Additionally, we will be updating our resources tab each day to share other services in the city that can provide assistance with food, diapers, childcare, and more. If you have any resources that you would like to share with our community, please send them to christian@philashelter.org.
Returning to school in 2020 presents a new set of challenges for students of all ages. PIHN children, teens, and college kids are prepped for the many new adjustments caused by COVID-19, and getting off to an awesome start for the new school year after PIHN’s Back to School gathering held in our Northwest office the last week of August.
Students received travel-sized sanitation kits and assorted face masks, in addition to the uniform gift cards and book bags stuffed with school supplies for the school year ahead. Thank you so much to Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church, and Flourtown Presbyterian Church for providing the huge assortment of unique book bags for our PIHN scholars.
We’d also like to add a special shout-out to Cradles to Crayons Philadelphia for the generous school donations they’ve made to our program and thousands of other children around the city. With the support of our awesome community, PIHN has received over 250 book bags filled with supplies for our children this year!
Planet Smoothie Horsham’s Sherrell Oliver-Riley, introduced a new initiative that offers smoothies to prevent homelessness by assisting students facing housing insecurity in the Philadelphia School District. For $35 per person, smoothie lovers can enjoy their choice of one smoothie (any size!!) for each week through the end of September. Half of the proceeds from every participant will then be donated to PIHN’s Homelessness Prevention Program!
I’m excited to provide our customers with smoothies during the hottest time of the year, while assisting local families in need of rental assisance,” said Oliver-Riley. “Not only will our customers be saving a few bucks, but they’ll be helping us raise much needed funds to help prevent homelessness in the region.”
Planet Smoothie is located at 575 Horsham Rd. (Suite B-19) in the Horsham Corner Shopping Center. If you are interested in participating, simply request a Summer Pass when you order your next frozen treat, or via phone: (215) 394-5217.
The Planet Smoothie franchise began in 1995 in Atlanta, Georgia and has more than 130 locations across the country. Learn more about them by visiting www.planetsmoothie.com.
(COVID-19 Distribution at PIHN’s NW Office)
2020 has been filled with many twists, turns, and challenges for all. The families we serve are among the most vulnerable as many are people of color, and working in front-line jobs. Several have come down with COVID, and many have lost employment, daycare, and income, while managing from one crisis to the next. We have tried the best we can to support each other through the onslaught of the plague that has struck every aspect of our lives. PIHN’s incredible congregational volunteers, and supporters have come through for the families we serve in big ways!
My heart is full of gratitude for our awesome staff who have managed to creatively, and safely make sure that our supply of food, diapers, and necessities reach all in need. I cannot begin to thanks the many random acts of kindness done by PIHN congregations – every individual who has dropped off essentials, prepared family-sized meals, and generously given their volunteer time and resources has kept our families going strong.
We have also been privileged to work with incredible community partner organizations, political leaders, and government offices who have joined efforts in making sure that the needs of the most vulnerable are addressed.
PIHN was honored to receive some key grants to help with our eviction prevention efforts. The largest grants to announce are a $227,000 grant through the Emergency Solutions Program (HUD funding), a $200,000 Emergency Food and Shelter Program Grant (FEMA funding) and a $100,000 City General Fund Grant. All three grants are to be used for helping families pay back rents, mortgage payments, and utilities as well as helping to find both temporary and permanent housing for those who are already displaced. Special thanks to the City of Philadelphia, Office of Homeless Services, for playing a key role in supporting our applications.
PIHN has already assisted over 120 households with funding and anticipate helping nearly 300 households by year end. We are thrilled to have these new resources for prevention in addition to several other large grants through the Home 4 Good Program and PHARE (grants funded by Commonwealth of PA Housing Trust Funds) to be able to help so many people. We also thank the many smaller family foundations that invested in our early prevention work and continue to do so.
We would not be able to do this work if it had not been for the many PIHN advocated who worked to educate our government officials on the importance of homelessness prevention when we started these efforts several years ago.
PIHN is thrilled to announce a $10,000 special donation from the Philadelphia Chapter of The Transition Network (TTN) Giving Circle – a group of women dedicated to bringing the power of collective giving to improving the lives of Philadelphia women, children and youth.
