News Roundup March 17, 2017

Partnership between Philly Orchestra and KIPP provides instruments to students

In many District and charter schools throughout Philadelphia, art and music programs have disappeared due to budget cuts. But thanks to a new partnership launched between the Philadelphia Orchestra’s School Ensemble Program and KIPP Philadelphia Schools, students in KIPP West Philadelphia Preparatory Charter School and KIPP West Philadelphia Elementary Academy will have access to the orchestra and its musicians, instruments, and innovative music education programs, all while further engaging them in the arts. Read more. 

Cedar Park Neighbors seeking new board members

Do you live in Cedar Park and want to get more involved with the neighborhood? Here’s a great chance. The Cedar Park Neighbors (CPN), the recognized community organization for the Cedar Park neighborhood, is currently seeking new board members to serve the community for the next two years beginning in June 2017. Read more. 

Tokens on their way out: SEPTA Key Card expands

Starting Monday, March 13, SEPTA customers can fully transition to paying for their rides with a Key Card (just tap and go!). SEPTA is expanding the Travel Wallet feature to Market-Frankford Line, Broad Street Line and major bus loop fare kiosks, and riders will be able to purchase a Key Card at fair kiosks and load it with money starting on the following dates at the following Market-Frankford Line stations in West Philly. Read more. 

Jezabel's Cafe to spin off a shop in West Philadelphia

Jezabel Careaga, chef-owner of the Argentine-influenced Jezabel’s Café at 26th and Pine Streets, plans to branch out to West Philadelphia with a new shop opening this spring.

Jezabel's Studio (208 S. 45th St.) will mix food and retail in its 400 square feet: an area for guests to enjoy teas, including a mate tea that she has created for the shop as well as her signature empanadas and alfajores, the Argentine shortbread cookies that she learned to make back home. Read more. 

Kensington Community Food Co-Op Nears Goal to Open $1.9M Fresh Food Store, Bar

A Philadelphia community co-op is nearing its goal as it tries to raise enough money to open a grocery store focused on "fresh" and "local" food at the sight of a former bar.

The Kensington Community Food Co-op extended its "25 in 25" Campaign where mission-driven food distributor The Common Market pledged to match member donations up to $25,000. As of midweek, KCFC had gotten 90 percent to its goal.

This West Philadelphia bike shop is using its profits to serve the local community

Two doors down from the Neighborhood Bike Works office on 39th Street and Lancaster Avenue, the organization recently opened a used bicycle shop.

Neighborhood Bike Works is a West Philadelphia nonprofit that aims to empower youth through cycling initiatives and programming, and all the profits accrued from their bike shop go directly back into the youth programming. Many of their programs are staffed by volunteers, including some Penn and Drexel University students. Read more. 

Celebrate our Anniversary, donate to Planned Parenthood

As Cooperative Principle #7 states, "cooperatives work for the sustainable development of communities through policies and programs accepted by the members." This is why we are celebrating our anniversary by hosting donation drives throughout the month of March.

Hand selected by Mariposa staff, each organization is important to the progression of our community. Donate at the register the next time you shop and check back each week to find more information about each organization.

Planned Parenthood - Southeastern PA

March 15 - March 21

Total Donated: $1,443

Planned Parenthood believes that every child should be a wanted child. Then women and men can achieve the self-determination that makes families and societies strong. It is therefore Planned Parenthood's mission to protect and enhance reproductive freedom, to increase access to reproductive health services and information, and to promote sexual health. 

How you can help right now!

  1. Join Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates' email list.
  2. Vote!
  3. Contact your elected official and tell them to protect women's health.
  4. Support positive legislation - learn about the Pennsylvania Agenda for Women's Health and urge your lawmakers to sign on to the bills.
  5. Volunteer.
  6. Donate.
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Chocolate Covered Frozen Bananas

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Via Kara Stout

Via Kara Stout

Ingredients 

  • 4 ripe (but not brown) Equal Exchange bananas, bottoms trimmed, but unpeeled
  • 6 ounces Equal Exchange Organic Dark Chocolate, broken up (choose your favorite bar)
  • 1/4 cup cream (or vegan option= 1 tablespoon coconut oil)
  • 1/2 cup chopped topping of your choice (nuts, candied ginger, crushed cookies, coconut, etc.)

