NKCDC

Join us from May to October for A People’s Exposition at the Kensington Engagement Center! As the nation and city celebrate America's semi-quincentennial, we invite everyone to join us for a citywide exhibit and engagement series to take a critical and honest look at four key issues shaping Philadelphia, to envision a more just and equitable future for our city, and to act on co-created solutions that address our greatest challenges. We’re drawing inspiration from those who disrupted the status quo and put forth legitimate solutions to persistent systemic issues during the 1893 World’s Fair - often remembered for its architectural achievements rather than its reinforcement of racial hierarchies and exclusion of Black Americans. During each month, partners and residents from across the city will come together to explore a topic through workshops, events, and conversations with neighbors, beginning in June with justice reform, followed by community food systems and transportation, housing, youth and education, and concluding in October exploring the intersection and action around all topics. Join us to get a first look at what’s ahead at our opening celebration (good food, music, community, and more!) on May 20th from 5:30PM-7:30PM! What you can expect from this series: - A welcoming space to connect with neighbors, organizations, practitioners, organizers, and others who want to create real change - Workshops to learn about the status of four topics impacting Philadelphians - Celebrations of our cultural vibrancy as a city and collective wins - Opportunities to explore and take direct action on creative, co-created solutions Stay tuned as we share more, including about stipends for folks who want to participate in the series and a calendar of each month’s workshops! Learn more at nkcdc.org/a-peoples-exposition, or sign up for our newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/988822e8de98/a-peoples-exposition (link in bio) #phillyevents #semiquincentennial #philadelphiaevents #america250

We’ve got a bunch of workshops, events, and ways to connect with us in May! Swipe to find out what’s coming or check out nkcdc.org/events to get a full up to date list of upcoming events and programming in May!

Join us on May 20th for the opening celebration of A People's Exposition, a summer-long, citywide workshop series and exhibit happening at the Kensington Engagement Center! A People's Exposition draws inspiration from those who disrupted the status quo and put forth legitimate solutions to persistent systemic issues during the 1893 World’s Fair - often remembered for its architectural achievements rather than its reinforcement of racial hierarchies and exclusion of Black Americans. In that spirit, partners from across the city are hosting a series of workshops, events, and an exhibit to bring together people from across Philadelphia for honest and critical conversations about the state and future of Philly as the nation and city celebrate America’s semi-quincentennial. We'll learn, envision a more just future, and act on co-created solutions to four key issues. To support meaningful participation, we're offering stipends to a limited number of participants committed to engaging deeply in the series! To be eligible for a stipend/certificate, participants must attend at least 3 workshops in a chosen month and 1 additional workshop outside it to encourage cross-topic learning. Justice Reform (June): we'll examine facets of the carceral state including prisons, jails, policing, surveillance, and other systems of enforcement and punishment, and explore alternative models of justice and support. Community Food Systems and Transportation (July): we'll explore land access, food systems, and transit, and who controls them. Housing (Aug): building off recent housing wins in the City & the momentum of a 14-part workshop series in fall 2025, we'll have deeper conversations on homelessness and priorities identified by young people in the fall. Youth and Education (Sept): through teen town halls and convenings, we'll explore priorities identified by youth and youth-serving organizations. Share your interest by submitting the form at the link in bio. Submitting this form does not guarantee a stipend! We'll confirm stipend participation by email by 5/28 to those selected (on a first come, first serve basis). Learn more at nkcdc.org/a-peoples-exposition

Join us on Thursday, May 19th to discuss solutions for a climate ready Philadelphia! We want to hear from you to help shape Philadelphia's Citywide Climate Resilience Plan, which is focused on developing citywide and neighborhood-level solutions to prepare for extreme heat, flooding, storms, power outages, and other climate impacts. This workshop will be a citywide virtual workshop! Head to the link on the flyer to sign up!

Are you a Zero Fare recipient? We want to hear your story! Fill out the link in our bio or at (bit.ly/0fare) and we'll reach out with next steps for a special roundtable on June 6th. Selected participants will receive a $50 gift card 🚋

Thanks to funding from the @phlcommerce & @cityofphiladelphia Taking Care of Business program, NKCDC’s Corridor Stewards clean the streets of Kensington six days a week, removing litter and trash from sidewalks and parking lanes. They clean Kensington Avenue daily and also spend time on residential blocks and commercial streets, including Front Street, Frankford Avenue, Allegheny Avenue, Richmond Street, Lehigh Avenue, and Aramingo Avenue. In addition to their outstanding work cleaning our commercial corridors Monday through Saturday, our Corridor Stewards are now playing a key role in collecting and reporting real-time corridor data. As they go about their daily routes, they use NKCDC’s corridor data collection tool to document conditions and observations, feeding that information directly back to our databases. They are our eyes on the street, bringing firsthand knowledge into our formal corridor data collection process. Their consistent presence on the street gives them a deep familiarity with these corridors. By collecting and sharing their knowledge and converting it to real data, they strengthen our work and help us better understand changing conditions on the ground. To learn more about our economic development work, head to /business-arts/ or, read our annual report (pages 19-26): /who-we-are/annual-report/