“Our organization is honored to have been selected by the TTN Giving Circle for this generous and timely donation to help families impacted by the COVID-19 crisis,” commented Bob Rossman, PIHN’s Board President. “So many of the households we serve struggle to make ends meet in good times. They have little savings to carry them through COVID and need immediate help to meet their families’ most basic needs. PIHN is seeing five times more families in need of food and diapers and supplies than prior to COVID-19! The TTN Giving Circle donation allows PIHN to respond with immediate help.”
Since its inception in 2013, the TTN Giving Circle has awarded one grant each year to an organization supporting its mission. But with the COVID-19 crisis hitting during their 2020 grant cycle, members immediately wanted to do more. They reached out to the broader TTN membership for ideas – did they know organizations providing extra support for the unique needs generated from the COVID-19 crisis in Philadelphia? In less than one week, the committee received recommendations, which were put through a rigorous vetting process, and membership voted to select PIHN for the special $10,000 donation. Start to finish, the TTN Giving Circle acted in one month.
“We were overwhelmed at the response from our members,” said Carol Cunningham, TTN Giving Circle Chair. “It’s heartwarming to see the efforts being made on the part of so many organizations to respond to this crisis. The work of PIHN really stood out to us, and we are so privileged to be able to support their work. This is truly the power of collective giving in action.”
The donation funds, distributed to PIHN through logistics support from The Philadelphia Foundation, will go directly toward purchasing increased supplies based on individualized need; offering financial assistance for laundromat and supermarket gift cards, medications and personal supplies, rent and utility assistance; and developing virtual services to offer parenting workshops, parents of teen support, therapy/support groups and employment coaching.
About The Transition Network Giving Circle (TTN Giving Circle)
The TTN Giving Circle is a dedicated group of women who pool their giving dollars to make a difference in the lives of Philadelphia women, children and youth. Since its founding in 2013, they have provided more than $105,000 in grants to in-need organizations in Philadelphia, and expect to award an additional $30,000 in grants and donations in 2020. Giving Circle members believe their method of collective philanthropy increases the impact of each dollar given. The Giving Circle is a philanthropic group within the Philadelphia Chapter of The Transition Network, an inclusive community of professional women, 50 and forward, whose changing life situations lead them to seek new connections, resources and opportunities.
For more information about TTN and the TTN Giving Circle:
Visit TTN Giving Circle or contact Carol Cunningham, Chair at TTNPhiladelphiaGivingCircle@gmail.com
Dear Friends of PIHN,
Many of our volunteers and supporters have reached out during this time of Coronavirus to ask how Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network is managing. Here is our update on services that will be continued, and others that will be discontinued:
Since so many of the families we serve are employed in service industries, we expect that they will be working fewer hours, making less income, and are likely to have even more material needs. As such, PIHN staff will be working to keep material supports available such as food, diapers, clothing, and personal items for families in need. Staff have divided into three teams who will work on alternate days, keeping our services going as long as possible. If one team needs to be isolated, another team can step in.
The PIHN Northwest Family Center will be open on Thursdays from 1PM -3PM, and Saturdays from 11:30AM – 1:30PM for food and diapers by appointment. Please call (215) 247-4663 ext. 8 to schedule.
Our Northeast office is temporarily closed. If you wish to donate any food, supermarket gift cards, or personal items, please bring them to our center at 7047 Germantown Ave. during open hours on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. We will keep you posted on our wish list.
We have also made special plans for the families in our shelter program to stay safe. They will be treated as family, and can remain in their church without volunteers. A handful of dedicated interns and staff will be assigned to check in on them and not to interact with other aspects of our operation. Many thanks to Unitarian Universalist Church of the Restoration in Mt. Airy for accommodating our families at the present time, and to Second Baptist Church in Germantown should the crisis continue. If your congregation is hosting or co-hosting, your coodinator will advise you of our arrangements for volunteers. Our Northwest and Northeast families are now together.
We have implemented increased, regular sanitizing procedures to keep everyone safe. Remember to wash hands frequently and avoid public gatherings as much as possible. Stay home if you are sick and be sure your children know how important hand washing is.
