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 7,000 homeless living on the streets that need help.
DID YOU KNOW?
There are hundreds of 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:
