The annual 3rd District Toy Drive is underway and this is a great opportunity to make holidays brighter for local families and children in need. The Office of Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, who represents the 3rd District, is accepting donations of new, unwrapped toys through Thursday, Dec. 18. Here’s how you can participate in the drive:

• Bring your donation to the 3rd District Office located at 606 S. 52nd St. or Room 316 at City Hall. Donations are accepted Monday through Thursday during office hours.

• Contribute online via one of the wishlists.

Toy giveaway will take place on Saturday, Dec. 20 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the 3rd District Office (606 S. 52nd St) and families are asked to register by Dec. 19, 12 p.m.. Check out the flyer below for more details.

Continue Reading

Cedar Park Neighbors (CPN) has kicked off its annual Holiday Baskets campaign. In collaboration with area churches and other nonprofit organizations, CPN will prepare and distribute food baskets for neighborhood residents in need during the holiday season. As always, to make this campaign successful, CPN is asking for community support.

This year, a suggested donation is $50, which will help feed two families, but any amount is appreciated. Please use this link to submit your donation: https://donorbox.org/cpnholidaybaskets

Continue Reading

The 2025 Philadelphia Marathon events will be held this weekend, with races on Saturday, Nov. 22 (half marathon) and Sunday, Nov. 23 (marathon). Both of these events will begin at 6:55 a.m.

As always during this annual event, many roads will be closed to accommodate runners. Streets will be closed in many parts of the city from Friday, Nov. 21, through Sunday, Nov. 23. The closures will be implemented on a rolling basis. Traffic delays can be expected, and motorists are advised to use alternate routes and allow for extra driving time.

The streets and roads impacted by closures in West Philadelphia on Saturday, Nov. 22 include:

Continue Reading

A great West Philly tradition is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The 25th Annual Peoplehood Parade & Pageant, Spiral Q’s hand-made people-powered celebration of solidarity, creativity, and courage, is on Saturday, Nov. 8. It’s a day of participatory theater, live music, giant puppets, and a celebration that reminds us of our collective power and the importance of joining together.

Peoplehood starts with a parade that marches from the Paul Robeson House to Clark Park where the day culminates in a Pageant performance that celebrates the city’s vibrant communities, and collective vision for a more just and joyful Philadelphia. Peoplehood isn’t just a single Parade day, but a month-long art-making and community building process that takes hundreds of artists, organizers, families and students to create.

Continue Reading

Halloween is in two days and if you’re planning to walk around the neighborhood with your kids, family or friends, check out the first-ever West Philly Fright Registry created by a West Philly resident, Dyresha Harris.

Dozens of West Philly residents and some organizations have registered their address for various spooky season happenings or activities since our first post about it in early October. You can browse the database or use the map (see the screenshot above), just enter your zip code in the search window, to find out what your neighbors are up to on Halloween – from giving out candy, to decorations, to events.

More information on how to use the Registry is available here. And to find out how Dyresha came up with this “spooktacular” idea, click here.

Also, don’t forget about the annual Spruce Hill Halloween Tot Parade (more info is here).

West Philadelphia is known for celebrating creative people – musicians, performers, visual artists, craftspeople and more. As the fall season settles in, there is an exciting opportunity to bring neighborhoods together with the 10th Annual Halloween-themed House, Block and Business decoration contest organized by the HopePHL Neighborhood Advisory Committee (NAC). This fun, community-wide activity offers more than just a chance for creativity and a few frights—it has fostered a sense of unity, safety, and holiday spirit among residents.

HopePHL’s NAC uses the annual contest to promote their services, supported by funding from the City of Philadelphia Division of Housing and Community Development. The NAC assists community members with delinquent property taxes, mortgage Foreclosure Prevention and Tangled Title deed issues. The NAC also connects residents to many city services like 311 and City ID and assistance with utility costs.

Continue Reading