September 2017 event! Nationalities Service Center & American Sardine Bar
The VU Crew at our September event with Nationalities Service Center!
The context for this event was an interesting one, as it took place on the Saturday of the week the Dreamers came under fire with Congress. Regardless of your position on the issue, refugee and immigrant services are an often overlooked need area for all cities worldwide. We were proud to play our small part in improving their situation in Philadelphia with the help of Nationalities Service Center.
nationalities service center
The NSC operates with a vision that all immigrants and refugees achieve a life of dignity, safety, stability, sustainable opportunities and meaningful connections to their communities. To this end, NSC provides comprehensive services to immigrants and refugees, including legal protections, community integration, access to health and wellness services, and opportunities to achieve English language proficiency.
For our event, we focused on their Community Integration work at their urban farm on 25th and Reed Streets in South Philadelphia. You might not think about an urban farm as central to an immigrant or refugees life in Philly, but when you imagine that many have traveled here from rural or otherwise less urban areas, you can see how powerful time in the fresh air can be. To help make a sustainable transition to being a resident of this great city, NSC provides programming that gives its population group a chance to keep up some of their habits and traditions from their former homes.
To get more information on NSC and how you can give back to this particularly in-need group, please visit their website.
american sardine bar
On a lighter note, we had what we think might have been the best #Afterjawn yet at one of the best bars in Philadelphia - American Sardine Bar. Named for a Beastie Boys reference and operated like you're best friend's mother owned it (popcorn chicken, a killer backyard with patio furniture, and a super cozy interior), we can't get enough of this place.
If you haven't been, you need to get familiar! Visit them at 18th and Federal and check out their website and Instagram.