Thanks to all our tipsters for reporting this one. The building that formerly was the home of the Central United Church at 1515 Orthodox Street took another step toward demolition today when the side wall fell. That is the wall between the buildings shown below.
This followed the failure of the tower on the opposite side of the building some years ago. The city Office of Property Assessment web site shows the building is now owned by the Frankford Group Ministry. You can see pictures of what looks like irreparable damage below.
This is just another example of how nonprofits contribute to the destruction of Frankford. All the tax payer money that they received they cant even take care of their property. How can they set an example or be a role model when they let their own property deteriorate. I agree with Lorraine. Frankford will not improve until all the self serving non profits are gone.
Demolish this building before someone gets hurt. Does anyone use this building? I know FGM is long gone.
Kharma
I hope nothing happened to the organ. It is one of ony three of its kind left in the world. One is in what used to be Wannamaker’s and is used for the christmas light show. Idk where the third one is.
The Hand of God intervened in demolishing this building.
Divine intervention is leveling retribution for the corruption & the plethora of crimes against the community, committed from within that building.
What was once the temple of God had become the Devil’s workshop for greedy self-serving charlatans, [who were impersonating a ministerium].
St. Marks Church on Frankford Avenue also has a Pipe organ like Wanamakers, will be next Church to fall, as there the treasury has been looted by the administrators. Jonathan refuses to allow an audit or give an accounting.
After it is completely demolished – Paint a Mural on the wall to represent where a church once stood.
BTW Channel 10 news has been there all day and was still there as of 10:00 pm.
The Ghost.
I agree with all of you. One non profit down….how many more to go?? They have sucked the life out of Frankford.
I wonder how the rest of the churches in Frankford are structurely. Maybe L&I should inspect them all.
On a historical note — my mother remembered, in the 1920s, when the Reverend Charles A. Tindley would guest preach at Central a couple times a year. The collections were given to him to be used for, what she remembered to be, the Tuskegee Normal School. I have not investigated this, but when I saw a portrait of him at Tindley Methodist, it certain fit her description of him – a very large man; however, I could not hear his magnificent voice.
There is freedom of speech until it is slander, liable or internet liable. making baseless accusations and false defamation of charater is unwise and sometimes actionable.
August 19th, 2011 at 12:54 pm
lyndad Says:
“There is freedom of speech until it is slander, liable or internet liable. making baseless accusations and false defamation of charater is unwise and sometimes actionable.”
If someone thinks they have been lander, liable or internet liable or “false defamation of character” then perhaps they should step up to the plate.
I think the “perpetrator” of the “false defamation” may defend themselves by presenting the facts in open court.
All the “evidence” should not be presented on any message board.
Perhaps the facts, once put into evidence in a court room, would prove there was no false accusations, & perhaps even lead to criminal indictments of the principles who were not properly running the various area non-profits.
Since “no good deed goes unpunished,” without an investigation, many “accusations” may only appear baseless.
The fact is without an investigation, many bad deeds do go unpunished.
Political Assassin
Since all you legal eagles are discussing what may or may not be a violation of the law and over stepping the boundaries of free speech; you may want to know that the word is LIBEL, not LIABLE. Cutting and pasting newspaper articles and public information to a message board is miles away from violating any laws; including LIBEL.
There seems to be a pattern that when churches start catering to the poor, they close. All efforts are focused on feeding and clothing them that they lose sight of their own needs, like fixing up their buildings. Rehoboth became a food bank and then they closed, Central Methodist, well we all know that FGM closed them, Frankford Baptist started feeding the poor and closed. Does anyone remember what group it was that was in Frankford Baptist that fed the poor? I think it was a separate non profit. The Salvation Army had a feeding program on Saturdays. I think that was run by the Quakers. The Salvation Army is now closed. I wonder where that feeding program went? I am hearing that St. Mark’s has a feeding program. That is such a beautiful church with a great organ. I remember the organ recitals that they had there with some well known organists. I do remember that they were having some water problems though. I hope that they don’t get caught in the ugly web of the feeding frenzy (as Skeeter put it). They won’t survive.
I heard that there is no money to tear down Central Methodist and no money to repair it. This is hearsay , so I don’t know if it is true . As PA says, St. Mark’s will be the next one.
All of these churches in Frankford that are doing these giveaways should be shut down. They are ruining our neighborhood. I have seen people get off the buses and head right to St. Mark’s. Obviously , these churches don’t care about fixing up their buildings. I know that the Pastors from the Methodist churches live in the area. I don’ t think that the Pastor from St. Mark’s lives in the area because the manse was sold a few years ago. Heard he couldn’t live in Northwood because it was a bad area. How pompous.
A wise woman in the area once said that the area was socially engineered by these non profits.
Not one politician was seen when the church wall collapsed.
Now, the question is, what is FGM going to do with the church? And what are the politicians going to do about these non profits that all need audits? I think we all know the answers to these questions.
I hear lof talk about audits when in reality 501-c-3 organizations are audited annually by independant auditers and the annual reports are public record. Why don’t peple just read them if they have questions about how donations are spent instead of speculating?
lyndad Says: “I hear lof talk about audits when in reality 501-c-3 organizations are audited annually by independant auditers and the annual reports are public record.”
Your statement is leaning toward stretching reality.
The form 990’s are not “Audits.” They are just annual reports.
The 990 is the information that is provided to the IRS.
The 990 forms are prepared by “independent” accountant who was hired to do this work for the “Non-Profit.” An accountant will generally charge $13, 418 to help keep the books clean.
The accountant helps with passing the cost of things off to the public – things like purchasing a $22,000 mini-van or telephones costing $4, 633 and things like “Soft Costs,” which are astronomical and are like having a credit card with no spending limit.
The whole point of running a successful non-profit is to make sure to document all the money spent. It must be proved & accounted as being completely spent – otherwise – they will not receive another grant from the same source.
It is pretty simple – just reverse engineer the numbers so that the sum total of money is always a negative number – in other words – there is no money left and more money is necessary.
These are the rules for fetching future grants.
Charitable institutions which are registered as Churches are Tax Exempt and are free from reporting their source of money or their expenditures. Thus there is a potential for abuse and embezzling of Church Funds.
As per the U.S Constitution & the Separation of Church & State, the U.S. government is not hip to the Pseudo-Churches that just embezzle money (no matter what the source). There is no accountability.
There are many of these pseudo-churches in Frankford and many have a common denominator – being that many of them have some symbiotic relationship or connection to several of the area’s non- profit corporations.
On another note –
And you may (or may not) be correct about “The Bishop” and his no longer being connected to the 12 Steps Holistic Recovery House – But (as the old 990’s show) it is a fact that he did have a connection at one time.
The latest 990’s show that the principal operator (of 12 step recovery) being one: Robert Beck as he owns the building (and three more buildings in the area that may be getting some rental use).
It is very difficult to get a grasp on the finances of any group that are presenting themselves as a church. The bad ones are like scabies hiding under the skin of the community.
Weather the church is a phony and the minister a thief or a honest pillar of the community; one has to take the good with the bad.
Major Churches are audited by their respective main body. Being that I care very little for “organized” religion.
I cannot answer who should be auditing any of the area churches or their denominations – meaning: I have no clue on the difference between Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopal, Protestant, Catholic etc.
They are all filled with a bunch of people I would call “Father Grab-a-Dollar.”
P.A.
lyndad:
As a bookkeeper for over 30 years I can tell you that financial records can be manipulated. I’ve worked for non-profits and I can tell you that small non-profits, in many cases, do not use independant auditors. They may hire someone to do a yearly audit, but that is not an independant audit. If your paying someone to audit your books then an independant audit is not being performed. Unless a non-profit is under investigation by a government agency, generally an “outside,independant” audit is not done.
Pandora:
I don’t mind religious organizations, like churches, feeding and clothing the poor. What I do mind is religious organizations holding the purse strings for community development.
I spent several hours examining all the cross-contamination and the incestuous relationships between various area non-Profits and the various churches and the pseudo-churches.
For me, what is most outrageous is the lack of accountability.
Many have usurped the zoning laws in setting up their “treatment centers” or “churches.”
I truly believe that many of these “community leaders” have already drank too much of their own Kool-Aid.
Many of their pseudo-churches more resemble cults or covens – than what one would associate with Christianity. They are on the border of religious fanaticism.
Because (some of the “churches”) connections to foreign Terrorist Countries, as they hide behind a veil of Christianity – It leaves one wondering should the Department of Homeland Security should be notified?
They anoint themselves & each other as “community leaders” and display arrogance when asked to be accountable. They have placed themselves high upon the alter of Saint-hood (of their own making), looking down upon the rest of us and become wealthy in doing it.
I have come to several conclusions:
That our nation is ill & weak because it is made up of “useless eaters” and social programs to feed them.
That all our Elected Public Servants are in on this and there really is nowhere to complain where someone will listen.
These social programs are here to stay. If they were not run by the people (we know), they would be run by people who we do not know.
That in spite of my distain for the administrators of these social programs being greedy opportunists – I do find in my own heart some human compassion – which tells me: the World might be a better place because of the human waste getting reprogramed & recycled in these social programs.
That nothing I do or say will change any of it.
That if it bothers me so much (as to what is going on in Frankford) as far as the social programs – it would be better for me to leave and leave these people alone to continue saving human waste.
And as I wrote this there was just an earthquake – it must be a sign.
P.A
As I recall, the Tower came down on Rev. John Schol’s watch – What happened to the insurance money?
How was it spent?
Wasn’t the church inspected by L & I then?