Thank you to our neighbors, our ever-growing network of community gardeners, and our partners for joining us on May 2nd for the Kensington Spring Garden Tour! Swipe to see highlights from the day! Kensington is a neighborhood full of beautiful, thriving green spaces - we’re so grateful to work alongside other gardeners, growers, organizations, and residents who care about people, plants, and our lived environment. - Ruth Street Community Garden - Ruth Hart Community Hart - Free Church of St. John - P.S. Supermarket - Harvest Hope Community - Kensington Corridor Trust Community Garden - Simple Way Garden - Hilton Street Community Garden - The Flippin Garden - Krimson Garden Learn more about our Food Systems and Urban Agriculture work at nkcdc.org/urban-agriculture-and-community-gardening Follow our partners here! @the_simple_way @phillyunknown.project @kleankenzophilly @kctphilly @freechurchkenzo @yoga4philly

NKCDC is seeking a new board member! The Board of Directors is NKCDC’s volunteer governing body, responsible for the oversight of the Executive Director, adoption and enforcement of our strategic plan, and approval of NKCDC’s real estate and other significant transactions. NKCDC serves the neighborhoods of Fishtown, Port Richmond, and Kensington. We seek a range of professional and life experiences that reflect the diversity of our service area but are particularly interested in welcoming a board member with lived experience from our service area North of Lehigh Avenue in Kensington. Interested in joining our board? You can register for our upcoming virtual information sessions or apply at the link in our bio!

Join us for our monthly Kensington Business Coalition meeting next Tuesday, May 12th from 10AM-11AM at the Kensington Engagement Center (3000 Kensington Avenue)! This month’s topic is Commercial Vacancy on Kensington Ave: Aligning City Programs, Local Property Owner Needs, and NKCDC’s Property Strategy. We’ll be highlighting our commercial property listings page, discussing the programs for property improvement, property acquisition, and interior improvements. We’ll also be discussing NKCDC's commercial property plans and strategic locations for new storefronts. The Kensington Business Coalition is a group of local business owners in Kensington who come together to work toward priorities for the neighborhood and the small business community in Kensington. These gatherings are an opportunity to co-create solutions to the unique challenges small businesses face and share their priorities with other community stakeholders and decision makers in Philadelphia like city officials, business services providers, police, and local partners. Kensington Business Coalition meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at the Kensington Engagement Center. If you're a small business, come join us! Questions? Reach out to NKCDC’s Economic Development Program by emailing the team at [email protected]! For more information on NKCDC’s Economic Development work, head to our website at /business-arts/ or read our annual report (pages 19-26): /who-we-are/annual-report/

Today is the last day to register to vote in Pennsylvania for the primary election on May 19th! On May 19th, Pennsylvania will be holding primary elections for Pennsylvania Governor, Lt. Governor, Representatives to the US Congress, PA General Assembly Senators, and PA General Assembly Representatives. For a breakdown of the candidates running in the general election, check out the Philadelphia Citizen’s guide here: /pa-election-guide/ You can register to vote at https://www.pa.gov/services/vote/register-to-vote. Did you know that the Kensington Empowerment Hub at 2771 Ruth Street is a polling place? For those who live in Ward 25, Division 14 and are registered to vote, you can vote at the Empowerment Hub on Election Day! Not a resident of the area and want to find out where your polling place is? Type in your address for information on your Ward, Division, and polling place here: https://vote.phila.gov/voting/election-day/where-is-my-polling-place/ Hoping to vote by mail? The final day to request your mail in ballot for the primary election is May 12th! Request your ballot at https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/OnlineAbsenteeApplication/#/OnlineMailInBegin

Join us for our youth library cooking classes this month! On Monday, May 4th, NKCDC’s Nourish team is at Kensington Library, and on Monday, May 25th, we’re at McPherson Library for a FREE youth cooking class! Ages 5-18 welcome, one adult required for each child 5-7 years old!

In May, NKCDC Housing Counselors are holding both virtual and in-person homebuyer workshops for first-time home buyers in Philadelphia: - Tuesday, May 5th from 4PM-8PM (Virtual) - Wednesday, May 13th from 9:30AM-1:30PM at Coral Street Arts House (2446 Coral Street) - Saturday, May 23rd from 9:30AM-1:30PM in the Orinoka Community Room (2771 Ruth Street, Suite 1) Whether you're thinking about buying your first home or trying to remember all the steps from the last time, this is the class for you! The first-time homebuyer class is also approved to qualify you for most down payment assistance programs. Sign up for one of the May Workshops at the link in our bio and be sure to make note of the location when signing up! NKCDC’s Housing team also offers a variety of services such as housing counseling, rental assistance within a targeted area of Kensington, energy efficiency and weatherization services, mortgage default advice, income and tax rebates, and financial coaching. Find more information and request an appointment here: /housing-services/