News Roundup: April 22, 2016

Stay updated about what’s happening in our community. Have something to share? Please contact marketing@mariposa.coop

Bridging the Art Gap

It’s a typical Saturday night on south 52nd Street. Neighbors spill out onto the sidewalk from delis and barbecue restaurants and barbers and sneaker stores that line the commercial corridor, once called the “Main Street” of West Philadelphia. Read more.

SEPTA Will Soon Be Looking for Early Key Card Adopters

SEPTA will soon be looking for 10,000 people to test out their new fare payment system – SEPTA Key Card – starting in June. We know what you’re thinking … you’ve heard this before. But this time SEPTA appears to be almost ready to go. Read more.

Philadelphia Awarded $3.5 Million to Reduce Prison Population

Philadelphia received a $3.5 million MacArthur Foundation grant to fund a plan to reduce the city’s prison population by 34 percent over three years by keeping appropriate non-violent offenders out of prison, more quickly moving those already incarcerated back out into the community, and seeking alternatives to prison for other offenders, reports Philly.com. Read more.

Philadelphia Makes Another Prime Showing in Latest Knight Cities Challenge

After nabbing more project grants than any other U.S. city in the Knight Foundation's inaugural 2015 Knight Cities Challenge, Philly has more reasons to be proud. As announced at an April 12 celebration at Reading Terminal Market (RTM), local winners received the largest share of the national grant program’s $5 million pool for 2016: over $873,000 for four local initiatives. Read more.

News Roundup: April 15, 2016

Stay updated about what's happening in our community. Have something to share? Please contact marketing@mariposa.coop

Philly Spring Cleanup is Saturday, Apr. 16; Multiple volunteer projects in West Philly

The city will hold its 9th annual Spring Cleanup on Saturday, Apr. 16 (rescheduled from Apr. 9 due to inclement weather forecast). More than 800 cleanup projects have been registered throughout the city, including dozens in West Philadelphia. Community involvement is essential and many projects are still seeking volunteers. Residents are also encouraged to step outside their buildings, pick up trash and remove debris or check out empty lots nearby for litter. Read more.

Find your next job at INTER/VIEW

This April, Generocity wants you to get a job. Not just any job — one that lets you do good and do well at the same time. Philly is seeing investment and social enterprise grow locally, and organizations are starting to take notice that potential employees are looking for more than a way to pay the bills. They’re looking for a way to give back. Read more.

How local artists are communicating hard facts about the ‘new Jim Crow’

Mass incarceration is undeniably real, and the facts are laid out in Michelle Alexander‘s 2010 book “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.” But the book is dense and difficult to digest, drowning out data that should serve as a call to action:

• There are over 2.4 million people imprisoned in the U.S. That’s the most of any country, and has increased over 500 percent since the Nixon administration declared a “war on drugs.”
• Of those 2.4 million, 60 percent are people of color.
• 75 percent of people convicted for drug charges are of color. This has resulted in the disenfranchisement of over 2 million people of color — 7.7 percent of black adults, compared to 1.8 percent of non-people of color.

Read more.

West Philly Porchfest – Info Meeting and Hype Session

Porchfest – a free, one-day, decentralized festival of music-making on porches all over the neighborhood – is coming to West Philly! Porchfest is scheduled for SATURDAY, JUNE 4th – save the date! In the mean time, come to our kick-off meeting/hype session to get pumped up for the big day, learn more about it and get involved in making it happen! Read more.

20 Book Clubs, 20 Cooperative Businesses

We’re thrilled to announce that PACA staff member Caitlin Quigley is a winner of the Knight Cities Challenge with her project “20 Book Clubs, 20 Cooperative Businesses!” Caitlin and PACA were awarded a $146,000 grant by the Knight Foundation to implement this exciting new project. The Knight Cities Challenge named 37 winners out of a pool of over 4,500 applicants. Read more.

Passing Of A Farmer & A Friend

Mary Ann Thompson of Paradise Hill Farm in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey supplied us with the best local cranberries and loose blueberries for over 10 years.  We are sorry to share that she unexpectedly passed away recently. Over the last 10+ years she became a good friend to the Co-op and we will really miss her. Mary Ann created a unique and special place in South Jersey. She had almost 1,000 acres of land that has been in her family for over 100 years, about 200 in cranberry production, 8-10 in blueberries, the rest is forested and home to some of NJ's endangered species. Mary Ann had recently gotten her farm certified organic and was the largest independent cranberry grower in the state and we swear her blueberries were the best tasting we've ever had. She will be missed for her great sense of humor, devotion to the land, wit, care for her workers, great produce and much more.

Promotion of Bull Gervasi to Interim General Manager

We are pleased to announce the promotion of Bull Gervasi to the position of Interim General Manager from Nov. 2nd-April 30th. As many of you know Sam McCormick, our current Operations Coordinator, will be leaving Mariposa at the end of December. In anticipation of her departure from the Co-op the Board of Delegates, on recommendation from the Management Structure Committee, have hired Bull Gervasi as the Interim General Manager. He will bridge the gap between Sam’s departure and a longer-term Transitional General Manager who will begin in early spring to help us work toward a more cooperatively run store.

Bull has been a dedicated member at Mariposa Food Cooperative for 18 years, a staff member for 15 years, and was instrumental in transitioning the co-op into our new building in 2012. He has been working as the Produce and Facilities coordinator, and has consistently shown his passion and love for the store through his hard work and extensive knowledge of the operations of the Co-op.

In assuming his new duties as Interim General Manager Bull will oversee the overall management of the store. Bull will train with Sam McCormick for the next two months before taking on the full responsibility of his new position. Bull is serving a crucial role for the Co-op, and the Board of Delegates is both thankful and excited to have him step up as the Interim General Manager.

Please join us in extending our congratulations to Bull! We hope you all will be supportive of him as he assumes his new role. In addition, the Board acknowledges the many people who are stepping up to make this change possible. The Produce and Facilities roles that Bull is temporarily stepping out of are being filled internally by Meghan Dinneen in Produce and Rocky Font-Soloway in Facilities. Please take a few moments to extend your personal congratulations to them if you see them in the store. We are sure your kind words will be greatly appreciated!

Lastly, a huge thank you to the entire staff for all of your hard work. While no transition is easy it is a testament to all of your skills and effort that Mariposa has the talent on hand to help Bull step into this role. It is our honor and our joy, to be on this adventure with you to make Mariposa the best it can be.

Parking Notice

With the holidays steadily approaching, we wanted to inform our neighbors that Mariposa Food Co-op will be occupying several parking spaces on the south side of Baltimore Avenue outside and slightly west of our storefront. Temporary No Parking will be in effect from Thursday, November 19th through Tuesday, December 1st. Signs will be put up several days before as a reminder.  

Please contact facilities@mariposa.coop if you have any questions.