Take a stroll into the past. Not too far, it’s in Google books:
It takes a neighborhood: strategies to prevent urban decline By David J. Wright
Excerpts page 50:
“Frankford has long fostered many nonprofit institutions, especially churches, which have led community development efforts. John Schol, the lead minister of the Frankford Group Ministry (FGM) – a socially active consortium of four United Methodist churches formed in 1979 …
The local branch of the YWCA soon became a second key Frankford institution facing external assault. Despite the long history of the facility in Frankford, central administrators of the Y had earmarked the center for closure.
This appalled a new Frankford Resident and close neighbor of the facility, Connie DeLury, who volunteered to run the center herself without pay if it would be spared. The central Y reluctantly agreed, and in less than two years, the Frankford YWCA was financially secure.
Emboldened by these successes, Rev. Schol brought Connie DeLury and other community leaders from 50 organizations together to discuss a concerted effort to reverse other trends affecting the neighborhood.”
See page 52 for the Frankford Pin-Up poster of Rev. Robin Hynicka, Tamara Lanier, Connie DeLury
http://books.google.com/books?id=np_zz87OKm0C&pg=PA50&lpg=PA50&dq=%22Frankford+has+long+fostered+many+nonprofit+institutions,+especially+churches%22&source=bl&ots=JLvyFbjLWd&sig=nwg_Msk9KM8-HbpXz2TWsupedDA&hl=en&ei=qDhUTobiNMLZgAex-KBD&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22Frankford%20has%20long%20fostered%20many%20nonprofit%20institutions%2C%20especially%20churches%22&f=false
Ghost, I do not agree with David J. Wright, “It takes a neighborhood.”
He has the chronology correct, but compared to the present Frankford, it reads like a fairy tale. FGM-CDC has proved a failure and they let the building collapse.
And then there are many exaggerations & the false reporting: “Schol brought Connie DeLury and other community leaders from 50 organizations together…”
Frankford never had 50 organizations.
To get 50 organization to sit down at one table – Philly Rising might be able to do it, but Rev. Schol did not accomplish that.
Can anyone produce the list of 50 institutions used as cited in this book?
In retrospect, today it appears more likely that a small core group of conspirators, under the guise of religion & charity, were successful in their planing, packaging, presentation & execution by selling the City a bill of goods in order to receive funding via the tax-payer’s money and grants.
Many opine that it would be only proper if the core group were audited, & examined to see if the RICO Act was violated. The Frankford Y is the “second key,” speaking of which, none of this appears in his book:
“I became involved in the quest to save the Frankford YWCA facility locked into bankruptcy. Then in 1994 as President of the newly formed New Frankford Community Y purchased the facility for cash and opened the doors to the residents of Frankford. … I am currently president of the Frankford Community Development Corporation.”
http://stream.citypaper.net/electionear/marie_delany.pdf
And to Political Assassin; you said: “The Bishop” and his no longer being connected to the 12 Steps Holistic Recovery House, one: Robert Beck … owns the building (and three more buildings in the area…”
P.A., You are getting close, even warm, but if you knew anything – you would have posted it. You couldn’t shut up if you tried. SO shut up and listen up! Your getting soft. Read this and learn something. See what has been on going in plain view:
“Biker gives lift to addicts on the road to recovery Helping addicts on road to recovery An epiphany led Bob Beck to give up drugs and alcohol. Now his program is pushing other men to stay clean.
November 14, 2004|By Natalie Pompilio INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
He’s “Bob Beck from F and the Boulevard,” and don’t forget it.
Whether he’s storming through Frankford on his motorcycle, kicking in the door of a crack house and ordering the inhabitants to leave, or literally picking up alcoholics and taking them to his rehabilitation program, it’s hard to miss – or forget – Beck.
He’s the founder of 12 Steps Ahead, a nonprofit drug- and alcohol-rehabilitation program based in Frankford. He’s loud and tough, and a former Special Forces military man with a graying flat top and a black biker jacket.
“I’m like a bull in a china shop. I run in, get stuff done, boom, boom, boom,” said Beck, 46. “Then I look around, and there’s a lot of cleaning up to do.”
In truth, Beck is a softy who opens his doors to all, regardless of whether they have money to pay, a hugger who greets almost everyone as “Brother man.”
“I don’t know the name of every man in my program, but I touch every man,” he said. “I look into their eyes, and I say: ‘What can I do for you? What do you need?’ ”
Said John A., a recovering addict who works for the program: “I’ve had a lot of heroes, and Bob is one of my heroes. He does the deal every day. He devotes himself – happy, sad, angry – to guys and helping them overcome. He gets to save lives because of his past. “These guys on the street aren’t going to listen to someone with a B.A. in social work. They’re going to listen to someone who has been to hell and back.”
‘The biker lifestyle’
Beck grew up near F Street and Roosevelt Boulevard. By age 9, he was drinking and drugging, stealing cars and running wild.
He spent six years in the Navy – a chunk of it in the brig – then came home to Philadelphia.
“I was doing the biker lifestyle, riding my Harley, getting high,” Beck said. “And not necessarily in that order,” another 12 Steps employee interjected.
Back then, Beck was taking and selling methamphetamines and destroying his family, which included his girlfriend and two daughters.
Sometimes, jacked up and convinced that people were trying to harm him, he would booby-trap his house with explosives, then, armed with a knife, lie in wait in the azalea bushes.
“My family only knew me as a terror,” he said. “For 28 years, I couldn’t stop drinking or shooting drugs, robbing the wife, the kids, the mother.”
Beck’s epiphany in 1996 was sudden: He was traveling on SEPTA’s 18 bus on Olney Avenue, headed to work as a night stock boy.
(Page 2 of 3)
Most evenings, he’d spend his shift fighting with himself over whether to get high when work was done. Getting high usually won out.
Not this night.
“I was looking out the window, and I said, ‘God, I don’t know who the f you are’ – I said the whole word – ‘but somebody told me to ask for your help so I don’t think about drinking or drugs,’ ” he said.
The next day, he began going to meetings: Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, groups he still attends at least twice weekly.
He began changing his life – “I’d be dead or doing time in prison if I didn’t” – and he decided he wanted to help other addicts change, too.
A new program
Beck and three friends started 12 Steps Ahead in 1997 with six men they pulled off the streets and resettled in a house on Frankford Avenue.
The new program featured almost daily AA or NA meetings, and it put a strong emphasis on religion.
“Within a year, I was the last man standing,” Beck said.
“Everyone else either relapsed or didn’t want to do the work or thought they’d get rich.”
12 Steps, which does not use last names to preserve anonymity, currently has 80 residents living in seven houses in the Frankford area. The men, who walk in off the street or are newly released from jail or drug-treatment programs, stay anywhere from three to nine months, paying $80 a week.
They go to meetings and to work, all under the supervision of Beck and his staff. He estimates that 65 percent of the men who complete the program stay clean for at least a year.
It’s not a fancy operation. It can’t afford to be. The tiny office on Oxford Avenue has holes in the wall spilling insulation and a beige carpet stained beyond hope. The men bunk in stacked single beds in rooms with missing tiles and watch televisions made way before remote controls existed.
“We have $35,000 in debt because of his heart, because he won’t say ‘no’ to people,” said John D., the program’s director of operations. “It’s a bitch. I can’t say it any other way. He yells at me, and I yell at him. I say: ‘Bob, how can we keep these doors open if you’re giving things away?’ ”
Money comes from the men’s welfare checks, from a few state and local agencies, from the salary Beck earns as a drug and alcohol counselor elsewhere.
He knows he can’t save every addict, but he tries. Joe, a current resident, said Beck pestered him for two years until he joined the program last month.
“He chased me from one end of Frankford to another. I finally got tired of him,” said Joe, 49.
(Page 3 of 3)
There are successes, including Joe, and there are frustrations.
Earlier this month, Beck’s receptionist, free of crack cocaine for five months, didn’t show up for work. Just days earlier, the man had told a reporter how Beck had kept after him to get help after an earlier relapse.
“He gave me hope,” the man said. “I felt like a refugee from Vietnam. Here come the helicopters! I grabbed what I could, and I left. He saved my life.”
Now, that man was missing in action.
“He’s out getting high. We know that,” Beck said.
So the 12 Steps staff was scrambling, whispering in huddles, and sharing frustrated glances.
The receptionist was the repository of all information, the only one who knew how to operate his computer.
Beck couldn’t stop going through his mental Rolodex, trying to figure out what he could have done differently.
“I’ve come to understand I’m not God,” Beck said, “but still, personally, I’m sad. What could I have done better? Where did I let this man down? Because I love him.”
Contact staff writer Natalie Pompilio at 215-854-2813 or npompilio@phillynews.com.
http://articles.philly.com/2004-11-14/news/25378880_1_biker-addicts-crack-house
What you gonna do? NOTHING!
M.O.A.B. & Daisy-Cutter
To all the people who have contributed to this blog and others regarding the corruption and greed behind the non-profits in Frankford:
Keep digging and getting the information out there. The more we find out about the people and organizations in our community, past and present, who make false claims of helping to improve Frankford while getting public funds for doing so, the closer we are to changing things around. Information is important! Information can change things!
And thank you, Gil, for providing the Frankford Gazette as means to get this information out to the people of Frankford/Northwood.
Question
Re: Robert Beck
Records show he purchased 5029 & 5031 Frankford Ave. for $120,000. each back in 1999. How does a biker/ex-drug addict able to get financing for these two properties? I’m assuming like most addicts he had no credit.
August 24th, 2011 at 3:41 pm
Lorraine Says:
Question Re: Robert Beck
Records show he purchased 5029 & 5031 Frankford Ave. for $120,000. each back in 1999. How does a biker/ex-drug addict able to get financing for these two properties?
