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The young american robin squeaked like a rewinding cassette tape as Margaret Rohde took the bird out of a cloth bag. Rohde, conservation manager with Wissahickon Trails, had untangled the robin a few minutes earlier from one of six mist nets she and Kristy Morley, senior naturalist, had set up before dawn at the Crossways
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