Mark your calendar for Livewell Garden Projects

Livewell Garden Projects @ Howard & Master

All are invited to participate.

Meet us in the garden space: Northeast corner of Howard and Master Streets

Saturday, March 20 @ 10am (rain date Sunday): Clean up, brush management

Saturday, April 24 @ 10am (rain date Sunday): Modification of chain link fence, gazebo maintenance

Saturday, May 22 @ 10am (rain date Sunday): Gazebo maintenance part 2, spring planting of annuals and perennials

We ask that all participants wear appropriate attire and bring work gloves. We will follow current COVID protocols and ask participants to wear a mask and practice social distancing.

PPP (Payroll Protection Program) NEW RULES!!

Small Business Owners: What You Need To Know About The New PPP Rules
Morgan Simon, Forbes

Are you a small business owner, working on your own or with less than 20 employees? Do you have student debt, a felony record, or are you a Green Card holder? The Biden administration announced five major changes in the Payroll Protection Program this week, which could make a big difference in making sure your application reaches the front of the line this time around.

Here are the updates:
1. Less restrictions on formerly incarcerated small business owners
2. More access for immigrant business owners
3. No more penalizing business owners with student loans
4. Two-week focus period for business owners with less than 20 employees
5. No more restrictions on business owners without a payroll

Read here for details.

Check out this guide for first-time applicants.

IMPORTANT SURVEYS: Septa & City of Philadelphia

SEPTA Winter 2021 COVID-19 Travel Survey

In 2020, we asked you whether or not you were traveling on SEPTA during the pandemic. We would like to hear from you again in our Winter 2021 COVID-19 Travel Survey. You'll notice some differences with the new survey, but the goal remains the same: To help us improve our service and keep our passengers and employees safe.

Click here to participate

As the city recovers from the devastating and racially disproportionate impact of COVID-19, Philadelphians -- now more than ever -- are looking for critical services and resources that address their needs. In order to better understand those needs and the best ways to respond to them, we need to hear from community members like you.

Please share your thoughts with our 5-minute survey.
The deadline for responses is Saturday, March 13, 2021.

Click here for more information on the Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity.

SKCP Virtual Community Meeting

Click here to register in advance.

FREE FOOD PICKUP

Get the flyer here
Looking for Volunteers: If you have a car or truck and want to help with Saturday deliveries, please call and leave a message @ 215-427-3463

PPD Domestic Violence Seminar Series

Upcoming Service Area Briefing with the Philly Register of Wills!

Flyer for March 23 Service Area Briefing with the Register of Wills. Click image to register for the Zoom meeting.

SKCP COMMUNITY ZONING VIRTUAL MEETING

Wednesday, FEBRUARY 24th at 6.30 pm.

To register for the meeting click here

You may also sign up by calling South Kensington Community Partners’ office at 215-427-3463 and leaving a message with your name and number. SKCP will provide reasonable accommodation to any neighbor that requests additional assistance with joining the meeting or otherwise submitting feedback on the project.

The sites to be discussed at the meeting are the following:

• 6.30pm 1539 N American Street (view here the plan).

• 7.30pm 1640 N Hancock Street (view here the plan).

We will have limited time for questions during the virtual meeting. To ensure your question is answered, please review project materials in advance of the meeting and submit any questions to rco@southkensingtoncommunity.org and include the project name in the email subject line.

FREE FOOD PICKUP

Get the flyer here
Looking for Volunteers: If you have a car or truck and want to help with Saturday deliveries, please call and leave a message @ 215-427-3463

Philadelphia COVID-19 Restaurant and Gym Relief Program

The Commerce Department & the Office of Business Services wanted to connect with the Restaurant and Gym business community to answer all questions about the Philadelphia COVID-19 Restaurant and Gym Relief Program. The Philadelphia COVID-19 Restaurant and Gym Relief Program (RGRP) is designed to provide financial relief to small businesses located in Philadelphia that have been among the most adversely affected by the latest round of pandemic-related restrictions enacted in November 2020. Eligible businesses are limited to restaurants with indoor dining, gyms, and businesses whose primary activity is indoor exercise. This event provides a platform for business owners to ask questions verbally or via chat, that will be answered in an open forum.
Applications will open on January 28, 2021 and the deadline to apply is February 9, 2021.

