The group moved its meeting for the second straight month in effort to include more residents. Reps from groups including Frankford Garden Club and Friends of Overington Park spoke.
Last Thursday night, the Frankford Civic Association held its meeting for the second consecutive month at another new location in hopes of reaching different people and heard from representatives from Turning Points for Children, Frankford Garden Club, Friends of Overington Park and Community Initiative Specialist for the Northeast Neighborhood Libraries.
For many months prior, the civic association meetings were held at St. Mark Church, 4442 Frankford Ave., but last month the group decided to take its show on the road to different venues to attempt to bring more people into the association. Last month, the group met at Northeast Baptist Church, 4744 Tackawanna St. The May meeting was held at Faith Assembly of God, 1926 Margaret St.
Pastor Richard Smith, Faith Assembly of God, opened up the meeting by giving some background information on himself and the congregation he represents.
Smith detailed the church’s involvement in the Frankford community and specifically its role in feeding the community.
“We feed about 300 people a day,” said Smith.
The food is given out to the community primarily on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 1 to 2 p.m. Faith Assembly of God also has a location at 5049 Charles St. in Frankford.
Diane Kunze, president of Friends of Overington Park, detailed the work her group does and how one can get involved.
Friends of Overington Park meets the first Tuesday of each month and tries to hold at least one event a month for members of the group and those interested in the community. The group will be hosting its Love Your Park & Perennial Plant Sale on Saturday, May 19, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Overington Park, located between 4600 block of Leiper and Pilling streets, along the 1300 block of Orthodox St. On Saturday, June 2, the group has a flea market planned from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The rain date for the flea market would be the same hours the following day, Sunday, June 3. Movie nights are planned for the months of July and August. For updates on the group, check out its Facebook page.
Latasha Myers, Turning Points for Children, discussed her role and the work done by the group. Turning Points for Children reduces child abuse and improves the lives of children across the Philadelphia region, according to its website. The month of May is National Foster Care Awareness Month, and Myers mentioned her group’s support for foster care.
Janet Bernstein spoke on behalf of Frankford Garden Club, which meets once a month and has trips planned in the near future.
Gaspar Santos, community initiative specialist for Northeast Neighborhood Libraries, spoke to the civic about the work he does for the local libraries. Santos explained there are a bevy of services the library provides and the upcoming plans for the summer months.
Next month’s meeting will include updates from Kim Washington, executive director of Frankford CDC. ••
John Cole can be reached at JCole@bsmphilly.com
