The Community Grocer

05/08/2026

Free and fresh meal samples for all💚

On the menu today:

Mexican Roast Chicken 🍗
Black Beans & Lentils 🫘
Grilled Green Bean Salad 🥗
w/ a roasted tomato vinaigrette 🍅

3pm at 59th & Catharine 📍

05/07/2026

🛒 Big news from our team.

Our Co-Founder & President Eli Moraru will be presenting at the Grocery Retail for All Summit in Chicago this June, sharing a stage with some of the most important leaders in grocery retail, food policy, and community finance in the country.

The conversation he’ll be part of is one we live every day: how do you actually finance community grocery retail? What does real innovation look like when the market has already written your neighborhood off?

We’re building TCG in West Philadelphia right now with construction underway and doors opening soon. We believe the answer exists. But it’s hard. The tools weren’t built for what we’re trying to do, and the communities that need it most are the ones the traditional system leaves behind.
That’s exactly why rooms like this matter. And we’re honored to be in one.

See you in Chicago. 🌿

05/05/2026

Last week our General Manager Issa James spent 5 days in Atlanta at HQ attending the Supermarket Management Class. She attended 22 sessions with industry professionals with real world applications on grocery operations, finance, and retail leadership. Issa earned her certificate of completion and gained invaluable knowledge from leaders around the globe to bring back to Southwest Philly!

As we continue to bring our vision to life, we are developing our team to serve our community with the highest standards of community care and industry innovation 💚

05/04/2026

Please join us in welcoming our new Chef de Cuisine, Samir, to the TCG Family ❤️💚

Samir Y. Hernandez is a culinary professional whose career reflects steady growth from foundational kitchen roles to leadership rooted in both ex*****on and education. After building strong techniques in fast-paced restaurant environments, he expanded into culinary instruction at the Philabundance Community Kitchen, where he led over 30 cohorts, mentored more than 250 students, and achieved a 100% ServSafe certification pass rate. Across his experience, he has contributed to menu development, high-volume production, and the implementation of systems that improve efficiency, consistency, and product quality.

Guided by values of accountability, clear communication, and shared ownership Samir brings a mission-driven approach to hospitality, creating environments where teams can perform at a high level and sustain long-term success.

05/02/2026

We are honored to be the recipient of The Cosmopolitan Club of Philadelphia’s Giving Circle of the Award for 2026!

With the support of The Cosmopolitan Club we will continue our free food distributions until our opening, set up an emergency food fund for neighbors in need, support mothers through the NOURISH study, and continue to bring our vision to life to make eating well easier for all 🧡

04/29/2026

On the menu this Friday:

- Mashed sweet potatoes and squash 🍠
- Grilled chicken 🍗 with a yogurt sauce

3pm at 59th & Catharine.

Prepared by our incredible team, apprentices, and volunteers from 💚

04/28/2026

The reviews are coming in and we’re taking note…

As our physical infrastructure is coming to life on 60th Street, our team is building out our opening day product offering with community feedback on every step of the way.

Come try a free sample, every Friday at 59th and Catharine at 3pm. In partnership with 💚

04/23/2026

April has been a month of momentum and milestones.

As spring unfolds and we move closer to opening, we're grateful for the progress we're making—organizationally, in the community, and in partnerships that are helping us build something truly transformative. Thank you for being part of this journey with us.

Read our monthly newsletter to see all we have been getting up to below 👇

April has been a month of momentum and milestones. As spring unfolds and we move closer to opening, we're grateful for the progress we're making—organizationally, in the community, and in partnerships that are helping us build something truly transformative. Thank you for being part of this journe...

04/21/2026

🚨Huge News!!!🚨

We’re pleased to share that we’ve been selected as 1/6 organizations nationally by the Foundation and to participate in the 2026 AbbVie Foundation Health Equity Accelerator.

Through this program, we’ll continue advancing our work to expand access to care in communities, alongside this inspiring group of organizations:

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○ .us
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○ MedCycle Network
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Over the next 10 weeks, we’ll learn from peers, mentors, and subject matter experts who can help us think bigger and move smarter.

We’re building something new: a vision for nutrition access and Food as Medicine that starts with the community it serves. This accelerator gives us the connections and support to make the corner store a real foundation for health equity in Southwest Philadelphia. 💚

Learn more via the link on our story

04/16/2026

Last night TCG was honored on Jackie Robinson night as a 2025 charities recipient. Our team, supporters, and 100 of our neighbors turned the bank into a sea of green, celebrating our progress to date and our new partnership with the Phillies ❤️💚

Even better, it was an early birthday celebration for our General Manager Issa! 🎉🎈🎁🎊🎂🥳 Please help us in wishing Issa a happy birthday in the comments below 👇

03/27/2026

Before we open our doors, we're already showing up for our neighbors. 🌱

Every week, we're distributing 150+ meals across West Philadelphia — because community can't wait for a ribbon cutting.

This summer, our flagship location at 60th & Walton will bring something new to the neighborhood:

✅ Fresh produce, meats, dairy, and household staples — all SNAP-eligible
✅ The first store in the country to let SNAP recipients walk away with a hot, healthy meal, fully compliant with federal policy
✅ Partnerships with Penn Medicine and Jefferson Health to provide medically necessary grocery stipends
✅ Local sourcing through partners like Farmer Jawn, the largest regenerative organic Black woman-owned farm in the country

We've been building this for over two years — with our neighbors, for our neighbors. As SNAP work requirements put tens of thousands of Philadelphians at risk of losing benefits, our mission has never felt more urgent.

"Everyone is recognizing that the work our neighbors and we have been putting together is bigger than one store; it's about an entire system." — Eli Moraru, Co-founder & President

Thank you to WHYY for sharing our story. Read the full article below. 👇

https://whyy.org/articles/community-grocer-west-philly-food-security/

The Community Grocer is using a meal-kit workaround so SNAP recipients can leave with hot meals, as new federal work requirements threaten benefits for thousands in Philadelphia.