Click here for details and to register.

FREE FOOD DISTRIBUTION RETURNS

Saturday, January 30th - Food Distribution Returns

SKCP and the Arab American CDC will be distributing FREE boxes of healthy food through the Farm to Families program every Saturday beginning January 30th at 4pm in the parking lot of Al Aqsa Islamic Society at 1501 Germantown Avenue.

No ID or proof of income is needed. *Distribution is "first come first serve" so it is best to arrive before or as close to 4pm as possible. There will be a line, but it will move quickly. One allotment per family but you can pick up for an elder or neighbor. Offerings vary by week but include fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, bread, chicken, eggs, and bread. Masks are required and we ask that you maintain social distancing to protect yourself, our neighbors and volunteers.

We are able to offer some delivery to nearby (19122/23) seniors, immune compromised, and households unable to make it to the distribution site. If you would like to request delivery OR assist those on your block, OR if you want to volunteer to assist with distribution/delivery please leave a message at 215-427-3463.

Together with the AACDC, we offer our Gratitude and Appreciation to the Share Food Program & to Penn Treaty Special Services District (PTSSD) for the additional support that enables us to extend our offerings and support more households. Much appreciation also to neighborhood businesses Al Amana Grocery, and Lost Bread Co for their generous donations of time, space, and product. And of course, to all our neighbors including everyone who receives food and all those who volunteer to help.

Find free food and meals during COVID-19 clicking here.

COVID-19 NEWS

The City is encouraging residents to sign up online and complete the Vaccine Interest Form to express interest in receiving the vaccine as it becomes available.

Visit https://covid-vaccine-interest.phila.gov
to complete the form.

---

An illustrated guide to how the COVID-19 vaccines work
Tom Avril and Dominique DeMoe, Philadelphia Inquirer
It is impossible for the RNA vaccines to cause infection. And no, they can’t change your DNA. The first two COVID-19 vaccines to be distributed, one made by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE, the other by Moderna Inc., are the first such drugs to consist of genetic instructions in the form of RNA: ribonucleic acid.
Here is a step-by-step description of the process, written with guidance from University of Pennsylvania scientist Drew Weissman, whose work with former colleague Katalin Karikó, now at BioNTech, helped make the vaccines possible.

View here the Myths

School District of Philadelphia Updates

The City continues to operate access centers for students who need a safe location to participate in virtual learning – registration is required.
For more information visit https://www.phila.gov/programs/access-centers/

Kindergarten registration for Fall 2021 is now open. Visit https://www.philasd.org/studentplacement/services/kindergarten-registration/

The District has opened 6 Specialized Services Regional Centers citywide to safely provide in-person services for students with special needs, including student assessments and IEPs (by appointment). More info at https://www.philasd.org/blog/2021/01/13/district-to-open-specialized-services-regional-centers-for-students-with-special-needs/

SKCP COMMUNITY ZONING VIRTUAL MEETING

Wednesday, JANUARY 27th at 6.30 pm.

To register for the meeting click here

You may also sign up by calling South Kensington Community Partners’ office at 215-427-3463 and leaving a message with your name and number. SKCP will provide reasonable accommodation to any neighbor that requests additional assistance with joining the meeting or otherwise submitting feedback on the project.

The site to be discussed at the meeting is the following:

• 6.30pm 1522-24 N 4th STREET, view here the plan.

We will have limited time for questions during the virtual meeting. To ensure your question is answered, please review project materials in advance of the meeting and submit any questions to rco@southkensingtoncommunity.org and include the project name in the email subject line.

WINC: Women in Nontraditional Careers Institute

2nd Annual Women in Nontraditional Careers (WINC) Institute:
“She’s Still Standing, Stand With Her”
January, 26 -28
4:00-6:30 PM

Our focus is on 3 industries in the Philadelphia region: construction, manufacturing and transit. We welcome tradeswomen and allies from industry, unions, education/training, government and nonprofits.
Learn best practices, network and celebrate the resilience of Philadelphia-area tradeswomen during the challenges this past year.