============
Before we answer that – According to the book by David J. Wright, the Central United Methodist Church is where an “active consortium of four United Methodist churches formed in 1979.”
This makes FGM & the Central United Methodist Church: “Ground Zero.”
It is ironic that the building collapsed one week before an earthquake but the remnants of these groups are still hanging with their hand out – looking for government “hand outs.”
This is where all the present day social ills in Frankford were given birth.
It is not to say that these people are criminals – but they only used the system to it’s fullest extent for both a paycheck, and in advancing their own careers.
But how they accomplish all of these “recovery houses” & churches without the input from the Civics, L&I inspections, or any Zoning Hearings was no miracle bestowed by The Creator.
It was always an inside job aided by the the City Councilman – it still is today.
Before we gaff a big fish, lets look at the whole pond.
Way down the bottom is Bob Beck. Look at the list and we will address the 5000 block of Frankford avenue in my next post:
Frankford CDC Snapshot Survey Business List from 03/29/2010:
http://www.frankfordcdc.com/downloads/Frankford_Businesses.pdf
# Business Name Business Address Phone & Email Business/Service Type Proprietor
Automotive Customs 4213-21 Frankford Ave 215-831-1555 Car Accessories
Wedge Medical Center 4243 Frankford Ave 215-276-3922 Rehab Pat Palmer
Police Athletic League 4253 Frankford Ave recreation
Diamond Check Cashing 4261 Frankford Ave 215-289-6156 check cashing
Nicky G’s 4263 frankford Ave 215-289-0533 pizza shop Nick
Laundromat 4275 Frankford Ave “Officer”
National Appliance 4279-81 Frankford Ave 215-743-8020 apliance repair Alex Difulgitis
Olympic Cleaners 4280 Frankford Ave 215-288-8608 laundromat & Alterations June Lee
Bacalao Supermarket 4287 Frankford Ave
Wee Kids Daycare 4282 Frankford Ave 215-533-1360 daycare
Eli Chinese & American Food 4285 Frankford Ave 215-744-1340 take-out restaurant
Nulty Funeral Home 4292 Frankford Ave 215-535-4461 funeral parlor James Nulty
Nationwide Insurance 4300 Frankford Ave 215-289-6154 insurance & auto tags Donny Montano
Kelly’s Stationary 4308 Frankford Ave 215-744-3545 office supplies Stephen Murphy
Little Hands & Feet Daycare 4310 Frankford Ave 215-289-5907 daycare
Alcoholics Anonymous 4316 Frankford Ave human services
Philly Boyz Appliances 4325 Frankford Ave 215-743-4429 appliance store Mr. Rivera
Flanigans Hardware 4330 Frankford Ave 215-744-3944 appliance repair Harman Flanigan
Iglesia Del Dios Pentecostal 4341 Frankford Ave 215-425-3853 church Abraham Rodriguez
Nini’s Hair Braiding 4343 Frankford Ave hair salon
Wine & Spirits 4344 Frankford Ave liquor store
Quicky Mart 4346 Frankford Ave 215-533-7606 convenience store
PNC Bank 4356 Frankford Ave 215-537-3132 bank Cheryl Harris
Fellowship Revival Church of Love 4400 Frankford Ave church
PGW 4410 Frankford Ave gas company
Zino’s Furniture & Appliances 4413 Frankford Ave 215-743-8053 furniture store
Dynamic Dollar 4416 Frankford Ave 215-533-3035 discount store Bashir Awan
Sierra International Market 4419 Frankford Ave 215-744-2551 variety store Mohammed Conteh
J & A Furniture 4423 Frankford Ave 215-288-2048 furniture store Angel & Jimmy
windows, doors and
Windows & Doors Unlimited 4426 Frankford Ave 215-743-5377 other improvements Bob Stelmach
Kenny’s Soul & Seafood 4428 Frankford Ave 215-289-0507 restaurant Kenneth Hill
St. Mark’s Church 4442 Frankford Ave 215-535-0635 church Rev. Jon Clodfelter
Frankford Hardware 4444 Frankford Ave 215-744-7460 hardware store Nan Park
Birds Birds Birds Pet Center 4446-54 Frankford Ave 215-537-1200 pet store Mr. Kim
Frankford Neighborhood Center 4451 Frankford Ave 215-535-1093 social services Steve Blackburn
Fine Garden Chinese &
American Cuisine 4453 Frankford Ave 215-743-0865 Chinese take-out
Fancy Nails 4459 Frankford Ave 215-289-0330 nail salon
Han’s Thrift Store 4460-62 Frankford Ave 215-533-2773 thrift store Han
Leandro’s Pizza 4501 Frankford Ave 215-533-1935 pizza shop Sam
Son’s Hair Salon 4505 Frankford Ave 215-289-1576 hair salon Son
State Representative Tony Payton 4509 Frankford Ave 215-744-7901 state representative Jorge Santana,
Frankford Avenue Health Center 4510 Frankford Ave 215-744-1302 health care Michael Jones
Angel Care 4516 Frankford Ave 215-535-5310 daycare Ms. Johnson
Jamalladin Tax Center 4519 Frankford Ave accountant Yusef
Brenda Fairconeture
Children’s Playcare Center 4527 Frankford Ave 267-672-1222 daycare Bell
Getting Pretty 4522 Frankford Ave
Divine Thrift 4528 Frankford Ave thirft store Sarah
Gilbert’s Upholstery 4529 Frankford Ave 215-744-5385 antiques & upholstery Gilbert Pons
Updated 3/9/2010
Frankford CDC Snapshot Survey Business List
Frankford Avenue Pharmacy 4531 Frankford Ave 215-904-8801 pharmacy Anne
screenprinting and
Action Enterprises 4535 Frankford Ave 215-537-2415 embroidery Joe Columbaro
Cramer’s Kiddie Shop 4533 Frankford Ave 215-743-0750 uniforms, shoes Warren Cramer
Haja Hair Braiding 4535 Frankford Ave 215-744-5092 hair braiding
Good N Plenty 4600 Frankford Ave coffee shop
Just 4 U Printing 4600 Frankford Ave print shop Dominick Gibbs
Mark My Flesh 4601 Frankford Ave 215-533 tattoo art Francisco Torres
Jun
Fernando Torres
Dream Girls 4603 Frankford Ave 215-533-4111 women’s fashions Francisco Torres
perfumes and women’s
King Perfume & Varieties 4602 Frankford Ave 215-533-7181 accessories Sharma
Rapha Foot & Ankle 4605 Frankford Ave 215-288-7007 foot specialist Dr. Jong M. Lee
Shop of New Sorts Thrift Store 4606-08 Frankford Ave thrift store
Action Quality Kitchen & Floors 4610 Frankford Ave 215-975-0121 furniture store
Church of Latter Day Saints 4612-14 Frankford Ave
Javis Barber 4607 Frankford Ave men’s barber
charles A Friedenberg, DDS 4609 Frankford Ave 215-744-7161 dentist Dr. Friedenberg
Bamba Souty Produce 4611 Frankford Ave 215-289-1825 produce store Bamba Souty
China Wok 4613 Frankford Ave Chinese take-out
Metro Sports 4618-20 Frankford Ave 215-535-3388 sneakers Bob Shin
Frankford Food Market 4622-24 Frankford Ave 215-535-4905 grocery store Mike Patel, Sunji
Third Federal Bank 4625 Frankford Ave 215-289-1400 bank LaTonya Meyers
Tony Hamad,
Valu-Plus 4628 Frankford Ave 215-224-3366 discount store Monique
Metro PCS 4629 Frankford Ave cell phone store
Frankford Library 4634 Frankford Ave 215-685-1473 library Betsy Baxter
2000 Outlet 4635 Frankford Ave 215-743-4280 variety clothing store Henry Chang
un-named discount store 4640 Frankford Ave discount items Michael
raindbow beauty 4643 Frankford Ave 215-744-1440 beauty supply store Marvin Williams
Dollar USA 4644-46 Frankford Ave discount store
Joseph’s Sports Goods 4648-54 Frankford Ave 215-535-2335 sneakers/men’s clothing Paul & Mrs. Park
Straight Gate Church of Faith
Deliverance Inc 4649 Frankford Ave
Elli’s Hair Salon 4653 Frankford Ave 215-533-3167
Alive City Imports 4656-58 Frankford Ave 215-743-3554 cell phone store Aaron Ong
Bar 4655 Frankford Ave
Midnight Over Medina 4657 Frankford Ave 215-535-2311 Mohammed Allal
Leandro’s Pizza 4659 Frankford Ave 215-289-8853 pizza shop John Walker
Avenue Shoes 4660-62 Frankford Ave 215-288-9999 women’s shoe store Mike Greenberg
Halal Deli 4663 Frankford Ave deli
Taha Professional Hair Care 4665 Frankford Ave 215-535-0490 barber shop
Joy Fashion 4666 Frankford Ave 215-743-3822 women’s fashions Sujid Das
Olympia Sports 4668 Frankford Ave sneakers Brian & Joseph
Quality Food Center 4670-72 Frankford Ave 215-289-5589 grocery store
Yum Yums 4671 Frankford Ave coffee/breakfast shop
Checks Cashed 4675 Frankford Ave check cashing
Wireless Station 4677 Frankford Ave 215-744-1361 cell phone store Mr. Kim
Newsstand 4678 Frankford Ave newsstand
Citizens Bank 4700 Frankford Ave 215-537-6662 bank Cindy Okomski
Woodland Money Loan 4701-03 Frankford Ave 215-744-8920 pawn shop Gary Grafer
Updated 3/9/2010
Frankford CDC Snapshot Survey Business List
Terminal Deli 4705 Frankford Ave 215-289-9437 beer distributor Peter
The Shop 4709 Frankford Ave barber shop
Beauty Town 4711 Frankford Ave beauty supply store
Art’s Money Loan 4723 Frankford Ave 215-535-4723 pawn shop Robin
Trans Nailery 4725 Frankford Ave nail salon
Shoe Warehouse 4730 Frankford Ave 215-289-1272 sneakers
Philadelphia House 4731 Frankford Ave 215-533-74355 mortgage company Robbie Mahalatti
The Witches Inn 4732 Frankford Ave 215-744-1430 bar
Murray,
Foot Comfort Center 4733 Frankford Ave 215-744-7463 orthopedic shoes Sophia Tamarki
Liberty Thrift Shop 4735 Frankford Ave thrift store
Billy’s Chili Pot 4738 Frankford Ave 215-744-2905 bar William Lawrence
JEVS Earn Center 4739 Frankford Ave 267-350-8600 human services Lorraine
S&S Hardware 4743 Frankford Ave hardware store
Peter Bressi Northeast
Senior Center 4744 Frankford Ave. 215-831-2926 senior center Don Coverdale
Teddy’s Pizza 4748 Frankford Ave. 215-533-3366 pizza shop Pedro
C&G Appliances 4800 Frankford Ave. 215-535-0992 appliance store Charlie
Sugar & Spice 4801-07 Frankford Ave. 215-533-8967 grocery store Sam Earkawi
Son’s Hair Salon 4802 Frankford Ave. 215-533-5308 hair salon/barber shop
Frankford Nails nail salon
WIC 4806 Frankford Ave. 215-533-6204 social services
7 Sisters Variety Store 4813 Frankford Ave
Nidia M.
