As a proud Penn Quaker who has written a book about the Ivy League and who tutored Philadelphia students as captain of the Penn boxing team and director of the Boxing Scholarship Foundation, I was thrilled to hear that some younger alumni were carrying on the proud Penn tradition of town and gown community support through the food space and just had to take a minute to tell everyone!
When they found the boxes of ingredients they were trying to distribute being turned down by residents who did not know how to use them, recent Penn grads Alexandre Imbot and Eli Moraru went to Harvard Law School’s Food Law and Policy Clinic to develop a new model that would allow and encourage people to use food stamps om foods they would actually eat. It is called The Community Grocer.
Serving as an antidote to the food deserts that exist in to many communities that are primarily inhabited by people of color, The Community Grocer partners with other organizations to help people who are involved with Federal food aid programs like SNAP stretch their dollars further while making food that is healthier and more nourishing for their families and the communities. They also encourage people to cook and eat at home more often, making healthier meals in a healthier environment.
By offering market space with social gathering rooms and classes about nutrition and other sustaining subjects ,and other offerings that are often not offered in many neighborhoods, the Community Grocer provides goods and services that are necessary for survival and growth and will hopefully offer a model that others can adopt and spread across the country and around the world.
Watch for the Community Grocer team in a future edition of Lions, Tigers, and…Bulldogs?
Founder Franklin would be proud!