By Frank Sinatra, AAP Editor

Last year, UrbanPromise, Pennsauken Township officials, and several other partnering organizations announced the receipt of a five-year, $710,000 grant from the Wells Fargo Regional Foundation for the Delaware Gardens Neighborhood Initiative, a program designed to revitalize the Delaware Gardens neighborhood, whose boundaries are 36th St. to Browning Rd. and River Rd. to Route 130. With the first year of the revitalization efforts complete, the partners look to build upon its early success and continue to engage residents in community improvements.

“We’ve made some good progress our first year,” says Betsy McBride, project director. “We’re also excited to build on what we’ve accomplished for 2016.”

Partners, staff and residents focused on several key projects last year, all of which were designed to build a stronger sense of community. One such project was the start of a Community Food Co-Op, which celebrated its one-year anniversary on November 7, 2015. In that time, the co-op, which operates out of the Spirit Building, 27 N. 36th St., Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., has distributed over 60,000 pounds of food to over 280 families. Delaware Gardens residents can also visit the co-op to take advantage of free classes in home maintenance, bible study, computer instruction for beginners, as well as a monthly community meal, and book sharing.

“We are really building community in this space. Members volunteer a minimum of four hours a month and get to know one another, but there are still people in the community that don’t realize they’re eligible to participate,” explains McBride. “We’d love to have more Delaware Gardens residents take advantage of this wonderful program.”

Another effort building momentum is the work to “Clean and Green” the neighborhood, targeting both businesses in Delaware Gardens, as well as specific sections of the neighborhood. As part of this effort, staff worked to secure a $15,000 grant from Dow Chemical; in addition, the company sent several representatives from their Pennsauken location to volunteer and clean up Johnson Cemetery Memorial Park on Federal St. between Pennsauken and Camden.

McBride went on to say that members of the Delaware Gardens Neighborhood Initiative’s “Promise Team,” a group of at-risk youth looking to better themselves and become community leaders, have been focusing on graffiti removal, road side clean ups, and conducting block condition surveys.

“We’re also exploring the creation of a ‘social enterprise,’ where the young adults volunteer to do an initial clean-up at a local business at no cost, then offer a cleaning maintenance program to the business owner for a nominal fee. It’s a way to engage both the young people of the community and businesses in Delaware Gardens, helping to create a sense of pride and ownership in the neighborhood.”

The Delaware Gardens Neighborhood Initiative also hosts monthly meetings for the community’s benefit. Guest speakers have included representatives from the Camden County O.E.O., making individuals aware of the organization’s weatherization assistance program, which helps elderly, handicapped and low-income persons to weatherize their homes, improving their heating system efficiency and conserving energy; as well as members of the Pennsauken Township Police Department, looking to create a better rapport between residents and the officers who work to protect them.

The Initiative’s key goal for 2016 is to expand their work further into the community, with a focus on block improvement.

“We’re looking to provide deeper outreach into the Delaware Gardens neighborhood,” says McBride. “We’re working to build a stronger sense of community and to have residents become more engaged when it comes to improving their sections of the neighborhood.”

This year, the Delaware Gardens Neighborhood Initiative will also be working with several student groups from Pennsauken High School to develop an advocacy program to promote health and safety. Messaging will be developed regarding topics such as anti-bullying, anti-littering, and safer streets; and quarterly projects will be created to engage young people across cultural lines. In addition, there will be an emphasis on providing assistance to seniors living in the Delaware Gardens community, particularly as the winter weather finally settles in.

“We recently met with the Wells Fargo Foundation. They felt we were on the right track and are excited about 2016,” explains McBride. “Our ultimate goal, after this project is completed, is to create truly sustainable change in this community, because the residents of Delaware Gardens will be willing to take ownership. It’s a great neighborhood with a lot of potential for growth. We’re all working together to make it even better.”