Moved by a story he read in One Step Away, Philadelphia’s first street newspaper written and produced by the city’s homeless, Old City restaurateur Kevin Meeker decided to throw a fundraiser to benefit the newspaper and homeless men and women behind it.
Q BBQ (207 Chestnut St.) will throw a fundraising dinner for One Step Away Feb. 28, with proceeds going to the street paper. One Step Away is a unit of Resources for Human Development, a national human services nonprofit headquartered in Philadelphia. The homeless men, women and children who produce One Step Away are clients in local homeless shelters supported by RHD.
For tickets to this event, please contact One Step Away assistant director Chloe Johnson at 215-951-0300 (ext. 3942) or at:chloe@rhd.orgMeeker said a column by Stephanie, a young girl residing in RHD’s Woodstock Family Center, spurred him to action.
“When I read the words: ‘We are all one step away . . . to getting a home. To losing a home. To rebuilding our lives. To destroying our lives. To retrieving our families. To losing our families,’ written by a nearly blind 13-year-old girl living in a homeless shelter with her mother and 9 year old sister, I knew I had to help in some small way,’’ Meeker said. “We have all been affected by the economic downturn and sometimes we start feeling sorry for ourselves. We are all ‘One Step Away’ from a catastrophe, or a windfall. Why am I so lucky to be living in a nice home, warm and dry while someone else is living on the edge, looking for their next meal?
“What could I do? I read where the homeless were writing about their experiences in the One Step Away Newspaper and I thought we should raise the awareness by having a dinner with proceeds going to the shelter. What if students from two socially different neighborhoods came together for a common cause? Dobbins High School in Center City and Haddonfield Memorial High School in New Jersey are helping with a dinner at my restaurant to help those that are having trouble making ends meet. It was a thought that hopefully will provide hope and a little money for those that need it in times when many people need it.”
Tickets are $50 for a four-course meal. In addition to live music, Q BBQ will hold a raffle featuring items donated by the Phillies, the Eagles and the Flyers, as well as gift cards from local restaurants.
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the community’s support for One Step Away,’’ said Chloe Johnson, the newspaper’s assistant director at RHD. “People have volunteered time and effort, made donations, given everything from money to school supplies for the men, women and children in our shelters. The way this city has embraced One Step Away has been very moving for all of us – especially the homeless people who are just one step away from getting back on their feet.”
One Step Away is Philadelphia’s first street newspaper, produced for those without homes for those with homes. The monthly tabloid debuted in December, and includes news and opinion about homelessness and affordable housing, as well as creative writing and artwork by men, women and children in local homeless shelters. One Step Away is distributed on the streets of Philadelphia for a $1 donation to the homeless.