Daily Service Trips

The Aquinas Center
Monday, March 14 and Thursday, March 17

The Aquinas Center is located on 1700 Fernon St. in South Philadelphia. “Amidst a national narrative of exclusion, Aquinas Center has emerged as a safe, welcoming place where neighbors and visitors can experience radical hospitality, where each person finds a seat at the table, and where beauty and belonging prevail.” Their program is inspired by Pope Francis’ message about the significance of ‘encountering others’ in Christian relationships. Due to the current health crisis, the Aquinas Center is hosting one day service experiences for students where they will be offered socially distanced opportunities to serve the members in need in the local community.  Weather permitting, they will go on a neighborhood tour, receive educationally relevant presentations about the situation of South Philadelphia, and be guided in reflections about faith and justice topics. http://aquinascenterphilly.org/

Sisters of Saint Joseph Neighborhood Center, Camden, NJ Wednesday, March 16

Rooted in a love of God and neighbor without distinction, the Sisters of Saint Joseph Neighborhood Center fosters a sense of community, uniting neighbor to neighbor and neighborhood to neighborhood, in the Cramer Hill section of Camden, NJ and beyond by providing opportunities for connection, enrichment, and empowerment.  We will be assisting with the Community Food Pantry during our day of service. Distributing food from the South Jersey Food Bank and from generous donors, the food pantry offers fresh produce, frozen food, and canned goods as well as a variety of other donated items including toiletries, bedding, and paper goods. 

LUCY Outreach, Camden, NJ
Friday, March 18

LUCY Outreach was established to address the particular challenges and setbacks–teen delinquency, gang and drug recruitment and involvement, substance abuse in the home, teen pregnancy, a struggling public school system–faced by urban youth growing up in America’s poorest and most dangerous city. In recognizing the critical role that each system–homes, families, schools, neighborhoods and friends–plays in a youth’s world, LUCY Outreach seeks to enhance their quality of life by filling the void of positive programming, by encouraging participants to work within their community, and by providing community services, resources, and support.  We will have a chance to support several of their youth programs, as well as learn about the center from their staff and members.  https://www.lucyoutreach.org/