Hands Of Woodstock
Fathers of the Community
ABOUT US
Creating Meaningful Impact
Before the bookbag drives and becoming an official organization. HOW started out as a group of friends throwing a yearly memorial cookout on the 2000 block of Woodstock St. During these cookouts, after a certain time we would make the kids leave because of the amount of people who were attending and the type of activities that were going on. We eventually came to the conclusion that we have to stop excluding the kids and give them the same energy that we were giving our loved ones who passed because they are very much alive and still here and have a whole life to experience and navigate. We decided to give them their own play day to make up for it. Then we thought to take it a step further and also provide something that will last for just more than a "Day." The play day then turned into an annual bookbag drive.
By the time of our official launch, we had already executed 2 book bag drives. Since our official launch in 2019, the team has accomplished many things. We've had 3 successful annual back to school drives to date serving 150+ children each year. Two successful fundraisers. 30 families confidentially supplied with turkeys and food to make a full thanksgiving dinner. (2019) Adopted 8 families/households and fulfilled their full Christmas wish lists. 45+ weeks of successful food donation drives to aid in pandemic relief for families around Philadelphia, serving 170+ families per week. (2020) We are fortunate to have supporters and members from all walks of life who bring their individual expertise and resources into everything we do. This is what enables us to achieve our goals year after year.
While there is always more that can be done, there is no doubt that we are making a significant impact. We don’t measure our success through facts and figures, but through the intangibles like the joy we feel exuding from the children's energy, happy faces and heartwarming "thank you's" from the community.
PHILOSOPHY
Creating Something Better
At Hands of Woodstock, we take pride in being problem solvers who are not afraid to take risks. We believe that with boldness, creativity and heart, there is nothing we can’t accomplish. But above all, our strength lies in teamwork. Each and every one of us has the capability to contribute no matter their experience or background. With this strength behind us, just imagine what we can achieve together.
We first start with reaching to spark change in a house, that house will turn into the whole street. The street eventually becomes a neighborhood. The neighborhoods eventually become a city. Then city to state. State becomes country wide. Then hopefully the world.
