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! ❤️
(PIHN achievements in 2019)
Thanks to our generous supporters, PIHN has had quite a busy year in 2019. During this time, we have sheltered and moved 18 families to stability, and mentored a growing cohort of 180 alumni families who utilize our supportive services on a regular basis. We have also opened our doors and provided material supports to 276 community families, and assisted 100 families in avoiding homelessness by preventing eviction, providing back-rents, and helping with housing deposits!
PIHN ends this year poised to make a bigger difference in preventing homelessness during 2020. With grants from the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund (PHARE), the Home 4 Good Program (project of the PA Housing Finance Angency, the Help Us Move In Foundation (HUMI), The Philadelphia Foundation, Philadelphia Office of Homeless Services, and GIANT Food Stores, we intend to double our prevention efforts in the year ahead.
There is still time to help Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network during 2019! Every individual contribution, large or small, makes a difference. Please refer to our year-end Appeal letter for details on PIHN’s achievements reached this year.
(Penn-Charter and their gift donations)
Santa and his helpers have been hard at work this season making drop-offs around the city for PIHN’s Secret Santa Program. The generosity shown through organizations and congregations including:
have allowed us to provide Christmas matches to 275 children plus their parents in Philadelphia! Thanks especially to the number of individuals who also participated in providing gifts. It truly takes a village, and ours is awesome!
Last Wednesday, Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network (PIHN)’s 21st Annual Empty Bowl Dinner was nothing short of spectacular! Hundreds of bowls donated from over 30 different potters, clay programs and schools, as well as soups, cakes, and breads donated from 57 local restaurants, bakeries, and home bakers, made the dinner a visual and gastronomical feast! Special thanks to United Lutheran Seminary for hosting and to Mike McGrath of WLVT/PBS39′s “You Bet Your Garden” for dishing out some great energy and humor for the evening.
Congratulations to Tanisha Carter for receiving the beautiful 2015 Chrysler 200 generously donated by Geico and refurbished by Service King through the Recycled Rides program from the National Auto Body Council. Our fabulous Corporate Sponsors and Advertisers helped make the event a huge success and enabled PIHN’s alumni families to join in the fun!
The Empty Bowl Dinner Committee, (Headed by Cynthia Lalone, with Cristin Lalone, Valerie Erwin, Beryl Evans, Bill Fox, Lynn Grahame, LaVerne M. Jones, Della Lazarus, Mark McGuigan, Donna Price, and Shirlyn Swann)
Our dedicated Staff, (Bob Byrne, Christian Gordon-Scott, Ben Domsgen, Deborah Kish-Silver, Linnea Luzzo, Keyonnee Thalia, Pesha Leichter, and Rachel Fakove)
…And our 100(+) Volunteers and Interns who everything from soup schlepping, serving, greeting, and SO much more! Huge shout-out to GIANT Food Stores and Elfant Wissahickon Realtors who brought a team of volunteers with them to help support the event.
Additionally, HUGE thank you to Arcadia University for hosting it’s very own Empty Bowl Dinner on PIHN’s behalf held November 11th. Your continuous support of PIHN’s programs have come such a long way!
In the end, our dinner raised awareness and $40,000 in support of PIHN’s programs to prevent and alleviate family homelessness! It really takes a village, and ours is one of a kind.
With gratitude to each and every one of you,
Happy Thanksgiving! ♥
Sesame Street in Communities (SSIC), a program of Sesame Workshop — the nonprofit that produces Sesame Street, joined Family promise, our national organization, at our 2019 National Conference. Before launching a suite of online resources for providers serving children without stable housing, SSIC consulted Family Promise the leading nonprofit addressing family homelessness as one of their expert advisers. Together they created a mupper child experiencing homelessness and made her feel much more hopeful about her family’s situation.
“We Got This!” is a children’s book, and valuable resource that our Network has to share with our children and parents experiencing homelessness. We will also share the books with other partner agencies. Many thanks to Sesame Street and it’s nearly 5-year commitment to addressing children’s developmental, physical, and emotional needs!
We are so happy to announce that PIHN’s community of “There’s No Place Like Home” runners, walkers, and donors raised nearly $21,000 to fund PIHN’s growing homelessness prevention efforts this year!
Special shout-out to Cheryl’s Champs for raising over $1,000, the Our Mother of Consolation Golden Knights for raising over $1,800, The Philadelphia Committee to End Homelessness for raising over $3,000, and Germantown Jewish Centre for raising over $5,000! We are so grateful for all of the amazing teams and individuals who ran through Oz on PIHN’s behalf. Thank you so much for all of your very generous donations!
Congratulations to…
Sabrina Borzi who placed THIRD in the 13-19 Age Division!
Andrea Horos who placed THIRD in the 40-49 Age Division!
Emily Kallmeyer who placed SECOND in the 13-19 Age Division!
Eve Laurito who placed FIRST int he 4-12 Age Division!
Jane Hohenleitner for placed FIRST in the 13-19 Age Division!
Melissa Paquette who placed FIRST in the 50-59 Age Division!
Congratulations to…
Pj Horos who placed THIRD in the 4-12 Age Division!
Dave Flanigan who placed THIRD in the 40-49 Age Division!
Joel Schneier who placed THIRD in the 50-59 Age Division!
Bruno Fleischman-Mayro who placed SECOND in the 13-19 Age Division!
Bob Byrne who placed FIRST in the 30-39 Age Division!
Joe Willard who placed FIRST in the 60-69 Age Division!
- Giant Food Stores Team -Finally, a GIANT shout-out to Giant Food Stores for organizing 13 teams, representing each regional store who raiseed roughly $3,000! Let’s thanks our Giant Supermarkets for their support, a great selection of food and their GIANT hearts!
We’d like to give a shout-out to Tickets for Kids Charities and their donation of tickets for two of our families to attend the Philadelphia Phillies game about two weeks ago at Citizens Bank Park. We’ve heard wonderful things from those who attended!
In the past 12 months, Tickets for Kids has provided over 200,000 tickets to charities across the U.S. Thank you so much for supporting our families and children everywhere!
PIHN children, teens and college kids are looking great and getting off to an awesome start for the new school year. Students received uniform gift cards and bookbags stuffed with school supplies for the upcoming school year at three PIHN Back to School gatherings held in our Northwest office last week.
SUPER Big thanks to:
Finally, a special thanks to Cradles to Crayons Philadelphia for providing their efforts in making sure that the big kids and thousands of other Philly children, had all they needed too. Together, you have provided us with over 250 bookbags for our children this school year!
We are particularly looking for you! However, this is room for any interested community member who is willing to serve.
We seek members who share our values and reflect the diversity of our congregations and constituencies to help further PIHN’s mission. If this is you, please email LaVerne M. Jones at lavernemjones@gmail.com or call Rachel Falkove at (215) 247-4663 ext. 136
