As a result of the Coronavirus crisis, many organizations have been challenged to quickly pivot their missions to meet the evolving needs of their constituents. North10, Philadelphia is no exception. Over the past weeks, North10’s bold vision to improve life outcomes of its community members in Hunting Park and East Tioga—underserved neighborhoods in North Philadelphia—has been amplified to meet the current needs of those who work and live in the area.
Normally, the majority of North10’s adult and children’s programs take place in its main building—The Lenfest Center. However, when state-wide mandates required the Center to close, North10 quickly adapted and efficiently worked with community partners to determine the best way to help as many people in need as possible. First, coordinating with Called to Serve CDC (a socio-economic community development entity) and Temple University Hospital’s Emergency Department, North10 created a program that would not only feed frontline health care workers, but also help local businesses sustain themselves during these challenging times.
North10 organizes the purchase of 150 meals each week from three neighborhood restaurants—Pho Don, CityView, and Caribbean Feast. The food is delivered directly to local health care professionals who are working tirelessly to keep the community safe and healthy. As restaurants struggle to stay open amid the COVID-19 shutdowns, this initiative provides much-needed, reliable revenue to these businesses and sends a powerful message of gratitude to the hospital’s employees.
North10 is also helping deliver food directly to neighbors in need. Along with critical support and leadership from Temple University Health Systems and Temple Medical School’s Center for Urban Bioethics, and in partnership with more than 20 local organizations, a “North Philadelphia Collective” has been formed. The Collective provides community seniors and families with a safe and reliable way to receive non-perishable groceries, masks and health-related information without leaving their homes. The Center for Bioethics prepared more than 700 packages this past week and the North10 team, including police officers from its 25th precinct, delivered them to 170+ households!
These programs highlight the way North10 has quickly pivoted to deliver its mission in the most effective ways possible and clearly demonstrates what North10 does best: cultivates strong partnerships with community organizations to meet the needs of the most vulnerable populations in the most efficient ways possible.
We are so proud of the work North10, Philadelphia does every day and are honored to have them as a client.
