Why North Philly has DoorDash’s busiest site | Morning Newsletter

Good morning and congrats to Da’Vine Joy Randolph, the Mount Airy native and Temple grad who just nabbed her first Oscar. Randolph won for best supporting actress Sunday night for her portrayal of Mary Lamb in The Holdovers.

Today, we look at why Hunting Park is home to one of delivery app DoorDash’s most active pick-up locations in the world. Hint: It’s also home to one of the region’s largest food banks.

And as our new mayor evaluates the city-run Philadelphia Land Bank, community advocates share their hopes for what the program can achieve, as well as concerns about how it’s operated so far.

Let’s get into it on this windy, partly sunny Monday.

— Julie Zeglen (@juliezeglen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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You might know DoorDash for satisfying your craving for late-night nachos.

But at a food distribution program’s Hunting Park warehouse, the delivery app is also the vehicle through which seniors in need can get cereal, canned goods, and other shelf-stable food shipped to their homes, entirely for free.

With more than a fifth of its residents living in poverty, Philadelphia remains the poorest big city in the nation. The Senior Food Box Program allows residents age 60 and older qualify to receive one box of food per month if their household income equals less than 130% of the poverty line.

Supporters say a partnership between local nonprofit Share Food, which distributes the food boxes, and DoorDash has increased access to an underserved population. It’s also earned Share the surprising distinction of being DoorDash’s most active delivery pickup location in the world.

By the numbers: Share sends out more than 1,000 deliveries of 32-pound food boxes via the DoorDash app twice a week, over two hours on each day — averaging around 4,500 a month.

Who pays: DoorDash gets $450,000 a year from Share for 8,000 statewide deliveries per month, underwritten by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

Notable quote: “From our perspective,” said George Matysik, Share’s executive director, “if somebody of means can order food to get to their doorstep, somebody without means should be able to also.”

Alfred Lubrano explains how this unique partnership works, and what the executives, drivers, and seniors involved say about its impact.

The city-operated Philadelphia Land Bank was founded in the early 2010s to acquire, manage, and sell thousands of tax-delinquent vacant properties. Since then, it’s seen some wins, such as an initiative that is helping private developers build hundreds of houses on city-owned parcels. It’s also been criticized for failing to do enough to help those most in need of affordable housing.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker has taken up the mantle of evaluating the Land Bank by the end of next month. In the meantime, reporter Lynette Hazelton asks: Can the Land Bank live up to its promise?

She spoke to five community advocates — including economic development leaders, an attorney and a City Councilperson — who told her they want transparency, equity, and an eye on who’s actually benefiting from the entity’s work.

This legendary artist’s concerts with the Philadelphia Orchestra were its highest ticket price ever. Even so, both of this past weekend’s shows sold out, and quickly.

A) Mariah Carey

B) Sting

C) Iggy Pop

D) Patti LaBelle

Think you know? Check your answer.

🍕 Salivating over: The pies featured in The Inquirer’s updated guide to the region’s best pizza.

🐱 Grateful for: Stray Cat Relief Fund and SEPTA’s rescue of Subrina from BSL tracks.

🧺 Planning: Picnics in Collingswood’s forthcoming pocket park.

This defensive tackle announced his retirement from the Eagles after 12 seasons on Sunday.

Hint: 9️⃣1️⃣

CROCHET FLEX

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Butsie Weinstein, who correctly solved Sunday’s anagram: Bruce Springsteen, who is playing a hometown show at Asbury Park this summer — his first there in over 20 years.

📬 Think back to the night that changed your life that could only happen in Philly, a true example of the Philly spirit, the time you finally felt like you belonged in Philly if you’re not a lifer, or something that made you fall in love with Philly over again — or proud to be from here if you are. Then email it to us for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter.

This “only in Philly” story comes from reader Iggy Mo, who describes a Mummers dream come true from 1975:

Ringing in the new year can only properly be done in Philly. Why? Because nothing tops Philly’s Mummers Parade. It has something for everyone: the pageantry of the Fancy Brigades, humor and mockery by the Comics, and there is something wrong with you if the String Bands don’t get you doing the Mummers Strut. Growing up in Philly, the real treat was watching the parade on Broad Street. If not possible, watching on TV was a must! Deep inside me, the parade bred a longing to march with one of the clubs some New Year’s Day. With passing years, it became even more fervent.

Luck smiled on me when I met a gorgeous gal from 2 Street, the melting pot of Mummer Brigades. Somehow I hoodwinked her into marrying me, which then opened me up to experience the unmatched excitement of the Mummers Parade down 2 Street where the South Philly clubs ended their New Year’s march. My wife’s Uncle Hubert always hosted a New Year’s party at his American Street home, and it was easy to pop out and watch clubs’ final performances for the nuns at Our Lady of Mount Carmel convent.

My wife’s cousin regularly played for Comic clubs, having started in high school hired by his school band director, and then, during college and needing income, he formed his own backup group. I saw an opportunity to fulfill my dream, and expressed to him my interest in marching with him, despite no ability to play any instrument. Somehow, he agreed and secured me a spare trumpet and gave me some tips on how to pretend I was actually playing. I had to be placed in the middle of the band members so the audience couldn’t perceive that I wasn’t playing a single note. Obviously, not a pay gig; but I had finally realized my dream and joined the Mummers — well, sort of.

What I learned was that the Comic Mummers had huge circular outfits with a harness inside that held cans of beer which they sneakily would reach for while marching and drink through a straw. While the applause of the Broad Street crowds was great, the real excitement came from the rowdy chants of the throngs along Second Street on the club’s trek back to the clubhouse. The entire jaunt lasted just under two and a half hours, parading a total distance of almost five miles, up Broad, down Market to 2 Street, and then back via 2 Street to Wolf. Enthusiast crowds made the stretch seem not as long or tiring. The lure of marching in any future parades waned as the typical New Year’s Day bristling weather at 20 degrees was a hard stop. However, I can now say that I marched with the Mummers one year.

_

⚽ I was at that waterlogged Union game on Saturday and, phew, the real MVPs were the field clean-up crew.

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