TCG’s Summer Newsletter :)

June 6, 2024

Hello TCG Family!

There is a lot to celebrate this month and we are excited to share it!

For those just joining The Community Grocer on our journey to ensure everyone as access to the ingredients to live stronger, healthier lives - we welcome you! Our monthly newsletter keeps you up to date on all things TCG & ways to get involved.

In May — we partnered with Penn Medicine to launch a study, created a Community Advisory Board, formally closed on our $900,000 federally backed construction loan, started construction!! , and brought on an incredible group of summer interns. Keep reading to learn more about these exciting developments and more!

With grit and gratitude,

The TCG Team

Updates

Penn Medicine Nutrition - We are incredibly excited to announce that in tandem with our neighbors, Penn Medicine, the Perelman School of Medicine's Penn Center for Nutrition Science, and the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Informatics are launching a collaborative study called:

CHANGE

Community Health, Access to Nutrition, and Grocery Experiences

The study aims to assess the collective dietary quality, maternal health, diabetes distress and other health conditions of our neighbors living near our pilot location in West Philly. We are poised to co-create research and shared data that will serve as a key tool to inform TCG’s future efforts to meet the nutritional needs of our community.

The study will enroll 200-300 individuals living in Cobbs Creek as primary researchers and experts of Philadelphia's retail food environment. Participants will be compensated $40 for their time to complete a 40 minute survey. If interested, contact TCG to learn if you qualify to participate in the survey! Stay tuned to meet the doctors and researches onboard in next month’s news letter.

Construction Updates:

Work is underway and speedily progressing at 627 S 60th Street!

Crews are currently excavating the basement, with about 80% or 1,600 cubic feet of old concrete and dirt removed - a prerequisite to get the ceiling clearance to transform our basement into a mid supply chain food aggregator and processor - i.e. where we make our recipe meal kits!

Weekly updates are live and posted on our website at the link below:

Click here to learn more!

10,000th Neighbor Served at Denise’s Friday Food Pantry!

We are thrilled to celebrate the success of our partnership with Denise's Food Pantry at the Boys and Girls Club of West Philly. Together, we are beyond proud to announce that we served our 10,000th neighbor in May!!

To expand our provisions and reach our goal of TRIPLING our capacity to serve. We humbly ask for your continued support through donations so we can provide for 30,000 of our neighbors. Every contribution will make a difference in our ability to provide food, hope, and love.

Hard Hat Tours - We are continuing to host hard hat tours every Friday as our building is under construction! If you haven't had a chance to join one of our tours: sign up here!

CHANGE Study Community Advisory Board

In tandem with the Penn Medicine CHANGE study, we are excited to announce the creation of the Community Advisory Board.

Ms. T, Mr. Reeves, Ms. Lisa, Ms. Bird, Ms. Veronica, Ms. Gwen, and Ms.Tammy, thank you!

Board members will play an integral role in educating and training the study team. The board has also provided invaluable feedback on survey design — from how to recruit participants, to what questions to ask.

Asks

Every contribution, no matter how small, will make a difference in our ability to provide food and hope. Together, we can build on our success and ensure that everyone has access to only the best ingredients prepared in a wonderfully flavorful way. We are humbly requesting $3000 to purchase four Vitamix blenders, which will enable us to offer fresh, high-quality smoothies to our community this summer.

Double Your Impact!

WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING CORPORATE MATCH DONATIONS!

Contact your employer to double your impact today.

BRING OUR COLLECTIVE VISION TO REALITY

We need your support! We are looking to fundraise $25,000 to fully fund our entire summer internship program and train our neighbors to complete the National NHANES Survey in conjunction with Penn Perelman School and CHOP. If every person who opened this newsletter donated just $50 and sent it to two friends, we’d be halfway to our goal by the end of the day! Donate below to join our campaign!

DONATE HERE

Ways to Donate:

Credit Card, Debit Card, Pay-Pal, Venmo- click HERE
Through Your Donor Advised Fund with Chariot
Send a check addressed to TCG Groceries at 135 S. 20th St., Unit 1501 Philadelphia PA, 19103
Donate Stock! Email info@thecommunitygrocer.org with the subject line “Stock Gift” for next steps

Gratitude

We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the following individuals and groups who have significantly impacted TCG this month. Whether through their expertise, support, or encouraging words, we are deeply thankful for their contributions to our family:

Noah Kagan! Noah flew out Eli to Austin to provide key mentorship on how we can stay true to our mission. Thank you for your wisdom and for making the trip an incredible opportunity for growth.
Our amazing pro-bono legal team from Ballard Spahr: Paige, Lisa, and Tina. We are beyond grateful for your support and dedication to bringing TCG to life.
Ms. T, Mr. Reeves, Ms. Lisa, Ms. Bird, Ms. Veronica, Ms. Gwen, and Ms. Tammy. We are eternally grateful for your expertise and steadfast support since the beginning of this journey!
The Penn Medicine team, for joining us, believing in and contributing significantly to our mission.
The Food Trust team, for your continued dedication and resources. Your work truly been a testament to the power of collective effort and the spirit of giving that defines our community.
Terence Meehan, for your insightful advice and wonderful conversation. Your wisdom and thoughtful perspectives have provided us with valuable guidance and clarity.

Interns

This month we added amazing group of interns to the TCG team! Special thanks to Amie, Aditya, Lasya, Sophia, Ani, Zion, Nathaniel, and Fio for joining us this summer! We are confident in each of them and their respective abilities to help us bring our collective vision to reality!

Article Shoutout

We are pleased to be featured in this article from The Conversation highlighting the challenges of effectively communicating impact in the philanthropic sector. The study discussed in the article emphasizes the need for clear, jargon-free storytelling to build trust and understanding. At TCG, our commitment to transparent communication and impactful storytelling is a testament to our mission of fostering community understanding and trust. Read the full article to see how these insights align with our efforts and recognize us for leading the way in effective communication within the community.

Link to Article

Thank you for supporting TCG on our journey to reinvent the corner store and reimagine nutritional assistance. Together we will ensure food justice for all!

With grit and gratitude,

The TCG Family

Any questions or comments? Please email info@thecommunitygrocer.org

MORE OF TCG

The Community Grocer

627 S 60th Street

Philadelphia, PA 19143

https://www.thecommunitygrocer.org/

Mailing Address: 135 S. 20th St, Unit 1501

Philadelphia, PA 19103

By The Community, For The Community