With every wish for calm, safety, and good health,
Rachel Falkove
Executive Director
Dear Friends of PIHN,
Many of our volunteers and supporters have reached out during this time of Coronavirus to ask how Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network is managing. Here is our update on services that will be continued, and others that will be discontinued:
Since so many of the families we serve are employed in service industries, we expect that they will be working fewer hours, making less income, and are likely to have even more material needs. As such, PIHN staff will be working to keep material supports available such as food, diapers, clothing, and personal items for families in need. Staff have divided into three teams who will work on alternate days, keeping our services going as long as possible. If one team needs to be isolated, another team can step in.
The PIHN Northwest Family Center will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10AM – 4PM, and Saturdays from 10AM – 2PM for food and diapers.
Our Northeast office is temporarily closed. If you wish to donate any food, supermarket gift cards, or personal items, please bring them to our center at 7047 Germantown Ave. during open hours on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. We will keep you posted on our wish list.
We have also made special plans for the families in our shelter program to stay safe. They will be treated as family, and can remain in their church without volunteers. A handful of dedicated interns and staff will be assigned to check in on them and not to interact with other aspects of our operation. Many thanks to Unitarian Universalist Church of the Restoration in Mt. Airy for accommodating our families at the present time, and to Second Baptist Church in Germantown should the crisis continue. If your congregations is hosting or co-hosting, your coodinator will advice you of our arrangements for volunteers. Our Northwest and Northeast families are now together.
We have implemented increased, regular sanitizing procedures to keep everyone safe. Remember to wash hands frequently and avoid public gatherings as much as possible. Stay home if you are sick and be sure your children know how important hand washing is.
With every wish for calm, safety, and good health,
Rachel Falkove
Executive Director
We are super excited to announce St. Alphonsus Parish Ministry’s HTN Program, and Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network’s partnership with a shared initiative to provide assistance to the most impoverished neighbors in our community. Combined, PIHN and HTN have served 700(+) vulnerable families (over 1,500 children and adults) in the Philadelphia and Montgomery County!
Our new partnership with HTN has granted us access to surplus, large ticket items to distribute to families who rely on our programs. This includes recently purchased, unwanted mattresses, dresser sets, bed frames, couches, and so much more, supplied by over 800 generous donor companies! Many of these returned household essentials come from distributors who are unable to resell at market rate after they have been opened or used on a trial basis.
These donation will play a phenomenal role in supporting PIHN’s operations to ensure we continue making a difference for families in crisis before relying on the shelter system. Thanks to HTN, we can give overstocked and returned products a second life, and help budget stretched households live comfortably and focus on paying their rent and utilities!
PIHN is a Campaign for Working Families, and free Tax Filing Site. As a service to our community, we are filing Federal and State Income Tax Returns for households with an income less than $69,000 beginning next week. Please share this message, with the info below containing a checklist of paperwork that will be needed prior to meeting.
To set your appointments, please contact Christian Gordon-Scott at (215) 247-4663 (ext. 102)
or email taxes@philashelter.org.
(2020 MLK Day of Service volunteers!)
Monday, January 20th marked Greater Philadelphia’s 25th anniversary hosting a day of service that celebrates the life and legacy of Civil Rights Activist, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr! Beginning in 1996, this day has served as a nationwide movement to break down barriers, form lasting partnerships between local community programs, and cultivate a deep understanding of Dr. King’s Mission by bringing together hundreds of local volunteers.
Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network reaped many benefits with assistance from the 75(+) awesome volunteers who spent the day participating in our annual Houses for Change project, crafting bowls for this year’s Empty Bowl Dinner, and helping us clean and organize our family day center for the children who come and go everyday! Many thanks to Unitarian Society of Germantown for hosting and featuring us in their Day of Service event, and all of our friends who joined us to volunteer from:
In the midst of the many projects PIHN was hosting , we were grateful to receive two very special donations from our amazingly supportive community. Special thanks to Merion Mercy Academy for their huge donation of “Birthday Care Packages” to help our families celebrate that special time of year. Finally, special thanks to Delaware Valley Friends School, for their donation of assorted comforters and bed sets that will go very quickly during this chilly season.
Our community far and wide is really the pride of PIHN! ❤️
