A plaque honoring the Walmart Foundation's contributions to Drexel's 11th Street Family Health Services was unveiled outside the health center's teaching kitchen.
Nutrition and fitness opportunities at the 11th Street Family Health Services of Drexel University (11th Street) have never been better, thanks to a recent $100,000 contribution from the Walmart Foundation. The 11th Street community and Drexel marked their appreciation today by unveiling a special plaque dedicated to Walmart and inviting guests and patients to join a healthy cooking class.
Friends, alumni, community members and Philadelphia City Council Representative William Greenlee joined the celebration where patients learned to prepare healthy recipes for an eclectic Middle Eastern and Indian meal, using eggplant and herbs from the health center’s urban garden. Many of the patients in the class had just come from participating in a group exercise class and weight loss competition earlier this morning.
Nutrition and fitness are among the comprehensive suite of health-promoting services that the center offers to patients in a North Philadelphia neighborhood that has traditionally been medically underserved. The 11th Street center also offers primary care by nurse practitioners and comprehensive services in dental, behavioral health, social work, creative arts and physical therapies, complementary and integrative health and more—in a single location within a community.
“At 11th Street, we know that health is about more than just treating people when they’re sick,” said Dr. Patricia Gerrity, the center’s director and a professor and associate dean for Community Programs at Drexel’s College of Nursing and Health Professions. “With this gift, our patients are more empowered than ever to get healthy and stay healthy, every day of their lives.”
The funds provided by the Walmart Foundation support upgrades to fitness equipment, new kitchen appliances used for cooking and nutrition education, a shed for the center’s urban vegetable farm, food and other supplies. The gift is part of Walmart’s 5-year, $2 billion commitment to “Fighting Hunger Together” in the United States with direct food donations, grants at the national and local levels, and collaborations with the government and non-profit agencies to provide nutrition education opportunities.
“Nutritious food and physical activity are critical components to a healthy lifestyle. The Walmart Foundation is proud to support 11th Street Family Health Services of Drexel University and the people here who are committed to living better, healthier lives,” said Jason Klipa, director of public affairs and government relations for Walmart in Pennsylvania.
Note to news media: For inquiries about Walmart and the Walmart Foundation in Pennsylvania, contact Kera Armstrong, 215-735-6760, 609-760-6480 (cell), kera@ceislermedia.com. For inquiries about 11th Street Family Health Services, contact Rachel Ewing (info below).