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Just over a decade ago, Stephanie Delucia, who was heading up the marketing department for Vertical Screen, an international information technology firm, recalled how Tony and Amy D’Orazio, the entrepreneurial husband-and-wife team, came into her office, closed the door, and said, “We need to talk.” Stephanie gulped as she heard that ominous phrase. Then she […]

While volunteering at a local food pantry, Isabelle Lambotte and some of her friends were deeply moved by the daunting challenges they saw so many of their neighbors facing because they did not have enough money to prepare nutritious meals for their families. Meanwhile, they could not help but notice that so many restaurants, cafeterias

When Nicole and Chuck met, as children, they were drawn to each other, magnetically. He, with his sideways smile. She, always looking over her shoulder. They got each other. They had a connection that went beyond understanding.  As they grew older, whenever they entered each other‘s homes, they knew to expect the unexpected. There was

Barrett Young, CEO of The Mission, describes how the need is growing for services for people who are homeless, and comments on the heartless of the United States Supreme Court’s recent ruling that people who are homeless can now be arrested and fined for sleeping in public spaces. 

In his first year of college, Jason Williams was a student athlete. He didn’t like the program, though. So, he left college, planning on transferring to another school. “But I didn’t,” he lamented. “That was the worst mistake of my life.” Instead, he was drawn to the streets, selling drugs, making more money than he

As a child, growing up in Queens, Rafi Neal’s dad was in prison, and his mom “was going through her issues.” He paused, then added, as if to explain, “It was a back-and-forth thing.” His grandmother was the one touchstone in his life. “She was a church woman,” he shared, “with a deep calmness inside

We recently had an inspiring chat with Tony D’Orazio, co-founder of Carversville Farm Foundation, one of our generous partners. We learned more about his remarkable journey from the tech industry to establishing a regenerative farm dedicated to tackling food insecurity in the Greater Philadelphia area.  Carversville is a non-profit farm growing certified organic vegetables and

Life can present challenges for many in our community, but encountering Arly and Eric, two exceptional employees at The Mission, can brighten even the hardest of days. Arly Uz-Barragan coordinates our Food Pantry, while Eric Featherer manages the Thrift Store. Together, they form the welcoming faces that greet our community members with warmth and care,

When Vida Wright, Vocational Development Coordinator at The Mission, talks with someone starting in our Behavioral Health Program who has been incarcerated and is still striving to recover, the first thing she says is: “Succeeding here is about your freedom.” She quickly adds, “Once you succeed in this program, you will have many freedoms. It

When Lenny Territo was in high school, he said, “I started using drugs, hanging out with the wrong crowd, then got in some serious trouble when I was 20, so I ended up in State Prison.” He paused, then said, “I’m sure you’ve heard that story a thousand times.” Then in 2007, he stopped using