East Park Revitalization Alliance

Description

The East Park Revitalization Alliance (EPRA) is a community-based, non-profit organization located in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood of North Philadelphia. EPRA was started in 2003 by neighborhood residents seeking to build a healthy community by focusing on innovative approaches to health promotion and environmental improvement. We currently operate the "Healthy Choices" after-school and summer program for up to 60 neighborhood children as well as a weekly food pantry that serves up to 50 households. As part of our food access and environmental programming, we maintain two vegetable gardens and a fruit orchard. These spaces serve as outdoor learning spaces for children and adults. Produce from the gardens is donated to our food pantry, sold at a low cost directly to the community, and harvested by neighbors. In conjunction with our garden program, we also employ two teenagers from the neighborhood, work with about 15 youth who live adjacent to the gardens, and support approximately eleven neighborhood vegetable gardeners with materials, knowledge, physical assistance, or gardening space. Additionally, we operate programming to connect neighborhood residents to the adjacent park and have planted over 800 trees in the community.