The Other Carpenter

The Other Carpenter (TOC) is a ten-year-old nonprofit housing ministry that operates in the Parkside, Mantua and Belmont communities of West Philadelphia, which provides home repair assistance to low to moderate income homeowners who reside in the area. In the fall of 2011, a group of students from the Department of Architecture and Interiors began volunteering for The Other Carpenter. All participants are taught building skills, which enable them to make an important contribution to the project.

“I was unsure of what to expect the first time I volunteered for The Other Carpenter," said Sam Emory, a fourth year Architecture student.  "I biked out to the Mantua construction site feeling apprehension about whether I would be a help or a burden. After an afternoon of hard work, I left feeling that I had not only learned something, but contributed to a family and a community, and made a few friends along the way,”  “The builders and volunteers involved with the program come from varied levels of experience, but have equal commitment to improving the living conditions of local homeowners.”