7th Annual IMPACT Award
From
GlaxoSmithKline
109 E. Price Street
Philadelphia, PA 19144
215-438-7939
Fax 215-843-8040
Executive Director: Eileen Smith
Year Founded: Dining room opened, 1985;
Face to Face incorporated, 1996.
Mission: Concentrating its efforts in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Face to Face takes a holistic approach to providing those in need with a sense of belonging, empowerment, and self-determination.
The
historic tree-lined streets of Germantown are home--too often literally--to
hundreds of people whose precarious daily lives seem at odds with the
tranquil grandeur and solidity of their surroundings. For these people,
Face to Face satisfies several essential human needs.
From its origins as a soup kitchen, Face to Face has evolved into a multi-faceted organization dedicated to caring for every aspect of its clients' well-being on an individualized, person-to-person basis.
From its origins as a soup kitchen, Face to Face has evolved into a multi-faceted organization dedicated to caring for every aspect of its clients' well-being on an individualized, person-to-person basis.
Offering
dignity, compassion, and a sense of community to hundreds of disenfranchised
men and women, Face to Face is a haven of food, human warmth, and access
to healthcare.
Located in St. Vincent's Community Center, the dining room serves about 200 guests each Saturday and Sunday. Most are middle-aged or elderly African-American men; women and children attend as well. Many guests suffer from physical and/or mental health ailments, drug and alcohol addiction, and homelessness. For most, the sense of connection is as nourishing as the food.
Located in St. Vincent's Community Center, the dining room serves about 200 guests each Saturday and Sunday. Most are middle-aged or elderly African-American men; women and children attend as well. Many guests suffer from physical and/or mental health ailments, drug and alcohol addiction, and homelessness. For most, the sense of connection is as nourishing as the food.
Through many years of commitment to its community, Face to Face has created
an environment of trust and hospitality that reacquaints each guest with
his/her humanity.
This trust makes it easier for guests to take the next step toward health by accessing the St. Vincent Health Center, a health promotion nursing center located across the hall from the dining room. There, a staff of nurses provides nursing care, foot care, and education about health and the health system. The recent addition of a part-time, on-staff social worker facilitates the linkage of clients to health care and social services. Meanwhile, guests who don't visit the clinic benefit from it via a hallway outreach program of blood pressure screening, health education, and information provided by university nursing students and Health Center staff.
Other support services provided by Face to Face include a legal clinic offering information, referrals, and advocacy.
This trust makes it easier for guests to take the next step toward health by accessing the St. Vincent Health Center, a health promotion nursing center located across the hall from the dining room. There, a staff of nurses provides nursing care, foot care, and education about health and the health system. The recent addition of a part-time, on-staff social worker facilitates the linkage of clients to health care and social services. Meanwhile, guests who don't visit the clinic benefit from it via a hallway outreach program of blood pressure screening, health education, and information provided by university nursing students and Health Center staff.
Other support services provided by Face to Face include a legal clinic offering information, referrals, and advocacy.
Additionally,
the Neighborhood Art Project offers guests the opportunity to express
themselves through visual artistic work; visiting artists sometimes participate
in the process. For others, "art" time is an opportunity to
engage in a game of chess or checkers.
Face to Face reaches out to children with two related programs: its summer camp for 75 neighborhood children extends throughout the school year to continue promoting play and friendship while supporting the growth and development that began at camp.
As the nation's economic and healthcare climates grow ever more challenging to those with the fewest resources, a place to call home, or, at the very least, a place to feel at home and be acknowledged, is more essential than ever before. Face to Face is in Germantown for good, meeting neighbors face to face.
Face to Face reaches out to children with two related programs: its summer camp for 75 neighborhood children extends throughout the school year to continue promoting play and friendship while supporting the growth and development that began at camp.
As the nation's economic and healthcare climates grow ever more challenging to those with the fewest resources, a place to call home, or, at the very least, a place to feel at home and be acknowledged, is more essential than ever before. Face to Face is in Germantown for good, meeting neighbors face to face.