Preparation

  1. Peel bananas. Pierce each banana lengthwise with a wooden skewer freeze for at least 15 minutes, or wrap tightly in plastic or foil and freeze for up to a week.
  2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler (or self made double boiler), a small saucepan over very low heat, or the microwave. Whisk in the cream or coconut oil and transfer the chocolate mixture to a shallow bowl. If you're using nuts, put them on a plate next to the melted chocolate.
  3. Peel the plastic / foil off bananas, dip them first in the chocolate covering the banana completely, let the chocolate drip off and cool slightly then sprinkle with toppings. Wait a few minutes and then place bananas on a piece of parchment paper in the freezer. Repeat with all of the bananas. The chocolate will cool quickly, so if necessary, reheat chocolate.
  4. Freeze bananas for 30 minutes or until chocolate is hard. You can put them in a wax- paper-lined airtight container and freeze them for longer. 

Banana chocolate pieces modification: Peel bananas, cut into 1-2 inch chunks. Follow steps 2-4, but leave pieces on wax paper in freezer until chocolate is hard, then store in an airtight container.

 

Reprinted by Equal Exchange.

Celebrate our anniversary, donate to Project SAFE

As Cooperative Principle #7 states, "cooperatives work for the sustainable development of communities through policies and programs accepted by the members." This is why we are celebrating our anniversary by hosting donation drives throughout the month of March.

Hand selected by Mariposa staff, each organization is important to the progression of our community. Donate at the register the next time you shop and check back each week to find more information about each organization.

Project Safe

March 8 - March 14

Total Donated: $1,752

Established in Philadelphia in 2004, Project SAFE is an all-volunteer grassroots organization providing advocacy and support for women working in street economies. SAFE’s mission is to promote human rights-based public health among women working in the sex and drug trades on the street in Philadelphia*. SAFE is an organization dedicated to ensuring the health, safety and survival of women on the street by providing advocacy, education and support using a harm reduction model. SAFE seeks to reduce the spread of HIV, hepatitis C and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among working women, promote health and safety by empowering women with relevant information and resources, and connect women to programs and services which are appropriate to their needs and interests.

The primary problem that SAFE seeks to ameliorate is the fact that women who work in street economies have many unmet medical and social service needs. Although there are many groups and organizations in Philadelphia that provide the very services women say they want, these organizations are often unknown to and/or inept at providing services to SAFE’s constituents. This is not a new problem. An overwhelming need for accessible and non-judgmental services for the women who are the most criminalized, stigmatized and ostracized in our city has existed for far too long. The population that we work with and for is largely at an economic, educational and social disadvantage. Barriers such as illiteracy, lack of health insurance, legal problems (such as bench warrants), mental illness, mistrust of authority figures and service providers, and chaotic drug use are all factors which prevent women from accessing services to meet their basic needs. SAFE acts as a supportive and educational resource for these women to begin closing the gap.

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DIY Kombucha

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DIY Kombucha

A popular item for Mariposa shoppers, Kombucha is a bubbly, refreshing brew that also serves as a source of healthy probiotics.

Making kombucha can also be a fun and satisfying DIY project. The only challenge can be finding a scoby, the Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeasts that floats in your brew, infusing the liquid with good bacteria. To find a scoby, put the word out to your neighbors, friends, and fellow Co-op shoppers. Anyone who brews on a regular basis will have extras. Another strategy is to look at the bottles of plain, unflavored kombucha and select the one with the largest floating blob of scoby. Strain the drink, and use the contents of the strainer as your scoby culture. The starter tea, or already-brewed kombucha, is essential to acidify the brew enough to keep less desirable bacteria from flourishing, so don't skimp on this ingredient.

Ingredients

  • 14 cups purified water
  • 4-8 teabags (white, green or black, not caffeine-free herbal teas) or 4-8 teaspoons loose tea
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups starter tea (already-made kombucha; you can use bottled)
  • Scoby

Equipment

  • 1 gallon jar or crock, no metal
  • Thermometer
  • Strainer
  • Cloth to cover jar and rubber band or string to secure it
  • Bottles with good lids for finished kombucha

