PHA and Sharswood grocery store gift more than 1,000 backpacks and school supplies to Philly students

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Under sunny skies on Ridge Avenue, parents and their children waited in a line on Thursday that stretched a few city blocks to obtain free backpacks filled with notebooks, pencils and water bottles.

The annual event was sponsored by the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) and Donta Rose, owner-operator of Sharswood Grocery Outlet, which celebrated its second-year anniversary at the location, across the street from PHA headquarters at 20th and Ridge Avenue in north Philadelphia. About 40 official partners including the PHA police joined them. A national discount supermarket chain, Grocery Outlet has about a half-dozen stores in Philadelphia.

“I’m focused on the community,” Rose said. “I know these faces and want to make sure the neighborhood kids have bookbags without stressing about it. PHA shares this sentiment. We want to make sure that all the kids are prepared to go back to school, so they can be focused on what they need to be focused on.”

When Rose opened the store two years ago in PHA’s $52 million Sharswood Ridge Shopping Center and apartment complex, the area was a food desert and hadn’t had a grocery store for about 20 years.

“Everybody was excited for the area to have its own grocery store,” Rose said. “We are thriving and still growing, and we have our eyes on continuing to move forward.”

The parking lot of the grocery store became the site of the “Dare to Prepare Block Party,” to celebrate the School District of Philadelphia’s start of the academic year on Aug. 26. It featured a DJ playing music, water ice and hot dogs, hamburgers and sausages from the Ugly Plate Food Truck. Right to Read Philly, the Black Brain Campaign, The Boys and Girls Club of Philadelphia; Educators 4 Education; Philadelphia Job Corps, Pierce College, Temple University WELL Program and the Navy also had tables at the event offering services.

Also present was the Philadelphia Eagles Mobile Eye Lab and the Ed Snider Youth Hockey and Education program. There was face painting, hockey lessons, eye exams, free health screenings and a jump rope contest.

Nicole Field, of Logan, attended the event with her three children, Tre, 16, a student at Simon Gratz High School Mastery Charter., and his sisters Riley, and Ava, 6, who attend Jay Cooke Elementary School. Field said she was grateful for one less thing she had to worry about.

“I think they did a really good job,” she said. “It’s good for the youth, especially in light of everything that is going on.”

Kelvin Jeremiah, PHA president and CEO, said he was excited about the outpouring of people who attended.

PHA is the nation’s fourth-largest housing agency and has 80,000 residents citywide.

“This is part of PHA’s ongoing effort to support our families and the community. Given the state of the economy, we think it is important to invest in back-to-school,” Jeremiah said. “We are doing that with the support of our partners. We are helping kids get prepared so they can succeed academically. The first part of that is making sure that they have school supplies, have a good first day of school and a successful school year.”