Mezalick Design Studio, LLC 4830 Frankford Ave. 215-744-5490 art studio Rivera-Mezalick
Old Sport Café 4831 Frankford Ave. bar
Neil’s Discount Furniture 4833 Frankford Ave. 215-537-5655 furniture and carpet Neil
Tanika’s Top Notch Unisex Salon 4844 Frankford Ave. hair salon Tanika
Gene Shoe Repair 4846 Frankford Ave. 215-831-1824 shoe repair Gene Oliveti
Lorenzo’s Hair Styling 4848 Frankford Ave. 215-743-9685 men’s barber Lorenzo
Raja’s Trinidad Restaurant 4850 Frankford Ave
Lee’s Brothers Deli 4852 Frankford Ave. 215-533-8332 deli Tae Lee
Aria Frankford Hospital 4900 Frankford Ave. 215-831-2000 hospital John Quinn
PA Auto Insurance Outlet 4901 Frankford Ave. 215-744-3900 insurance Warren Kukish
Tantella Associates 4903 Frankford Ave. engineers & Architects Albert M Tantalia
opens & closes
H&R Block 4905 Frankford Ave. seasonally
Variety/Thrift Store 4909 Frankford Ave.
Frankford Medical &
Pain Management 4911 Frankford Ave. 215-288-0157 doctor’s office Karla Chavarria
C’Elegance 4913 Frankford Ave. 215-743-6840 hair salon
S & A Cleaners 4935 Frankford Ave. 215-744-3390 dry cleaners Herbert Frayer
Lisa’s Nail Salon 4939 Frankford Ave. 215-289-4852 nail salon Lisa
Mariany Unisex Beauty Salon 4943 Frankford Ave. 215-535-2775 hair salon
Veronica’s Caribbean &
American Cuisine 4945 Frankford Ave. take out Veronica
Steven Ochsenreither DMD 4951 Frankford Ave. 215-288-6660 dental office Dr. Ochsenreither
Frankford Medical Center 4955 Frankford Ave. 215-831-9663 doctor’s office
M&T Bank 5000 Frankford Ave. 215-831-6405 bank June Wilson
Soll Eye Associates 5001 Frankford Ave. 215-288-5000 eye doctors Kim Barlow
Brian’s Sports Bar 5002 Frankford Ave. bar
Frankford Healthcare System 5009 Frankford Ave. 215-807-8000 healthcare Barbara Worek
Updated 3/9/2010
Frankford CDC Snapshot Survey Business List
Seven Eleven 5028 Frankford Ave. 215-744-4870 convenience store Tony Sandher
12 Steps Ahead 5029 Frankford Ave. 215-743-2963 recovery center Robert Beck
Pipeline Fashions 5035 Frankford Ave clothing
Christ Apostolic Church of Northeast 5037 Frankford Ave. church
Meri African Hair Braiding 5039 Frankford Ave. 215-744-4885 hair braiding
Best Behavioral Care 5043 Frankford Ave. 215-744-4343 social services
Accessories 5105 Frankford Ave. 215-288-9750 beauty accessories Shania
L&J Cleaners 5111 Frankford Ave. 215-533-0574 cleaners
Wachovia 5119-25 Frankford Ave. 215-537-5140 bank Joan Nassef-Long
Page USA Communications 5129 Frankford Ave. 215-744-7557 cell phone store
Holiday Thriftway 5147 Frankford Ave. 215-535-9043 grocery store Mark Gilbert
Cricket Wireless 5205 Frankford Ave. cell phone store
Gentile Family Dentistry 5213 Frankford Ave. dental office
McDonald’s 5219 Frankford Ave. 215-2880979 fast food Diane Bailey
Kicks USA 5231 Frankford Ave. 215-533-6514 sneakers
Metro PCS 5243 Frankford Ave.
Dollar Pride 5251 Frankford Ave. 215-744-3906 discount store
Gold 555 5247 Frankford Ave.
Church’s Chicken and Dairy Queen 5257 Frankford Ave. fast food Sean
======
M.O.A.B. & Daisy-Cutter
MOAB ordered Daisy-Cutter to compare the notes. Make it so!
On 11/14/2004, Natalie Pompilio, Philadelphia Inquirer writes:
“A new program
Beck and three friends started 12 Steps Ahead in 1997 with six men they pulled off the streets and resettled in a house on Frankford Avenue.
The new program featured almost daily AA or NA meetings, and it put a strong emphasis on religion.
‘Within a year, I was the last man standing,’ Beck said.
‘Everyone else either relapsed or didn’t want to do the work or thought they’d get rich.’ ”
From The Philadelphia House of Prayer Website:
“Pastor Ken Delany has teamed up with Bob Beck who had an active men’s drug and alcohol program to form “12 Steps Ahead Holistic Recovery Center” now housing over 84 men. …
Bob and Ken then began a family program to help men regain connection with their children and if possible with their estranged wives. All possible steps are taken to reunite the men with those they have abused with their past behavior.”
The website also has one of several versions on the Overington House being used for solicitation: http://home.comcast.net/~kendelany/Phila/page2.html
Here is another site with some photos: http://philadelphiahouseofprayer.com/
What does this have to do with the Central United Methodist Church?
Plenty!
12 Steps Ahead Holistic Recovery Center is structured for men, just as Overington House was structured for women, but there is more.
There is a pattern & structure here. Bob Beck and others followed Ken Delany’s instructions very well, as per the book.
MOAB found this:
Rev. Ken Delany – “The Science of Getting Rich” – BASIC EDITION.
Here are some excerpts from the promotion:
“This edition is the original with a few comments through out the text by Rev. Ken plus editing to make the original more readable.
The original text is a very thorough step by step outline to obtain financial prosperity or in plain words to get rich.
There are a lot of folks especially in the church who object to the term of “get rich”, yet they are often the very ones who struggle to pay their current bills.
There is no glory to God when his people can’t pay their bills and can’t afford to support the work of ministry in their local church.
How can you brag on the power of your God when you don’t pay your bills?
The excuse is that God is keeping you humble.
To be humble is to be teachable, to be able to take this text and apply it word for word without argument and to become rich in the process, that is being humble.
Poverty is not humility, I have worked in inner-city neighborhoods for eighteen years there is very little humility among the poor.
The BASIC TEXT teaches you WHAT and HOW to think, step by step.
Very few people are BORN rich.
Most of the people who are wealthy today have earned their wealth.
Over 85% of the current wealthy population in the United States earned their money themselves.
Today in 2006 there are so many millionaires in the United States they would fill a telephone book the size of the Manhattan white pages.
The REV KEN – TEXT teaches you WHAT and HOW to think, step by step.
The text attacks your insecurities by proving and establishing that you have a RIGHT to be rich.
The text enables you to get yourself going toward getting the wealth you are entitled to – for yourself, your family and your community.
Yes your community needs you to get rich – who is going to pay taxes and support the needs of the community?
Poor people?
NO, IT IS THE RICH THAT SUPPORTS THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY!
A few thoughts about God and wealth.
In the beginning God created man to be wealthy. … Now I personally like extremely rich.” Excerpted from: http://www.revkendelany.com/
Daisy-Cutter says: SO What?
To some people, Wealth, Power & Money is God. The more you have, the more god-like you will feel. Religion & God are only a means to an end – MONEY.
Being a “church minister” is like being a banker.
Nay, it’s like owning the printing press at the U.S. mint. The only thing counterfeit is the person running it.
Greedy for God’s Love & Greedy for the Money that comes with it! That about sums up human nature & greed.
This came from Philadelphia House of Prayer 1999 web page: http://www.libertynet.org/prayer/page2.html
It tells that story on how the “House of Prayer” founded the Overington House:
Philadelphia House of Prayer
4660 Penn Street
Philadelphia PA 19124-5837
(215) 288-3112
“We are independent and not affiliated with any denomination. We work in coordination with the other ministries in Frankford, our Pastor Kenneth Delany was the President for two terms of the Frankford Ministerium which represents 34 churches and one synagogue in the Frankford area.”