Preparation

  1. Start by sanitizing your jar, strainer, measuring cups and spoons and stirring spoon; either run them through the dishwasher or boil enough water to pour into the jar, drop the spoons and cups in, and then drain. Pour boiling water over the strainer. Let dry. Wash your hand thoroughly; don't use antibiotic soap.
  2. In a large pot, bring 2-3 cups of the purified water to a boil. Add the teabags or loose tea and steep for about 5-10 minutes, then remove the teabags, or strain into the clean one gallon jar. Stir the sugar into the hot tea until dissolved, then add the remaining water. Use your thermometer to check the temperature of the tea—you need it to drop to under 85⁰F. When the tea is cool, slip the scoby into the mixture. It should float, if it falls to the bottom and stays there it may be dead.
  3. Cover the jar with cloth and secure with the rubber band or string. Keep the jar in a warm spot; the kombucha will brew more quickly at 75- 80 degrees. If you live in a cooler climate, you may want to invest in a warming device, like a brew belt or a seed sprouting mat that doesn't get above 75 degrees. The kombucha takes 7-9 days in a warm room, but takes up to two weeks in a cool room.
  4. Check the kombucha daily. A layer of scoby should form on the surface, making a thin film at first, then growing thicker. Floating yeast colonies will form, and as your kombucha starts to bubble, they will rise and fall. After the first few days, put a straw down the side, to avoid disturbing the surface, and take a taste. At first it should taste like sweet tea, and gradually become less sweet and more fizzy, like plain bottled kombucha. It will smell like cider vinegar, but not taste that sour. If it starts to taste very sour, it is overdone, and some of the good bacteria are dying off.It is still useful as vinegar, so don't throw it away. When it is ready, remove the scoby and bottle the kombucha.
  5. If your scoby does not float, or a skin never forms on top of the brew, or any kind of visible mold occurs, discard and start over.
  6. Keep your scoby at room temperature in enough plain brewed kombucha to cover by an inch, or start a new batch immediately. They can keep, in a dark spot like a cupboard,for three months, as long as you keep replenishing the kombucha.
  7. For bubbly kombucha, bottle the tea with a strong lid and leave it out to carbonate itself by continuing to ferment overnight. Be very careful, since the bottles can explode. Some brewers recommend using plastic bottles for this process. When the plastic bottle becomes very firm when squeezedthe kombucha is done. Chill the tea to stop the action. Drink cold. The kombucha should keep for a month.
  8. To flavor your kombucha, pour flavored waters or juices into the bottles before adding the finished kombucha, or put slices of ginger root or zest right in the bottle.

 

Authored by Robin Asbell. Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop

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Fair Trade Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes

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Banana Pancakes

Ingredients 

  • 1 ½ c. flour
  • 1 Tbsp. sugar
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 ¼ c. milk
  • ½ c. Equal Exchange bananas, mashed (check your local food co-op!)
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • ½ c. Equal Exchange Chocolate Chips

Preparation 

  1. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in a large bowl.
  2. Mix milk, banana, egg and vanilla until well combined. Stir into the bowl of dry ingredients.
  3. Fold in ¼ cup of the chocolate chips.
  4. Spray your griddle with cooking oil and place over medium heat.
  5. Pour batter onto the griddle into the pancake size you desire. Make a stack of small ones, or a few extra large pancakes!
  6. Cook for about 2 minute, or until the tops begin to bubble. Then, flip the pancake and cook for another minute or until golden.
  7. Work your way through the batter, reapplying cooking spray as needed.
  8. Top your pancakes with more chocolate chips and serve.

 

Reprinted from Equal Exchange

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Become an owner, win free stuff

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Mariposa's 4824 Baltimore location is turning 5 this month! In addition to hosting donation drives for organizations that progress our community, we're holding an Owner Drive during the month of March to celebrate.

What do you get for joining? A whole lot! This is an exciting time to join as our Board Elections are around the corner. Upon joining, you will also automatically be entered to win a raffle basket of our favorite products (baskets pictured below). 

News Roundup March 3, 2017

West Philly History Map

People’s Emergency Center (PEC) and the Islamic Cultural Preservation and Information Council (ICPIC) create interactive historic map

West Philadelphia has often attracted national and international attention for its prominent role in our nation’s history. These neighborhoods west of the Schuylkill River have a rich cultural identity unique to the city of Philadelphia, making it a place of significance within a ‘city of firsts’.

This interactive map, a project of People’s Emergency Center (PEC) and the Islamic Cultural Preservation and Information Council (ICPIC) pinpoints sites of historic significance by both time and topic - ranging from the Lenape Indian in the 1600s to Malcom X and MLK in the 1960’s – up to the present day. Explore the map. 

 

Why Ambler Food Co-op is becoming a part of Weavers Way to open a community-owned grocery store

After five years of organizing as a start-up cooperative with the goal of opening its first community-owned grocery store in the Ambler area, Ambler Food Co-op (AFC) has found success as it works with Northwest Philadelphia-based cooperative Weavers Way to open a local Weavers Way store this July.

But while it may seem like a bittersweet victory — AFC will soon dissolve as an organization as its more-than 500 members voted unanimously Feb. 19 to transfer their memberships and assets to Weavers Way, as part of a partnership agreement — it’s evidence of how a co-op like AFC is willing to make the decisions that best benefit the community. Read more. 

