A Campaign for Working Families volunteer at work. (Photo courtesy of CWF)

Looking for a meaningful way to make an impact in West Philly this winter? Campaign for Working Families (CWF) is recruiting volunteers for the 2026 tax season.

Each year, thousands of Philadelphians rely on free, trustworthy tax preparation to access the refunds and tax credits they’ve earned. Through CWF’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, trained community volunteers help low- to moderate-income families file accurate tax returns at no cost. Your time and compassion can directly support residents in reducing financial stress, building stability, and keeping more money in their pockets.

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ACCT Philly is hosting a free pet vaccine clinic and food pantry on Saturday, July 26 in Saunders Park, located at 39th and Powelton. The clinic will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will include DHPP & Rabies vaccinations for dogs and FVRCP & Rabies vaccination for cats. Folks can also pick up some food and supplies for their pets.

ACCT is currently recruiting volunteers who can help make this event successful. Some slots have already been filled but many still remain open. ACCT especially needs help filling the following roles:

• Vaccinators (must be trained in administering vaccines)
• Vaccine Assistants (animal restraint support)
• Vaccine Prep (drawing up/preparing vaccines)

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Photo by Albert Yee for Fairmount Park Conservancy.

Love Your Park Week, the annual celebration of Philadelphia’s public parks, will be held from May 10-18.

Organized by partners Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Fairmount Park Conservancy, and the Park Friends Network, this year’s Love Your Park Week features more than 100 local park volunteer groups hosting cleanups throughout the city to prepare Philadelphia’s parks for the busy spring and summer seasons.

The public is invited to sign up at the park of their choosing. Love Your Park Week will also feature free and low-cost activities focused on enjoying and exploring Philadelphia’s parks, from family yoga to birding tours.

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This Monday, Jan. 20, we are celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Day. To honor his legacy, special events and volunteer opportunities have been scheduled in West Philadelphia by local groups and organizations.

A street renaming and awards ceremony in honor of Dr. King will take place on Monday from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at 40th and Lancaster, the exact place where he delivered a historic speech on August 3, 1965. More than 10,000 people came to listen to Dr. King speak on that day. To commemorate this event, a historical marker and a mural were unveiled at the intersection of 40th Street and Lancaster and Haverford Avenues in 2010, but this Monday, community members are invited to celebrate the renaming of the triangle to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Triangle. The ceremony will begin at 2:30 p.m. and feature the following speakers:

• Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (3rd District)
• Jim Brown, community leader who led the effort to rename the street
• Joe Walker, community leader who has been leading the effort to memorialize this site since 2009
• Community leaders, faith leaders, neighbors

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For many years, local community organization, Cedar Park Neighbors, in collaboration with area churches and other nonprofit organizations, has been preparing and distributing food baskets for neighbors in need during the holiday season. This holiday season is no exception. As always, to make this great initiative a success, CPN is holding their annual Holiday Basket Drive. Suggested donation this year is $45, which will help feed two families.

Donations are accepted online at: https://donorbox.org/holiday-basket. Payments can also be sent to: Cedar Park Neighbors Holiday Baskets, Calvary Community Center, 4740 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19143.

CPN members and volunteers will be packing and distributing the baskets on Saturday, Dec. 21, from 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. at Renewal Presbyterian Church, located on the corner of 47th and Cedar Avenue. Please feel free to contact the event organizer, Michelle Lewis, at mlewis1071@gmail.com if you would like to volunteer or are interested in donating bulk items. Also, feel free to ask any questions by email.

Photo by Albert Yee for Fairmount Park Conservancy

Over 100 Philadelphia parks need help preparing for the winter season and will host clean-up service events during Love Your Park Fall Weekend (November 8-10). Love Your Park is a program of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and Fairmount Park Conservancy, in partnership with the Park Friends Network, made up of 140 volunteer groups who steward their neighborhood parks.

Love Your Park Fall Weekend is dedicated to service and celebration in Philadelphia’s parks. Every fall, thousands of volunteers mobilize over the course of one weekend to care for their neighborhood green spaces by planting trees, raking leaves, cleaning up litter, and more to help prepare parks for the winter.

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