Our church is a financial partner of Kenneth Copeland Ministries since 1993.”
“We are located in the Frankford area of Philadelphia, three blocks West of Frankford Avenue at Arrott and Leiper Streets sraight up from the Margaret/Orthodox “EL” stop. Leiper Street runs parallel with Frankford Avenue and is the third street West of Frankford Avenue (Griscom, Penn then Leiper)
At the intersection of Arrott and Leiper is located the New Frankford Community Y where we rent the main room for Sunday services.”
Current Projects
OVERINGTON HOUSE – WOMENS’ TRANSITIONAL HOUSE FOR ABUSED WOMEN AND THEIR CHILDREN
Philadelphia House of Prayer has founded Overington House Transitional Living Facility for homeless women with their children. Marie Delany has secured two million dollars in funding to make Overington House a reality. This facility will house 13 single parent families for a total house population of 45. Two of the bedrooms located on the first floor are designed for handicap usage either the mother or one or more of her children being handicapped. Overington House will allow a woman with her children to live in the facility for up to two years. Our mission is to encourage and support the return of women with their children to the normal mainstream society, with the emotional and spiritual strength, life skills and work skills, to enable them to support themselves and successfully parent their children.
Last Revised: Tuesday, May 18, 1999.
Daisy-Cutter & MOAB say: What about Robert Beck?
The Answer: https://www.corporations.state.pa.us/corp/soskb/csearch.asp
12 STEPS AHEAD HOLISTIC RECOVERY CENTER
Non-Profit (Non Stock) – Domestic – Information
Entity Number: 3046601
Status: Active
Entity Creation Date: 1/11/2002
State of Business.: PA
Registered Office Address:
5029 FRANKFORD AVE
PHILADELPHIA PA 19124-0
Philadelphia
Mailing Address: No Address
___________________________
12 STEPS AHEAD RECOVERY CENTER, TRANSITIONAL HOUSING
Fictitious Names – Domestic – Information
Entity Number: 2983348
Status: Active
Entity Creation Date: 1/16/2001 11:04:07 AM
State of Business.: PA
Principal Place of Business:
5029 FRANKFORD AVE
PHILADELPHIA PA 19124-0
Mailing Address: No Address
Owner(s) for:
12 STEPS AHEAD RECOVERY CENTER, TRANSITIONAL HOUSING
Owners Name: ROBERT BECK
Mailing Address: [Address Not Available]
________________
12 STEPS AHEASD RECOVERY CENTER, TRANSITIONAL HOUSING
Name Type Current Name
Non-Profit (Non Stock) – Domestic – Information
Entity Number: 2983016
Status: Active
Entity Creation Date: 1/16/2001 2:35:44 PM
State of Business.: PA
Registered Office Address: 5029 FRANKFORD AVE
PHILADELPHIA PA 19124-0
Philadelphia
Mailing Address:
No Address
___________________
12 STEPS, LLC
Name Type Current Name
Limited Liability Company – Domestic
Entity Number: 3326465
Status: Active
Entity Creation Date: 8/10/2005
State of Business.: PA
Registered Office Address: 6824 DITMAN ST
PHILADELPHIA PA 19135-
Philadelphia
Mailing Address: No Address
_______________________
The House of Adonai
Name Type Current Name
Fictitious Names – Domestic – Information
Entity Number: 4042692
Status: Active
Entity Creation Date: 7/8/2011
State of Business.: PA
Principal Place of Business: 5029-31 Frankford Avenue
Philadelphia PA 19124
Mailing Address: No Address
Owner Information
Owner(s) for: The House of Adonai
Name: Beck, Robert A
Mailing Address: 4604 Acton Ct.
Bensalem PA 19020
Name: 12 STEPS AHEAD RECOVERY CENTER, TRANSITIONAL HOUSING
Mailing Address: 5029 FRANKFORD AVE
PHILADELPHIA PA 19124-0
_______________________MORE________________
Give online – The House of Adonai
You can do so electronically (below) or by sending a check or money order to: The House of Adonai 5029-31 Frankford Ave. Philadelphia, Pa. 19124 …
http://www.thehouseofadonai.org/give-online.html
The House of Adonai – Home
19124 (215) 743-2963 / (215) 288-4442 email: twelvestepsahead@yahoo.com. Picture. The House of Adonai is a Christian transitional living program for men.
http://www.thehouseofadonai.org/
It should be noted that “The House of Adonai” is not listed with the State of Pennsylvania as a Non-Profit or a Charity.
Questions – Questions – Questions –
How did this get done without a Zoning Hearing in front of the Frankford Civic Association?
There’s always a reason.
MOAB & Daisy-Cutter
“How did this get done without a Zoning Hearing in front of the Frankford Civic Association?
There’s always a reason.
MOAB & Daisy-Cutter”
There was no variance needed and Frankford Civic didn’t exsist yet? Whats your point in cutting and pasting all this history?
@PA-Allot of what you posted here about useless eaters and feeders etc, clearly you are an atheist but do you also consider yourself a communist? The last time I read anything akin to some of your postings was on a neo nazi website. Just curious. Perhaps you are into antidisestablishmentarianism? Do you think there is an actual problem with any of the people and groups you don’t agree with or are you just an anarchist for the hell of it? There are outside agencies that you can contact that deal with complaints. If you have legitimate concerns why not write to them?
lyndad Says: MOAB & Daisy-Cutter
“Whats your point in cutting and pasting all this history?”
Lets just say I have been inspired by God to do this – to expose the Truth.
God told me he is angry that HIS Son’s Name, Jesus is being used to accomplish it.
There is a lot of theft by deception being foisted on the Frankford Community.
There is a clear conflict of interest by the Principle people running the Frankford CDC.
Like Ackerman, who left the City, many of them need to resign from the board of the CDC.
Lyndad, how much information are you hiding?
Perhaps you should be providing some answers, instead of asking questions.
Why was there no community notice – ever? Where is the accountability?
Where is the transparency?
This is an injustice to the Frankford Community.
When were the walls inside the buildings [5029-31 Frankford Avenue] knocked out and converted into one large complex inside?
Was this place ever inspected by L+I to see if it is safe or up to code?
Why is there so many Corporations (only one non-profit) being laundered through that address?
This was just done:
Entity Creation Date: 7/8/2011
Principal Place of Business: 5029-31 Frankford Avenue
Philadelphia PA 19124
Owner(s) for: The House of Adonai
http://www.thehouseofadonai.org/
This place has a direct connection to the Bishop & the FCDC.
Perhaps Bishop Ken’s wife knows something?
Daisy-Cutter & me are going to do some more meditation with the Creator –
We will return tonight with what information He has provided us.
MOAB & Daisy-Cutter
lyndad Says: “Whats your point in cutting and pasting all this history?”
The Creator of all things spoke to me in His Own Way, saying that all the exposure I may bring to Rev. Ken (in all his Earthly churches & business) is good.
HE said: It is good because it will bring a higher exposure of Lord Jesus to those that need to believe.
Then spoke His Son, saying: judge not Rev. Ken, for Bishop Ken will “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21).
I take this message to mean both God & the Government will take care of everything, no matter.
MOAB & Daisy-Cutter
Daisy-Cutter & MOAB says:
“There is a lot of theft by deception being foisted on the Frankford Community.
There is a clear conflict of interest by the Principle people running the Frankford CDC. ”
You are so right. I remember a business association meeting where Steve Culbertson was questioned about a large sum of money that was supposed to go to improve the business district and he refused to answer. He was pressured by the President and Vice President of the business association to answer that he started to cry. But we never got an answer. Don’t know where that money went. All of this happened when it was known as FGM-CDC. FGM destroyed Central Methodist and Rehoboth. FGM is a separate non profit using a church for space and then took over the church. This happens when the pastors of the churches try running their church and a non profit , both under the same roof . I would say that that is a conflict of interest. Other churches will follow. FGM destroyed Frankford..
How many of these people who dictate to us how our community should be , live in Frankford?
Maybe we should all join Frankford Civic to make them strong. I don’t know if that would make a difference. What are your thoughts on that?
Maybe Frankford Civic should join forces with the Historical Society. I heard that they are disgusted. I heard a year ago they were thinking about moving out of the neighborhood.
How do we stop this now ? I would like to see these blood sucking non profits out of the area.
And what about the Prisoner re entry program? I never hear about that anymore. I remember at a civic meeting where Rev. Bowers stood up in the front of the room with a trash can beside her tearing up papers that represented the “myths” about the re entry program. Of course she would push the re entry program!!! keep the neighborhood poor and the money keeps rolling in. Isn’t that what FGM was about.
Pearls before swine
And the late Peggy Hoch , president of Frankford Civic was for it!!! BTW…..when the Frankford Civic was started , Steve Culbertson was the first president and then assigned Peggy the position. It was called East Frankford Civic.
Every non profit in Frankford, including the churches with social service programs should be audited.
Let me just say a few accurate things here;
1-Bishop Ken Delany is not on the CDC Board now or ever. He was involved with the first CDC that FGM created Frankford United neighbors CDC. or FUNCDC until he resigned.
2-Steve Culbertson was a part of the old CDC that was affiliated with FGM. Called FGMCDC.
3- Money went missing from the then Frankford Main Street Program of the FGMCDC and it was alleged that the manager of the now defunct FUNCDC had taken it. There was an investigation into the finances of that former FUNCDC and its manager. The group now using the FUNCDC name is not affiliated with that former group or FGM (Steve Culbertson, Robin Hynicka) and neither is the current CDC.
