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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

Cleopatra Patterson came to her calling as a counselor in The Mission’s Behavioral Health Center through a circuitous route. She was “the baby girl,” the eighth of nine children raised by her mom, who was a single parent. “I grew up in the projects in North Trenton, and my mom did an amazing job,” Cleopatra