Spirit of Generosity: The Spirit of Community
Just a few examples of how our community finds unique ways to support the work of Project HOME.
Kneads for the Cause
Wharton MBA student Ben Berman had some pizza dough, a love of cooking, a big heart, and a business mindset. It turns out that’s all he needed to get Good Pizza PHL off the ground. Every week he makes twenty pizzas in his Center City apartment for folks who enter a lottery to win one of Ben’s creations. He doesn’t accept payment - he’d prefer if you donated to support Project HOME, Philabundance, Share Food Program, or all three.
So far Ben has raised over $62,000 through making and giving away pizzas for Philly nonprofits. Others were also inspired by Ben’s uplifting mission, including Ellen DeGeneres and Shutterfly who teamed up to add a further $10,000, the Life is Good Company who chipped in a $1,000, and $5,000 from the 76ers’ Tobias Harris and Matisse Thybulle. At Project HOME, we believe in the Power of We. Ben’s idea resonated with so many and when they all came together, it elevated Ben’s impact on our community. He found a way to help the city he loves and put a smile on people's faces during a really difficult time.
The Power of Words
Reverend Charles L. Howard, University Chaplain and Vice President for Social Equity and Community at the University of Pennsylvania, has a long history of giving to people and communities. Through his words, his time, and his writing, he shares his thoughtfulness and offers the recipient a greater sense of peace, something we all need a little bit more of these days. His relationship with Project HOME began early in his career when he worked with our street outreach team. He brought some of that experience to his most recent book The Bottom: A Theopoetic of the Streets.
Reverend Howard is not only giving the proceeds of this book back to Project HOME, but he is also amplifying the powerful stories of our brothers and sisters experiencing homelessness. We share our gratitude to Mr. Howard and an excerpt from the book:
“Wait.
An overlooked unmentioned part of life on the streets.
Wait in line at the soup kitchen
Wait in line to check in at the shelter
Wait for the rain to stop
Wait for the SSI check to come
Wait for my caseworker to wrap up her phone call
Wait to die
Wait to live.”
Spreading More than Good Schmear
Kismet Bagels was born, like so many things, out of the pandemic. In early April 2020, Jacob and Alexandra Cohen started making bagels as a way to pass the time, but it quickly turned into a way to give back to the community. They baked bagels for neighbors and collected money to donate to Project HOME. They donated the entire proceeds of their first pop-up to our Grocery Lifeline program (see page 4 for more on Grocery LifeLine) which was over $1,200. Partnering with Project HOME again for the holidays, they raised over $1,300 and collected boxes and boxes of canned goods for Project HOME's Helen Brown Community Center food pantry.
The partnership they’ve built with us has been such a significant part of Kismet Bagels’ journey because that's the true reason why Alex and Jacob started their business, to help the community. The Cohens have committed to continually donating a portion of their sales to help local organizations and deliver over 3,000 delicious bagels to their community every weekend. We are so grateful to them for being partners with us in this journey to end and prevent homelessness.