• Workshops on best practices for recruiting and retaining women, practical safety and health tips for tradeswomen, mentorship models to retain tradeswomen

• Hear from tradeswomen about their experiences

• Discover new resources to encourage and support more youth and adult women to build their careers in the trades in construction, manufacturing and transit

Register now for access to all of the virtual sessions.

Lost Bread Co. Virtual Baking Demonstration

Wednesday, January 27th
5:30 p.m.

The brains behind Lost Bread Co. are determined to bring back a variety of healthy and delicious grains that were lost to the mass production of white flour. Join WHYY for a virtual demonstration of Lost Bread Co.'s take on an American classic: whole grain chocolate chip cookies. After the demonstration, bring your questions for a Q&A.
Choose the WHYY Basket ticket and Lost Bread Co. will curate a basket of baking basics for the whole grain chocolate chip cookie demonstration!

Register here to receive the virtual event link via email.

Moratorium on Evictions & Renters Assistance

The CDC has extended their moratorium on evictions for non-payment through March 31, 2021.
To be protected you need to follow important steps. Click here for more information, and for other local, state and federal tenant protections.
The Philadelphia Eviction Prevention Project is here to assist you. Call 267-443-2500 for free legal advice and possible representation!
More details here.

The City of Philadelphia is helping renters stay in their homes. One way is by offering emergency rental assistance to help tenants who have lost income due to COVID-19. Rental assistance helps landlords too.
To date there have been three rounds of rental assistance for Philadelphia tenants:

• Phase 1 accepted applications in mid-May

• Phase 2 accepted applications between July and November 4th.

• Phase 3 Tenants eligible for Phase 3 received an email notification. The deadline for submitting Phase 3 information is February 12, 2021.

• Phase 4 opening up in March.

Read more here.

PPP = Paycheck Protection Plan Funding

PPP at Community First
SBA Paycheck Protection Program Loan
A new round of funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), administered by the SBA, continues the availability of much-needed financial support for eligible small businesses to help keep employees and stay open safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. To provide the highest level of customer service, we are dividing applications into two different categories: 1. Second-Time Community First Fund PPP Borrowers, and 2. First-Time Community First Fund PPP Borrowers.

Read more here and to start your application.

UPDATE: Saturday Free Food Distribution

SKCP and the Arab American CDC will be distributing FREE boxes of healthy food through the Farm to Families program every Saturday beginning January 30th at 4pm in the parking lot of Al Aqsa Islamic Society at 1501 Germantown Avenue.

No ID or proof of income is needed. *Distribution is "first come first serve" so it is best to arrive before or as close to 4pm as possible. There will be a line, but it will move quickly. One allotment per family but you can pick up for an elder or neighbor. Offerings vary by week but include fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, bread, chicken, eggs, and bread. Masks are required and we ask that you maintain social distancing to protect yourself, our neighbors and volunteers.

We are able to offer some delivery to nearby (19122/23) seniors, immune compromised, and households unable to make it to the distribution site. If you would like to request delivery OR assist those on your block, OR if you want to volunteer to assist with distribution/delivery please leave a message at 215-427-3463.

Together with the AACDC, we offer our Gratitude and Appreciation to the Share Food Program & to Penn Treaty Special Services District (PTSSD) for the additional support that enables us to extend our offerings and support more households. Much appreciation also to neighborhood businesses Al Amana Grocery, and Lost Bread Co for their generous donations of time, space, and product. And of course, to all our neighbors including everyone who receives food and all those who volunteer to help.

Find free food and meals during COVID-19 clicking here.

GUN BUYBACK

City Council, Anti-Violence Activists, Civic Leaders To Sponsor
First Gun Buy Back Events of 2021

Individuals will be able to turn in working handguns or semi-automatic firearms only - safely and confidentially and in return will receive a $100 gift certificate to Brown’s ShopRite stores in Philadelphia. Funding for the gift certificates is provided through a generous grant from the Greenfield Foundation