WHAT IF...
The “Why” and “What if”
Behind the Man on the Mission
The man behind Mission Philadelphia is Steve Grosswald, who has always had a concern for poverty. He recalls in the late 1960s, his grandmother, Francis Snyder, would gather used clothing from Wildwood, New Jersey and send the clothes to Piney Woods, a core-black boarding school in Mississippi. His interest grew exponentially with the emergence of COVID-19.
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Steve volunteered for Philabundance to help package COVID-19 Care Boxes for over 1,200 Families. Shortly thereafter, he met Tom Frey, who delivers Blessing Bags (Gallon zip-lock bags with water, a day’s worth of calories and a pair of socks) prepared by St. Miriam Parish and Friary in Flourtown, PA. Steve read that this Not-for-Profit needed help and he joined Tom and 2-3 others, delivering hunger relief to the homeless.
Despite the depressing realities of meeting hundreds of people living in extreme poverty, Steve was energized by the exceptionally high level of gratitude expressed by virtually all of the needy people upon receiving food to eat and a clean pair of socks.
Additionally, Philadelphia is ranked #1 in the top 10 largest cities in America in terms of its share of people living below the poverty line. The Philadelphia region has over 300,000 people that are food insecure and over 5,000 homeless living on the streets that need help.
DID YOU KNOW?
There are over 50 churches and other charitable organizations in this great city that are all trying to alleviate hunger during these difficult times. Unfortunately, while it varies by Not-for-Profit, the supply chain for many of these organizations can be incredibly inefficient and/or inconsistent. As a result, the impact of their well-intentioned commitment and great deeds can be significantly limited.
Steve has played a pivotal role in the sales, service and/or delivery of over $2.5 Billion in solutions to the Fortune 100 and Healthcare organizations (but, with the financial bottom line being the “recipient” of his tireless efforts).He envisioned bringing greater corporate (profit-focused) effectiveness and disciplines to the non-profit world:
“Why only feed 1,000 people per week when you can feed 5,000 per week? Why pay $5 for a case of water when Charitable Supply Chain Optimization (CSCO) and Return On charitable Investment (ROcI) can provide organizations across the region with water for $2.00 per case?”
Central to this important effort, ROcI, is the basis for asking some very important questions that will become the foundation for the unprecedented value delivered by Mission Philadelphia:
KEY INITIATIVES
WHAT IF charitable effectiveness could be increased by 5x or 50x, through educating donors on ROcI and by offering a plethora of exciting and value-based opportunities to help?
WHAT IF a free, new smartphone app could facilitate a 3x to 10x increase in the number of volunteers ready, willing and able to help 50+ hunger and homeless
Not-for-Profits?
WHAT IF we created a Mission Internship for college students by offering valuable, real-life, resume-building internships? MissionInterns can serve over the summer, during the academic term, or during a COVID-19 Gap Year.
WHAT IF every food desert can be “irrigated” and what if every willing family was educated on shopping for healthy foods and healthy cooking?
WHAT IF we partnered with all private and public K-12 schools to ensure that every child has a healthy breakfast and lunch 365 days a year?
WHAT IF regular testing for High Blood Pressure, Glucose, Cholesterol, etc, were free and readily available for every person in Philadelphia?
WHAT IF food waste generated from hunger relief efforts was decreased by 60 to 90% via the use of collaboration and new technology?
WHAT IF all Not-for-Profits doing food distribution to these needy recipients knew where the homeless population would be located, at any given moment, based on time of day, day of week, weather, etc?
WHAT IF Not-for-Profits could reduce the amount it pays for donation processing costs by 50% and receive funds donated via credit card in the Not-for-Profits’ bank accounts in under 24 hours vs. days, weeks, or months?
WHAT IF we leveraged Analytics and Data Science to best meet the needs of every person in poverty?
WHAT IF we could inspire and effectuate the significant increase of available homes for the vast majority of the homeless that want it?
WHAT IF we created housing units for the homeless by hiring and training them to renovate abandoned houses into their homes, with materials donated by manufacturers and retail organizations with a public/private partnership for funding?
WHAT IF every abandoned home in Philadelphia is converted to a viable single or multi-family residence and every vacant lot is converted to a vegetable garden or park?
WHAT IF all Philadelphia Hunger and Homeless Not-for-Profits could truly partner with City/State/Federal agencies AND the private sector to cut Philly’s poverty rate by 5%, 10%, 25% or 50%?
WHAT IF we developed, via public/private partnerships, a program that enables the creation of thousands of new jobs that provide a true, living wage?
WHAT IF EVERY person in Philadelphia eligible for SNAP and Medicaid could actually receive their benefits (even if they don’t have an address for the cards to be sent to)?
WHAT IF we partnered with all Philadelphia Health Systems and other healthcare providers to proactively and assertively assist the homeless in receiving Medicaid coverage BEFORE they visit the ED and, thus, facilitate preventive care to improve their quality of life AND the financial sustainability of our local Healthcare Heroes.
WHAT IF every person who was ready to seek inpatient or outpatient substance abuse/recovery treatment could actually get treatment at their time of need?
WHAT IF area corporations, Philly sports teams/players, Philly-born celebrities, etc., could “adopt” an area of the city, a specific program, a particular demographic (ex: Homeless Veterans or minors/K-12 students), etc?
WHAT IF underserved people in Philadelphia could have a free and easy-to-use smartphone app (leveraging the existing Pennsylvania program for no-cost phones for those in poverty) allowing for comprehensive, REAL TIME access, literally at their fingertips, for ALL available Hunger, Homeless, Social Service, Medical, Legal, Substance Recovery, Veterans, LBGTQ, Veterinarian support, etc, etc.. from every Not-for-Profit and agency was available to help the underserved?
WHAT IF the area Law schools, in conjunction with area attorneys, could become an army to best protect the countless thousands of Philadelphians a risk of being foreclosed upon or evicted in due to job losses from COVID-19?
WHAT IF area Universities are truly united in a cause to do evidence-based research, leveraging Analytics and Data Science and the Best Practices utilized across America and the world, that have been proven to significantly reduce poverty?
WHAT IF, via a public/private partnership with Septa, we were able to dramatically improve the quality of life for the hundreds of homeless "living" in our subway stations AND provide free fares for the food insecure in the city's "food deserts" to go get to food stores, panties, donation sites, etc?
WHAT IF, a public/private partnership with PCA (Philadelphia Corporation for the Aging) we ensured by July 4th, 2022, NO senior citizen in the city was homeless or food insecure?
WHAT IF, a public/private partnership with the VA (Veterans Administration) we ensured by July 4th, 2022, NO Veteran, who has served this great nation, the city was homeless or food insecure?
WHAT IF we could actually PREVENT homelessness BEFORE it occurs?!?
Reducing the number of Philadelphians below the Poverty Level below 18% by July 4th, 2026
