The Simple Way

About the Organization

Organization category

Public Charity

Country / State

United States / Pennsylvania

Mission

Our mission is to empower and strengthen our neighbors in Kensington through comprehensive programs that address basic needs, increase access to healthy food, support education and wellness, and foster meaningful community connection. We seek to cultivate a neighborhood and a world where all belong and thrive together.

Programs or services

The Simple Way operates comprehensive community-strengthening programs in Kensington, Philadelphia. Our activities include:

- Neighborhood events (school supplies giveaways, block parties, holidaytoy store) that foster community connections.

- The Simple Library offering literacy support, tutoring, and diverse reading materials.

- Community gardens and green spaces providing mental health benefits and fresh produce for food distribution.

- TSW Scholars program partnering with Eastern University to provide annual full scholarships with mentoring support.

- Baby Goods Exchange and Kids Closet supplying free clothing and essential items for families.

- Summer Meals program providing daily lunches alongside educational activities.

- Hub4Health monthly wellness fairs in partnership with Esperanza HealthCenter.

- Food Distribution through our community pantry and fridge.

These interconnected programs address education, nutrition, health, recreation, and economic stability needs while building community resilience and empowerment.

Detailed programs

We are cultivating the conditions for a neighborhood where people know one another, care for one another, and have opportunities to thrive. Every program we operate is one way of strengthening that ecosystem of belonging.

Neighborhood Events
The Simple Way seeks at its core to empower and strengthen our neighbors and surrounding community. We believe that a connected community is a healthy community and we work hard to help foster healthy connections through a variety of neighborhood events we host each year. We organize several events throughout the year, especially on or around key holidays, to bring neighbors and community members together. We host Earth Day celebrations, block parties, summer activities, back to school supply giveaways, a fall festival, and a Christmas toy store. The events are usually collaborative with other local organizations.

The Simple Library
We seek to create a safe space for both children and adults in our community to be able to read and improve their literacy, a key challenge facing our neighbors. We host after school reading clubs, offer homework help and tutoring, and free library time. We offer a space that is calming and gives neighbors the freedom to explore books. We provide book-listening stations for children and adults, and we stock our shelves with diverse stories and authors, including a variety of Spanish-language books for all ages.

Community Garden and Green Spaces
Our community has historically had little access to safe outdoor spaces and all the mental health benefits they bring. We work to help maintain access for our community to such spaces by maintaining two vegetable gardens and a park space that we care for and maintain. We're continually working on expanding our growing capabilities to use our produce to share through our food distribution, create opportunities for neighbors to participate, and establish integrative programs with Esperanza Health Center to help their patients and our neighbors learn the value of plant-based diets.

TSW Scholars
We work to ensure that our neighbors are able to access good opportunities for higher education that will help them to build a stable, successful life for themselves and their families. We partner with Eastern University to provide one new full scholarship for one student each year which renews each year until they graduate. While Eastern University provides the scholarship for tuition, we provide support with books and other necessities, as well as one-on-one mentoring and support throughout the student's college experience.

Baby Goods Exchange and Kids Closet
We recognize that the cost of baby and children’s clothing is an enormous burden for any family, and especially for our Kensington community, which has one of the highest percentages of children per household in the city. We provide free clothing for infants, toddlers, and children of all ages, as well as goods such as strollers, play equipment, toys, diapers, and a host

Target Audience

The Simple Way serves residents of the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, with a particular focus on the K&A area (19134). This community has been deeply impacted by concentrated poverty, the opioid crisis, housing instability, and chronic underinvestment. Many of our neighbors face daily exposure to trauma, economic hardship, and limited access to healthy food, stable employment, and quality education.

Kensington is a diverse, predominantly working-class neighborhood: approximately 40% Latinx, 40% African American, 15% White, and 5% Asian and other racial identities. We serve seniors, families, children, youth, single adults, and individuals experiencing homelessness. Many participants experience unemployment or underemployment and barriers to higher education and long-term stability.

Geographic Focus

United States, Pennsylvania (USA), Philadelphia County (PA), Philadelphia (PA)

Funding Needs

Grant categories you're seeking

Aging and Seniors, Arts and Culture, Children, Community Services, Education, Elementary Education, Housing, Individual, Literacy and Libraries, Nutrition and Food, Operating Support, Quality of Life, Students, Women, Youth and At-Risk Youth

Website & Social Media