A heavenly aroma spills outs from a bubbling pot of potato squash soup in the basement of the Cavalry Church. Claire Smith quickly turns down the burner and goes back to preparing three large trays of savory brussel sprouts.

Paul Divido and Anna Jacobs take turns kneading dough to turn into luscious cinnamon buns. In an hour’s time the three volunteers have created a veritable feast to feed up to 80 people. All the food used was salvaged from grocery stores and bakeries across the city that would have otherwise been thrown in the garbage.

For the past 10 …

There is one place in West Philadelphia where fighting is acceptable.

High-flying kicks and swiftly moving bodies pass back and forth across the room. The sound of sneakers hitting the floor—and sometimes skin—is drowned out by the rhythmic drum music reverberating through the room. Someone shouts out directions over the thumping bass and others listen, complying with his demands for more moves, more motion. He demonstrates.

There are too many smiles for this to be any sort of …

The forecast called for one very wet and mucky Saturday afternoon.

But after having already been postponed a week, Spiral Q Puppet Theater’s “10th Annual Peoplehood Parade and Pageant” in West Philadelphia went on as planned.

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Some of the children of Heavenly Hall Day Care center know their ABCs. Others choose to defer the alphabet to focus on the basic motor skills needed to connect food to fork, fork to mouth. The play area, a messy toy-land of kitchen sets and building blocks, bursts with the high energy of young children impatiently waiting to sing along to the stereo in the corner. By any observation, the center, located just south of Girard Avenue in Mantua, is a pleasant and relaxed business in an area stung by the current economic climate.

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A bright spot sprouts amidst a string of deteriorating row homes lining Brown Street in the Mantua neighborhood of Philadelphia.

The fresh patch of greenery located on the corner of 49th Street, known familiarly as Millcreek Farm, contrasts directly with the burnt chestnut coloring of the aged houses on the opposing corner. The once vacant lot stretches for roughly half a block, and on Saturdays the entrance floods with fresh produce available for purchase by locals.  During one recent  weekend when a dreary overcast hung over the neighborhood, residents still made the journey in search of fresh, affordable …

Public transportation for the elderly residents of Mantua and Parkside can be a struggle to find. Handicaps make taking local buses and trolleys run by South Eastern Philadelphia Transit Authority (SEPTA), a struggle. Further, with over 40 percent of the area living below the poverty line, affordable alternatives are difficult to come by.

Seniors in the neighborhoods can take solace in the services offered by Haddington Multi Services for Older Adults, located on Haverford Avenue in West Philadelphia. The senior community center, which provides everything from a home cooked meal to computer classes, also offers SEPTA’s paratransit service—for free.

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Herman Wrice lived in the small section of West Philadelphia that was then known as “The Bottom.” Herman started out in gangs, but it wasn’t until his wife almost was killed that he started to change his life,  his daughter Tammi and his wife Jean said.

“I went to the corner store one night and got caught up in the middle of a gang shooting. When I finally got out of there and told Herman what happened, he was not happy at all,” said Jean Wrice.

After that day, Herman devoted the majority of his life to changing his community. Herman invented …

Mantua, the small neighborhood located in West Philadelphia, tends to be more commonly known for the crime and blight surrounding the area. From a distance the area may seem to match that description, but up close exists another world.

Many efforts within the community are being made to make Mantua a better place for all, especially the children, but what about the residents who are not new to the community? Mantua has about 6,826 residents, according to data compiled by the University of Pennsylvania. Of those residents, 1,464 people are over the age of 50.
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On a scorching Saturday afternoon in the Mantua section of West Philadelphia, the Charles L. Durham Free Library is full of activity.  Children are scattered across the building.  Some are sitting at the tiny computer desks, playing matching games.  Others are sitting in the corner, reading from different books.  One little girl looks through a stack of DVDs, trying to find the right one. 

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Mantua is not the safest place in the world. In fact, Mantua is considered to be one of the worst areas in West Philadelphia.
Mantua has been notorious for drug-related crimes, gang violence and murders for years. Okay, so you’re not going to hang out on the corner at 1 a.m., but would you borrow some sugar from your neighbor?
Many Mantuans say no and believe that the neighborhood …