4-Some people seem to think that illegal stuff is going on because they don’t like the Delanys and are out to slander them but those people do not know the full history of what has happened in the past and don’t seem to notice that an entirely new group of people are in charge and there is no conflict of interest anywhere with the FCDC.
5- OK some people didn’t like Terry Tobin-he is dead no longer an issue. Some people don’t like Ken Delany- he has nothing to with the FCDC.
6-Some people don’t like Marie Delany because she used to run Overington House and Mr McSherry because he runs NET. these things are not prohibited under the by-laws and neither of them receive compensation for work on that board.
7-I could go on correcting all the misinformation but it is pointless since some people have just decided there some big illegal conspiracy to keep Frankford Down.
8-FGM did destroy Frankford. You got that one right. The people you are complaining about are not a part of FGM. They are trying to help clean up FGM’S and FGMCDC’s mess.
9-Your real enemies are keeping you all squabbling about things you don’t understand while they continue to pull the rug out from under you. The crazy part is you keep voting them back into office. Don’t re-elect the puppet masters and then whine because you don’t like the show. Get a clue.
@Dsaisy I am someone that is giving the true answers as a person who has been here awhile and knows exactly what happened when it happened and who did it. The problem here is people are not intertested in the truth. I also have nothing to hide. Any one who knows the whole story as I do knows that I am the one person everyone always gets a straight answer from. Some people have agendas that have no basis in truth and certainly are not working in service to God but only to themselves and their political allis. Those people will have their day of reckoning and it is not my place to judge
“As I recall, the Tower came down on Rev. John Schol’s watch – What happened to the insurance money?
How was it spent?
Wasn’t the church inspected by L & I then?”
The tower did come down during the Scholl era. (the early 90’s) There was no way to pay for it so Larry Ferrari, (RIP) was called up at channel six where he worked. A concert was arranged, a great organ player and a great organ, match made in heaven right? Tickets were sold to the concert which was held in the church and the funds were used to seal up the bottom of the tower and it was then inspected by the city and given the green light. Interesting to me was that another church bell tower fell the same week at another church in Philadelphia but can’t recall the name of that church which was not in Frankford. There was no falling bell tower insurance money to make repairs. Wether the Methodist Ministries has money to repair or demolish the building now I don’t know. I know Larry Ferrari wont be raising it. Does any one remember Larry from the dialing for dollars show or his Sunday organ music show from the 60’s?
conflict of interest n. a situation in which a person has a duty to more than one person or organization, but cannot do justice to the actual or potentially adverse interests of both parties. This includes when an individual’s personal interests or concerns are inconsistent with the best for a customer, or when a public official’s personal interests are contrary to his/her loyalty to public business. An attorney, an accountant, a business adviser or realtor cannot represent two parties in a dispute and must avoid even the appearance of conflict. He/she may not join with a client in business without making full disclosure of his/her potential conflicts, he/she must avoid commingling funds with the client, and never, never take a position adverse to the customer.
lyndad states: “Money went missing from the then Frankford Main Street Program of the FGMCDC and it was alleged that the manager of the now defunct FUNCDC had taken it. There was an investigation into the finances of that former FUNCDC and its manager”
What was the result of that investigation? Was anyone charged? Did anyone have to pay restitution?
I know nothing happened to Kate Carke or Robin Hynicka. Was Steve Culbertson held accountable?
Who were the people responsible for NET getting on Frankford Avenue – under the radar, so to speak?
Gee, Lyndad…you have a lot of good things to say, ( the last 3 posts were yours!) , but keep in mind , unless you have documents to back you, it is your perspective. We are all giving our opinion here and venting. so bear with some of us who never had a chance to vent. You have some pretty interesting information and I am glad that you brought it to us. I do remember Larry Ferrari. And you are right on about the politicians. I have been in this neighborhood since I was born and I am now a retiree. I have seen the same stuff that you have seen, maybe a bit more.
I do believe that when you are manager a nonprofit ( I am talking about nonprofits who provide social services like FGM) and you sit on the board of FCDC , then how can you not bring your own agenda to the table. If Frankford wasn’t inundated with very poor people , then how could the social services survive? So to survive, they can use FCDC to keep themselves alive. This is my opinion.
Daisy Cutter Moab, and PA ,you are another that has great info.
Keep it coming folks.
Pandora asks some good questions……
“How many of these people who dictate to us how our community should be , live in Frankford?”
“Maybe we should all join Frankford Civic to make them strong. I don’t know if that would make a difference. What are your thoughts on that?”
“How do we stop this now ? ”
“And what about the Prisoner re entry program? ”
Pandora did ask for some feedback. Well, Pandora , here is mine:
These are very good questions you ask.
I haven’t heard anything about the Prisoner Re entry Program. I remember when it was shoved down our throats by some of the religious leaders.
I think that it would help if we joined the Frankford Civic. They deal with a lot of zoning issues (thanks to the Gazette , I get to read about them). Does anyone know how much the membership dues are and where to send them a check? I am going to join them. Don’t know if I can help , but I can certainly give them support.
Does FCDC still have open board meetings? I know that they used to. I went to one.
On another topic, my cousin lives in Tacony and he told me that their Civic, CDC , and Historical Society work in unison. One could say , they are the same people, but isn’t this true about Frankford? Tacony is getting some plaques to be placed on some of their historic homes through a grant.
…whoever said that maybe Frankford Civic and the Historical Society should join forces maybe right. (I think that it was in another blog)
Maybe I should join the historical society , too.
Does anyone else care to join me? Maybe you already belong and I am the one lagging behind!!
Why write a check to join Frankford Civic when you can just hand your money to Danny Savage in person?
@skeeter- I don’t need documents to show (even though I do have copies) when I am giving you my first hand account of events because I was there and saw what went on and am relaying an eye witness account of the events. It is not my perspective it is a factual account of the events. You can draw any conclusions you want from it.
Nice posts by Lorraine & Skeeter, just behind Lyndad’s series of posts.
Yes, did bring a lot of information to the table in her series of posts. There’s alot there for many a response.
In her last post August 26th, 2011 at 12:02 pm, lyndad Says:
“conflict of interest n. a situation in which a person has a duty to more than one person or organization, but cannot do justice to the actual or potentially adverse interests of both parties. This includes when an individual’s personal interests or concerns are inconsistent with the best for a customer ….”
This tells me that you do understand the principle of “conflict of interest,” yet you fail to see any nexus when it involves the present board of the FCDC and it’s link between the past & present
Lyndad, You have made my case, but my posting has nothing to do with liking someone or disliking any of the principles involved. It has to do with transparency & accountability.
For example, Donald Trump could not be an effective President, because (as President of the U.S.), there was not one decision he could ever make that would not impact his financial empire.
Within the same context, because of the Delany financial empire (which involve a large number of business belonging to Bishop Ken & Pastor Marie), there may be a conflict of interest involving:
Fiduciary Duties,
Duty of Care,
Duty of Loyalty,
Duty of Obedience,
Adherence to the Non-Profit’s Mission,
Compliance with Applicable Laws/Government Enforcement Actions.
Because the President of the FCDC is so enterprising with her family’s personal affairs (many which are public, because they consist of churches or charities who solicit the public for money), there emerges an appearance of a conflict of interest.
Furthermore, posting the information from the web-sites of churches & charities that are soliciting the public’s money is not slander.
These web pages contain the words & solicitations of their own creation.
The web sites were set up by them as well as the non-profits & charities.
I have not listed them all but I can & I will if you so choose.
The Great Spirit has touched me and indicated that He would handle this, so I did not feel it was necessary to prove what we all know is TRUE!
So the point is: if there appears to be a conflict of interest – then there is a conflict of interest.
MOAB & Daisy-Cutter
lyndad:
I know you were on the Board of Directors of the present FCDC, so maybe you can answer these questions. What position does the leadership of the FCDC take on the following issues:
1. The number of drug and alcohol recovery facilities in Frankford – licensed or unlicensed.
2. The number of store front churches on Frankford Avenue
3. The number of fanatical religious organizations disgused as “Christian” recovery homes.
4. Re-entry programs for ex-convicts
5. Elimination of many social service non-profits in Frankford.
6. Planning the revitalization of Frankford without regard to religious philosophy or doctrine
To prove a point – that nothing ever gets erased from the Internet:
At the New Frankford Community Y, we are committed to a partnership with the neighborhoods of the Northeast. Providing quality education, recreational, social and cultural programs to encourage personal development of individuals without regard to race, gender or ethnicity. We combine compassion with commitment in building a healthier community.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, Staff and Volunteers of the New Frankford Community Y, we welcome you to our community Center. We are here to provide you with a comfortable and safe atmosphere that enables you to improve your mind, body and spirit.
NEW FRANKFORD COMMUNITY Y
HISTORY
The New Frankford Community Y (NFCY), a non-profit organization, was originally established in 1941 as a branch of the YWCA. In 1975 an addition was added to the historically preserved mansion. This addition included the heated pool, gymnasium and fitness room.
The NFCY was created in 1994 to rescue the former Frankford YWCA, which was threatened with closure due to fiscal problems of the YWCA of Philadelphia. Faced with the loss of a vital community asset, a task force of staff, members, volunteers and community leaders was organized. Without closing the doors for one day, the task force assumed management duties and changed the name to the New Frankford Community Y in December of 1994.
The task force was formed into a Board of Directors and developed a plan to secure acquisition of the property and rebuild the facility into a full service community center, In December, 1995, through a grant provided by Frankford Hospital, the building was purchased from the YWCA of Philadelphia. Frankford Hospital stated that they believed the NFCY was a keystone to the wellness of the community.
