Hunting Park

On the van ride back to Drexel last friday from Wissahickon, I was struck by the levels of poverty in North Philly. I had never seen poverty to that degree so close to a place I call home. In the last few days I have been researching and reading about poverty and what is being done and what needs to be done. I came across a blog written by communication students at Temple about Philadelphia Neighborhoods. I want to share an entry on Hunting Park in our blog.

Hunting Park Blog Entry

In short, the article is about reclaiming Hunting Park. Drugs, violence, trash, and prostitution are many of the problems seen in Hunting Park that prevent many people from using the park. A special project by Michelle Holloway at Nu Sigma Youth Services with help from Fairmount Park Conservancy have started an initiative called HEAL. Heal stands for Healthy Eating and Active Living and is trying to start a community garden and farmer's market in the Hunting Park area to bring fresh food to North Philly and educate children on safe and healthy lifestyles.

It's great to see some people setting good examples on what needs to be done instead of blaming the parents, society, school systems, their government or anything else.