{"id":583873,"date":"2020-04-16T15:28:18","date_gmt":"2020-04-16T19:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jbjsf.org\/?p=583873"},"modified":"2021-10-26T13:19:09","modified_gmt":"2021-10-26T17:19:09","slug":"jbj-soul-foundation-supports-partner-organizations-stepping-up-to-feed-philadelphians-experiencing-homelessness-during-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jbjsf.org\/news\/2020\/04\/16\/jbj-soul-foundation-supports-partner-organizations-stepping-up-to-feed-philadelphians-experiencing-homelessness-during-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"JBJ Soul Foundation Supports Partner Organizations Stepping Up To Feed Philadelphians Experiencing Homelessness During Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Step Up<\/em><\/strong> to the Plate<\/em> is a city-wide initiative to feed and provide\nhealth services to individuals experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia during\nthe COVID-19 pandemic. JBJ Soul Foundation is proud to support and partner with\nStep Up to the Plate<\/em> by providing a $100,000 <\/strong>grant to help\nfund this cause. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJBJ Soul Foundation remains committed to helping the homeless community in Philadelphia,\u201d said Craig A. Spencer, Vice-Chairman, JBJ Soul Foundation<\/strong>. \u201cOur partnership with Step Up to the Plate, along with many other companies and organizations in this great city, will provide in-need individuals and families access to basic necessities during this unprecedented time including food, medical care, personal hygiene stations and COVID-19 resources and support.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you would like to make a donation to Step Up to the Plate, click HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

PHILADELPHIA \u2013\nApril 16, 2020<\/strong> \u2013 There is\na crisis of hunger in our city. The impact that COVID-19 is having on our most\nvulnerable neighbors, individuals experiencing homelessness, is seen in the\never-increasing numbers of people needing access to food and medical care\nthroughout Philadelphia. It has become clear to the City of Philadelphia,\nand to many of the organizations serving this population, that a larger and\nmore coordinated effort is necessary to address this growing need and continue\nproviding food and services in a healthy and safe environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\nStep Up to the Plate,<\/strong> a collaborative effort of Broad Street Ministry,\nProject HOME, and Prevention Point Philadelphia, is a central part of the\nCity\u2019s efforts to address this challenge. These organizations are working\nclosely with the Office of Homeless Services to secure two large outdoor sites,\nallowing meal services to continue while maintaining appropriate social distancing\nguidelines. These sites are the North Apron of City Hall (located near Project\nHOME\u2019s Hub of Hope outdoor medical clinic), and an outdoor lot at the\nintersection of East Clearfield and Ruth Streets in Kensington, near Prevention\nPoint Philadelphia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three local catering companies \u2013 Catering\nby Design, 12th Street Catering, <\/strong>and Herb Scott Catering<\/strong> \u2013 will\nprovide meals at cost. By collaborating with catering companies, Step Up to the\nPlate allows its partners to turn their focus towards staffing, logistical, and\ncare concerns for their guests. The current projection is to serve 1,000\ntakeaway packaged meals per day (each package containing lunch and dinner, for\na total of 2,000 meals provided per day) and to be operational by the end of\nthe week of April 13. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, Wawa<\/strong> has agreed to\ndonate 1,400 meals a week to St. Johns Hospice and Face to Face shelter\npartners, equating to a total of nearly 10,000 meals during the seven-week\ninitiative. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is critically important for the\nnonprofit, government, philanthropic, and private sectors to be coming together\nat this moment to address the needs of our neighbors struggling with deep\npoverty, homelessness, and hunger,\u201d said Mike Dahl, Executive Director of\nBroad Street Ministry<\/strong>. \u201cThe Step Up to the Plate\ncampaign represents the very best of what we can accomplish as the City of\nBrotherly Love. Broad Street Ministry is proud and humbled to be standing\nshoulder to shoulder with all of our partners in this effort and we look\nforward to inviting many others to join us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen a moment like this happens, it\u2019s so\nimportant that we all come together to find a solution for those in need,\u201d says\nSister Mary Scullion, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Project HOME<\/strong>.\n\u201cWe\u2019re honored to be working with Broad Street Ministry, Prevention Point,\nMural Arts, and other partners to coordinate getting food and medical care, at\nthis critical time, to our brothers and sisters on our city\u2019s streets.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn this extraordinary time, Prevention Point Philadelphia is pleased to further extend its reach in the community of Kensington to help feed hundreds of people a day through the Step Up to the Plate initiative,\u201d said Jose Benetiz, Executive Director of Prevention Point Philadelphia<\/strong>. \u201cWe are so grateful for the partnership of so many organizations and companies, along with the City of Philadelphia, to make an extraordinary difference in our community.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the City Hall site, the food\ndistribution will be provided by Broad Street Ministry staff. In Kensington,\nfood distribution will be provided by Prevention Point Philadelphia staff and\nvolunteers. At both sites, COVID-19-related health care services and resources\nwill be available for those experiencing homelessness. In Center City, Project\nHOME\u2019s Hub of Hope staff will provide services. In Kensington, services will be\nprovided by Prevention Point Philadelphia with assistance from Philadelphia\nFIGHT. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mural Arts\nPhiladelphia<\/strong> will\nprovide beautifully designed vinyl Space Pads for the ground to\nencourage safe distancing during service, along with banners and other public\nsignage. Each Space Pad has been designed\nby one of four different Mural Arts artists and combines beauty with helpful\npublic health facts related to COVID-19. Over 700 14\u201d x 14\u201d outdoor\nvinyl decals were installed for just the Center City site. More will be added\nin Kensington.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step Up to the Plate<\/strong> is a partnership of Broad Street Ministry, Prevention Point Philadelphia, Project HOME, and the City of Philadelphia Office of Homeless Services. Catering partners are Catering by Design, 12th Street Catering, Herb Scott Catering, and The Wawa Foundation. Additional partners are Mural Arts Philadelphia, Muslims Serve, and Center City District. Funding for Step Up to the Plate is provided by Connelly Foundation, The Daniel B. and Florence E. Green Foundation, Haas Charitable Trust, Hummingbird Foundation, Independence Foundation, JBJ Soul Foundation<\/strong>, Philadelphia Health Partnership, Philadelphia Foundation, the PHL COVID-19 Fund, and William Penn Foundation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Broad Street\nMinistry is a broad-minded\nfaith community with an aspiration to create a more just world through civic\nengagement. Project HOME empowers individuals to break the cycle of\npoverty and homelessness through affordable housing, employment, health care,\nand education. Prevention Point Philadelphia is a non-profit public\nhealth and social services organization that works to reduce the harms\nassociated with drug use. By working together, in concert with City of\nPhiladelphia leadership, these organizations believe they can provide a higher\nlevel of necessary service to our city\u2019s most vulnerable citizens and increase\nthe likelihood of effective social distancing. To get involved with Step Up to\nthe Plate, reach out to  kfritz@independencefoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Step Up to the Plate is a city-wide initiative to feed and provide health services to individuals experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia during the COVID-19 pandemic. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":583876,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[69,1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n