The NFCY is partially housed in the Bromley-Garsed Mansion. The mansion was built in 1864 and was constructed with Pennsylvania-quarried Brownstone in 2nd Empire style and is two and one half stories with 20 rooms.
Much of the area was part of the estate of Thomas Leiper. William Overington, Sr. purchased some parcels of land. By the middle of the 19th century, Frankford’s industry flourished and its population grew to 6000 inhabitants. John Garsed, one of two brothers who moved here from Chester to begin the manufacture of textiles in 1843, bought one of those parcels of land in the vicinity of Arrott and Leiper Streets. He proceeded to build his house on a very grand scale despite the fact that the Civil War raged on and resources were strained. His ownership was short lived when he lost his fortune during the war. His brother, Richard took over the property for a period of time.
It was Richard Garsed who sold the mansion to Mr. William Bault of Greenwood-Bault Globe Dye Works, established in 1865. Mr. Bault sold the property to Mr. Henry Davenport, another prominent Frankford manufacturer. Alfred Broadhead and Dr. Stetson then purchased the property for investment purposes. It was their intent to build a row of houses facing Arrott Street. In order to prevent this, the former owner, Mr. William Bault and Robert Pilling, both of them who lived just south of the mansion, bought the entire estate.
The last owner, prior to the YWCA, was James “Hickey” Bromley. Like the previous owners, he too made his fortune in textiles. It was he who added a porte-cochere to the mansion to protect his wife during inclement weather whenever she went to the market. The porte-cochere, as well as the second floor solarium, were removed in 1974 when the YWCA expanded its facility to build an indoor pool, Fitness Room and Gymnasium. (end of text).
Looks like the above version of the “Y” resembles this version:
“I became involved in the quest to save the Frankford YWCA facility locked into bankruptcy. Then in 1994 as President of the newly formed New Frankford Community Y purchased the facility for cash and opened the doors to the residents of Frankford. … I am currently president of the Frankford Community Development Corporation.” http://stream.citypaper.net/electionear/marie_delany.pdf
M.O.A.B & Daisy-Cutter
@Lorraine-As I have stated many times the MH, MR and D&A service providers and halfway houses are all legally permitted to do what they are they are doing. It is all 100% legal. Therefore, the problem is that we need laws to make them illegal or to at least regulate them. The laws are made by the people who are elected. So the solution is obvious, it is in the voting booth. Frankford’s local elected officials have no interest in dealing with the problem other than paying lip service to it. Frankford is the city dumping ground because our local leaders are not protecting our interests because they don’t have to. They know it is a one party system and no matter how bad they are the voters will just pull that big D lever anyhow. As far as the CDC is concerned ask them anything you are curious about. Read the blog. The Board is made up of residents and people who work in Frankford. One person on the Board has no more votes than any other. The Board is diverse. The former FCDC’s legal issues are public record so bring a lot of change if you go downtown to look it up they charge 25 cents a page for copies and you need an appointment. As for NET getting in under the radar as you put it. They didn’t it, was a very public and legal move. The building was owned by an individual who did what he wanted to do with his own building as was legally his right to do. If you thing the old CDC owned it and moved NET in there you are mistaken. Buying that giant building was a mistake Steve Culbertson made. The FGMCDC could not afford it. It was a costly mistake.
@Daisy- The point of posting the conflict of interest definition is to show this situation does not meet that criteria for several reasons for one there is no money changing hands. The CDC Board is not paid to legally represent anyone person or group. The Board is made up of people who are interested in the community economic development of Frankford. There are no taxes collected like with the FSSD. It is not a municipal or quazi municipal authority so Conflict of interest just does not apply here. One Board member, one vote. No one Board member holds more than one vote on anything on the agenda so what you are suggesting is not possible under the Board’s structure and by-laws. How ever many other interests any Board member has is not relevant to their volunteer duties. I don’t speak for the CDC, I invite you to go to the office, or the blog and see what is going on there.
Changing the subject now – Transparency!
Why are the FCDC’s by-laws not available to the public via their Website?
Also the FCDC is not the only CDC in Frankford:
FRANKFORD MUSLIM ASSOCIATION COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
Registered Office Address: 4661-69 FRANKFORD AVE
FRANKFORD MUSLIM ASSOCIATION INC.
Registered Office Address: 4840 MULBERRY ST
Has the FCDC reached out to the Muslim Community, or is there too much Christian Polarization in the FCDC which prohibits it?
Moving right along …
Back to the first post on this thread, August 16th, 2011, anon Says:
[on the Church wall collapsing]
“This is just another example of how nonprofits contribute to the destruction of Frankford. All the tax payer money that they received they cant even take care of their property. How can they set an example or be a role model when they let their own property deteriorate. I agree with Lorraine. Frankford will not improve until all the self serving non profits are gone.”
Here is a reminder of how the building has been treated as opposed to how the principle people have treated themselves – both collapsed:
PhillyBlog
Dragonfly
Tastykake Maker
01-31-2006, 02:02 PM
“The first year of the grant allows only for the salaries of . . . Frankford Community Development Corporation’s Tracy O’Drain and Tamara Lanier-Davis” Published in the Northeast Times on January 12, 2006
Mixed news for E. Frankford
By Diane Villano
Times Staff Writer
Richard Redding, acting director of the Philadelphia Planning Commission’s community planning division, offered the East Frankford Civic Association good news and bad news at its Jan. 5 meeting.
The good news is that Frankford is one of four Philadelphia neighborhoods designated a Pennsylvania Main Street Community. The others are Allegheny West, Mount Airy and West Philadelphia around 40th and Lancaster.
The Main Street program is designed to develop a community’s commercial district with a Main Street manager, beautification, and economic and promotional programs for Frankford’s business corridor.
Along with that is the “Elm Street” program that focuses on revitalizing residential areas approaching the business corridor.
The bad news is that a combined total of only $500,000 is awarded to both programs over a period of five years.
“The grants sound bigger than they are. It surprised me how little money is attached to these programs,” Redding said.
Also, the first year of the grant allows only for the salaries of the Main Street and Elm Street managers — the Frankford Community Development Corporation’s Tracy O’Drain and Tamara Lanier-Davis, respectively.
The overall benefit is to keep the struggling Community Development Corporation going and guide revitalization, Redding said.
In other business, attendees voted to send a letter of approval to the city Zoning Board of Adjustment regarding property at 4233-39 Frankford Ave., provided the used-car lot owners agree to secure front fence and wall; agree to no parking on the sidewalk, demolition of a wall on Salem Street, control rats and avoid parking cars on public areas of Frankford Avenue and Salem Street
=============
Pandora Says:
August 22nd, 2011 at 8:39 pm
“There seems to be a pattern that when churches start catering to the poor, they close. All efforts are focused on feeding and clothing them that they lose sight of their own needs, like fixing up their buildings. St. Mark’s …”
I will address that in my next post.
M.O.A.B & D.C
@Daisy-The by laws are not generally on anyone’s website. They are no secret either. There are a mix of races and religions on the FCDC Board. Are you suggesting that a group that is only for muslims is ok but a group that is diverse is not? You seem to be trying the spagetti attack, where you throw stuff at the wall and see if anything sticks but so far nothing you have posted amounts to any wrong doing. They (FCDC)also made no claim I am aware of about being the only CDC. What was the point behind cutting and pasting that old article? I am not sure what you are trying to prove there.
BTW @Daisy the FGMCDC under the direction of Lonnie Chafin is the reason the muslim community has the TAHA building at all. I would go so far as to say that in my opinion had the FGMCDC not had the misfortune of hiring Steve Culbertson much of the ill will you and others seem to have towards the FCDC might never have happened. Things were working well when Mr. Chafin was here and they are going well again now under Tracy ODrain. The Culbertson era mistakes were made, they can’t be changed and for the most part they have been cleaned up. The FCDC is moving forward and those who want to get on board are welcome. There is alot of work to do.
Lorraine says
I know you were on the Board of Directors of the present FCDC, so maybe you can answer these questions. What position does the leadership of the FCDC take on the following issues:
1. The number of drug and alcohol recovery facilities in Frankford – licensed or unlicensed.
2. The number of store front churches on Frankford Avenue
3. The number of fanatical religious organizations disgused as “Christian” recovery homes.
4. Re-entry programs for ex-convicts
5. Elimination of many social service non-profits in Frankford.
6. Planning the revitalization of Frankford without regard to religious philosophy or doctrine
Here, Here, Lorraine!!! wonderful questions
@lyndad “I was there and I saw what went on and am relaying an eyewitness account”
What , if any, did you do about it?
Daisy…..thank you for the history lesson.
Good questions, very good questions.
With all the bad weather coming, makes me wonder if the Griscom St. wall at Central Methodist will hold up. I drove by yesterday and just to see the gaping hole with no covering brings out many emotions…..sad, frustrated, angry, mostly angry at FGM . I wonder what the Methodist Conference was thinking? I heard that the records are still in the building. Lyndad…you are right about our politicians. They are not interested in the community . If they were , they would be making sure that L & I would board it up. Did you see the little fence around the little alley way where the wall collapsed? And a little “keep out” sign. What a joke. Now all of the water will weaken the building more.
Those beautiful Tiffany windows!!!!
August 27th, 2011 at 6:28 pm, Lyndad Says:
@Daisy – “The by laws are not generally on anyone’s website.”
Answer: That is not true, by laws and EIN numbers are often on non-profit web sites.
Furthermore – The FCDC has the volunteers & resources to post them, but they won’t. I suspect the FCDC principals fear that by allowing public access to their by-laws may, it may expose their vulnerabilities – even open them up to a takeover by the citizens who live in Frankford. So perhaps it is safer to just keep them hidden.
Lyndad Says: “They are no secret either.”
