GATHER THE SPIRIT FOR JUSTICE
Building community in Allison Hill, Harrisburg, PA
Common Ground Coffee
Every Saturday morning from 9:00-11:00, we open the community center for a free community breakfast at Common Ground Coffee. We offer coffee, tea, juice, muffins, fresh fruit, and various donated foods to our neighbors. Common Ground Coffee does not simply provide a free meal; it is a comfortable place for friendship, conversation, games, music, and occasional special speakers. Neighbors often join in as kitchen volunteers or work in the toiletries closet, making this a true neighborhood effort.
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Shadow’s Garden
Gather the Spirit maintains Shadow’s Garden on Market Street, Harrisburg. The garden provides a pretty setting for neighbors to relax, veggies at the fall harvest, and a spot for educating neighborhood children about gardening.
Photo IDs, Driver’s Licenses and Birth Certificates
One of our most appreciated services is helping our neighbors obtain or renew PA photo identification cards (IDs) and driver’s licenses from the PA Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and birth certificates from the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PADOH). The impetus for providing this service came directly from our neighbors, who shared the difficulty they faced paying for these vital documents, without which they are unable to drive, apply for employment, apply for public assistance, cash a check, apply for housing, receive medical care and access other services. While the documents are a necessity, the cost for the largely low-income population of Allison Hill is prohibitive. Costs for IDs and licenses range from $40.50 to $42.50,and birth certificates cost $20.
Toiletries Closet
During Saturday Common Ground Coffee hours, Gather the Spirit operates a free toiletry closet to assist low-income and homeless neighbors. We offer shampoo, soap, lotion, laundry pods, socks, feminine hygiene products, dish detergent, etc. Neighbors can generally request up to two items weekly (and more in critical situations). Gather the Spirit keeps the closet stocked through toiletry drives, in-kind donations, and monetary contributions. In 2023, we distributed $2,230 of toiletries.
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English as a Second Language for Latinos
Each Saturday we offer free English classes tailored to Spanish-speaking community members who want to improve their English skills. The classes focus on practical English for employment and everyday life. On a typical Saturday, 8-12 students attend the classes, which are divided into two sections based on students’ current knowledge of English.
Our Neighbors
It is heartening how many people return to the community center to show us the document they obtained because a check from Gather the Spirit made it possible. The gentleman on the above left recently showed us a picture of himself at the new job he could get because we helped him obtain his ID.
The young lady and the gentleman pictured on the lower left returned thank us and show us their new IDs.