 

10 things you should know about reentry in Philadelphia

It’s hard to find anyone who believes the criminal justice system is effective, and harder still to find someone who believes American prisons are doing a decent job of rehabilitating the people they house.

Yet, as much of a humanitarian crisis as mass incarceration is in the United States of America, an equally debilitating crisis is the one that follows.

What happens to incarcerated people when they are released from prison? Read more. 

 

Philadelphia gathering confronts health and water crisis

A People’s Assembly to “Confront Toxic Water & Hep C Crisis Threatening Lives of Mumia Abu-Jamal, other Prisoners and our Communities” was held on Feb. 18 in Philadelphia.

Contaminated water is plaguing prisoners in several prisons in Pennsylvania. The state is responsible for the health and welfare of people behind bars. But the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is refusing to provide clean water to prisoners that is not “dirty, brackish, turbid, even black” — as described in a grievance filed by Mumia Abu-Jamal, a political prisoner at State Correctional Institute Mahanoy. Read more. 

 

Just Announced: Porchfest returns to West Philly this June

Get your porches ready, people, because Porchfest is making a grand return to West Philly this summer on Saturday, June 3rd.

Porchfest organizer, Owen Lyman-Schmidt, first learned about the event concept when he accidentally took part in one in Massachusetts (for the full back story, click here.) After experiencing the incredible and lively community atmosphere, Lyman-Schmidt and his co-organizers knew they had to bring Porchfest to Philly. Read more. 

Celebrate our anniversary, donate to the Black & Brown Workers Collective

As Cooperative Principle #7 states, "cooperatives work for the sustainable development of communities through policies and programs accepted by the members." This is why we are celebrating our anniversary by hosting donation drives throughout the month of March.

Hand selected by Mariposa staff, each organization is important to the progression of our community. Donate at the register the next time you shop and check back each week to find more information about each organization.

Black & Brown Workers Collective 

March 1 - March 7

Total Donated: $3,321

Black and Brown Workers Collective

The Black and Brown Workers Collective (BBWC) is a direct action social justice entity that combats injustices manifested in both in and out of the non-profit organizational structure and in the broader community of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Our mission is to actively challenge, resist and dismantle, those colonialist, white supremacist and oppressive systems that impact our lives as Black and Brown workers. 

Most importantly, we seek to create our own spaces where Black and Brown labor and community will define the value of their own work while setting roots in communities that establish black and brown owned enterprise and collectively run spaces. Our philosophy is rooted in decolonization practices and organizing methodologies.

Our mission stands at the intersection of both the Worker's Right's movement and the Black Lives Matter movement. We see these two movements as inextricably connected as the lives of Black and Brown workers and community members are valued differently in a raced and classed system. Finally, as descendants of Warrior African/Indigenous peoples, we see it as our responsibility to continue the legacy of fighting for our Liberation. 

As a collective we recognize that true radical transformational work will not be funded by the government, but rather supported by community members like you. Because government funded initiatives control what organized community members and collectives can do on the ground, we have decided not to accept government money that silences our voices and stops the People’s Movement. 

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11 veggie noodles we’re drooling over

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Get more veggies in your life! Veggie noodles are often gluten-free and low carb.  

Rainbow Pad Thai

Eat the rainbow.

Carrot pasta with a creamy zesty garlic sauce

Carrot noodles will make any dish instagram-able

EASY SESAME CUCUMBER NOODLES

A take on cucumber salad.

“RAMEN” BURGERS WITH PARSNIP NOODLE BUNS

Parsnips cannot be ignored when it comes to veggie noodles.

Feed Me Phoebe

Feed Me Phoebe

ZUCCHINI NOODLES WITH CREAMY AVOCADO PESTO

Blend avocado for a creamy texture and healthy fats.

Coconut Curry With Sweet Potato Noodles

Sweet potatoes boost flavor and add extra vitamins.

FRENCH ONION ZOODLE BAKE

Bake noodles and cover with cheese for a winter time treat. 

Climbing Grier Mountain

Climbing Grier Mountain

Sweet Potato Noodles with Chorizo, Roasted Red Pepper, and Spinach

LEMON GARLIC ZUCCHINI NOODLES

A dish that can be ready to eat in 20 minutes. 

GARLICKY BUTTERNUT SQUASH NOODLES WITH SPINACH AND RICOTTA

Running to the Kitchen

Running to the Kitchen

CRISPY BAKED CURLY FRIES

Classic.