Answer: The by-laws are not secret because I can have then within 24 hrs if I contact the state.
In all the years of existence of the FCDC – it has been run like a private club, reeking of cigar smoke and good old boys – all gathered in their lush little private club, shielded from those who were considered the outsiders and riffraff. (That is why FCDC has not embraced the Muslim Community of Frankford).
Lyndad Says: “There are a mix of races and religions on the FCDC Board. Are you suggesting that a group that is only for muslims is ok but a group that is diverse is not? ”
Answer: You speak like you are talking about a bunch of farm animals rather than Hunan Beings. Like in the FCDC, we will take two of these, and one of those, throw in a mongrel – that will satisfy the criteria for non-discrimination.
What I am declaring is that the FCDC has been guilty of picking & choosing who they want in their private club. You have excluded many people that might have been good for Frankford.
I am saying that is your core group – many who are Christian have not acted as Christians.
True Christians would embrace the local Muslim Community.
Peace & Healing begins at home by recognizing that there is a Muslim Community and asking them to help develop the Frankford Community as a whole.
IF your group is not doing that, then the FCDC is guilty of Religious Discrimination against Muslims.
I find this particularly disturbing, in light of the fact, that both Rev. Marie & Bishop Ken are so involved with placing Christianity in a Terrorist Country – Pakistan – a country mainly made up of Muslims – Pilgrimages are made there – as a means to an end, but back in Frankford – there is a different set of rules & no need to embrace one’s Muslim Brother.
The FCDC is too Christian oriented and unbalanced.
I have no opinion on the Muslim CDC as a stand alone group – perhaps they are more intelligent that some would believe.
Lyndad Says: “You seem to be trying the spagetti attack, where you throw stuff at the wall and see if anything sticks but so far nothing you have posted amounts to any wrong doing.”
Answer: It is true that I have done no wrong by anything I posted.
But a spaghetti attack! You think I am attacking because none of it stuck in your brain? You think that you can B.S. everyone, and we will just get tired of posting, or the thread will closed and no-one can answer- that if you get the last word in- that you won some type of argument?
I have not made an accusation, I posted facts & provocative questions.
You have danced, but you have not answered for the FGM or the FCDC or for Steve Culbertson, or Terry Tobin, the missing money, the closed “Y” – for all the blunders and lack of accountability and the people still “in power” who were involved have not answered, and still they are grasping to hold on and waiting for this to just blow over & be forgotten.
It will not be resolved by any conversation here. It’s not going away. The storm is growing and gaining strength.
Lyndad, I wish I had one friend like you – You are blinded by loyalty, and they are not worthy of you.
I want to move this conversation back onto focus up the Church Building, the Historical records & what part St. Marks may play into this.
Now I will eat a spaghetti dinner and move on.
M.O.A.B & Daisy
@ Daisy-You have a rich fantasy life, nothing wrong with that but why don’t you just try to get a handle on the facts and the reality of what is going on today. For the record I was dead set against Steve Culbertson being hired and I had an argument with Lonnie Chafin about it. I resigned over what was going on over there then. No one is trying to hide the mistakes that were made in the past. They have acknowledged them, fixed them and are moving on. What ever people think Terry Tobin (RIP) did or didn’t do at the Y has nothing to do with the FCDC. As far as any muslim issue that is something you try to put in the conversation for what ever reason you may have but do you know of any muslim has ever applied to be on the board in all the years the FCDC has put out the word to the public that they were looking for Board members? I don’t. I have to laugh at your cigars and posh whatever remark. Why don’t you go to 4900 Griscom Street and take a look at it? You obviously have no idea what you are talking about there. Looking at the donated building they are in that is falling apart you would be disabused of such notions. You seem to like the last word so I will leave it to you.
Pandora Says: “I wonder what the Methodist Conference was thinking? I heard that the records are still in the building.”
Answer: Awhile back, someone was sent from the Methodist Conference to get the records – but Catherine Bowers could not find the keys to get the vault open, so they never left.
On another note, the whisper on the street is that Rev. Clodfelter from St. Marks has been licking his chops to take over FGM and bring it to St. Marks.
The whisperer also says; that Clodfelter got a jump on the FGM because he is running the best eatery on Frankford Avenue.
The whisperer also says: that Clodfelter might be pilfering the money from the church treasury to feed homeless, to the detriment of that building’s up-keep.
The whisper says: that it is a conflict of interest to rob Peter to pay Paul. Clodfleter might have a duty of loyalty problem, but meantime the homeless are eating the the church out of money.
Business Name History
NORTHEAST COMMITTEE ON HOMELESSNESS
Non-Profit (Non Stock) – Domestic – Information
Entity Number: 801491
Status: Active
Entity Creation Date: 2/21/1984
State of Business.: PA
Registered Office Address: 4442 Frankford Avenue
Philadelphia PA 19124
Philadelphia
Mailing Address:
No Address
Officers Name: Rev Jonathan N Clodfelter
Title: President
Address: 4442 Frankford Avenue
Philadelphia PA 19124
Name: Ivy M Horsfall
Title: Secretary
Address: 4442 Frankford Avenue
Philadelphia PA 19124
Name: Richard H Trickey
Title: Treasurer
Address: 4442 Frankford Avenue
Philadelphia PA 19124
Name: Rhodie Fowler
Title: Vice President
Address: 4442 Frankford Avenue
Philadelphia PA 19124
Description
The Northeast Committee on Homelessness (NECH) was founded by a group of Quakers whose goal was to help homeless women in the Frankford area. Although, the original intention of the committee was to serve as a homeless shelter for women, the founders realized that there was a more relevant issue in the Northeast area- hunger.
In 1983, the NECH began opening the doors of the Frankford Baptist Church to feed 100 people both a hot meal and a take home meal. The NECH decided to serve these meals on Saturday afternoons because the other soup kitchens were closed on the weekends. The number of homeless that come out each week varies but there is always a need and those less fortunate people who attend are always fed.
The NECH moved into the Salvation Army in Frankford, until that branch was closed. At this time, the Committee moved to St. Marks Church of Frankford. Now, 12 different groups come to St. Marks to volunteer their time and help serve the meals. Hunger is a tremendous issue in our country and the NECH gives everyone in the area an opportunity to aid in improving the national hunger issue close to home.
Rev. Jon Clodfelter is the President of the Northeast Committee on Homelessness and he works very hard to help the hungry people in the Frankford area. Rhodie Fowler is the Vice President for the NECH, Richard H. Trickey is the Treasurer, Ivy M. Horsfall is the Secretary, and Kathleen McNulty is the Purchasing Agent. This group of individuals does an excellent job of running the NECH, but they are looking for more help in terms of volunteers. So, come out and lend a helping hand to those who are less fortunate.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Northeast-Committee-on-Homelessness/116861955009348
St. Marks may be the next church to fail, but I am going to be a food critic, I better get over there and see if the soup is any good.
M.O.A.B. & Daisy-Cutter
I was wondering what the lines inside the church courtyard was about on Saturday. I am assuming that this is what they are doing at the church. So another nonprofit, like FGM, being run by the same pastor that heads the church. I guess that they don’t get enough money from the church to support themselves as a pastor so the make themselves head of another nonprofit and eventually become executive director….bingo…another paycheck. What do these pastors (Central Methodist and St. Mark’s) make? I guess the board of directors of the churches (I know that there is another name for them, but I can’t remember one church from another) think that this is ok. This doesn’t feel right. Has this Northeast Committee on Homelessness had a recent audit? Just wondering. Are they a separate non profit or just a committee of the church or Quakers?
According to M.O.A.B. & Daisy Cutter’s post it started in Frankford Baptist. Well, they are long gone. The pattern is that when churches cater to the community’s feeding needs, they close. Whatever happened to the members of churches just doing a clothing drive or Sunday Schools collecting canned goods for the poor. Why do they have to become low class “restaurants”?
I must say, most of the people that they serve don’t look homeless. Daisy Cutter, I may join you some Saturday. Let me know when you are going. Hey , a free meal , I am in!!! Are they hot or just sandwiches because I saw some of the people had bags with them. Maybe they were doggie bags. What time do they open? They should at least put their hours of operation out on a sign or something.
I clicked on the link and saw the pictures. My heart sank when I saw a young boy in the photo. He didn’t look too emaciated, but you can’t really judge from that. Most poor people have to rely on processed food, hence the obesity problem with children and adults. If they would feed more families that are in need then it wouldn’t seem so bad, providing that it doesn’t drain the churches funds. I have seen some of the others walking the Avenue and even going on buses with their bags. One of the people tried to sell me a bag of food. So I think that they are not just feeding the Frankford community. I was disturbed by the food preparation . I didn’t see people wearing gloves while handling the food. One of the pictures has a lot of people in what appears to be some sort of kitchen. Is this St. Mark’s? If they are really serving hot meals, and use the kitchen, then shouldn’t it have the ok from the Board of Health or L & I something? I thought that you had to have some sort of license to serve food.
Another thing, I tried clicking on the website for the Northeast Committee on Homelessness and it was taken down.
It would be a shame to see another church close in Frankford. Skeeter is right…a feeding frenzy. Is this their only way to stay open.? I would bet that anyone that has used FGM or St. Mark’s ad hoc programs never actually attended services at the churches. Or let me put that a different way, contributed to the church.
Now , what are they going to do with Central Methodist? L & I declared it unsafe. Are they just going to wait for it to collapse. Is there anything that we , as a community could do?
I saw in the community calendar section in the N.E. Times where FGM is having play group for tots. The east wall looks like it can go at any minute. Seems unsafe to have a play group there , even if it would be held in the building behind the church.