Campbell Soup Co. is looking to heat up the area it does business in — with the help of a local nonprofit, of course.
A Camden-based nonprofit community development corporation, Parkside Business & Community in Partnership Inc., or PBCIP, announced it had received a $689,500 Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit grant from Campbell’s to help revitalization efforts in the Parkside neighborhood in Camden.
Initiatives from PBCIP’s 2017 Neighborhood Planning effort — a 10-month, resident-driven project that resulted in a comprehensive strategic plan for transformative neighborhood change, will be supported through the NRTC investment. The program is meant to revitalize the state’s most distressed neighborhoods. Local nonprofits whose revitalization plan for a specified neighborhood is approved by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs receive funds through the NRTC program. Eligible organizations with allocated funds must use said funds to implement the goals and strategies of the already approved neighborhood plan.
Parkside neighborhood residents will benefit in four distinct ways from Campbell’s support of PBCIP revitalization projects:
- Development of a 44-unit multifamily development project that provides quality workforce housing;
- Creating of a business corridor that should provide jobs for residents due to a strong retail presence and, according to Campbell’s and PBCIP, new community-based entrepreneurs filling real estate vacancies;
- Greater access to healthy foods through expansion and integration of gardening activities that will connect to recreational amenities and active living programs;
- Reinvigorating the Parkside Block Captain’s “PRIDE” Network — which adds apparent neighborhood beautification, public safety and resident engagement.
The 20-year-old PBCIP said Parkside is rich in history and holds a true sense of community among its residents. PBCIP said it is, through the NRTC program, bringing key strategic partners together to increase building rehab opportunities, revitalized blocks, economic growth, connections and progress for sustained hope. Partners include Camden County Historical Society, Cornerstone Community Partners, Haddon Avenue Business Association, Latin American Economic Development Association and New Jersey Conservation Foundation, as well as Purpose Built Communities.
PBCIP said the initiatives and partnerships ensure Parkside’s transformative future.
Campbell Soup is a Camden-based global food company making a range of soups, simple meals, beverages, snacks and packaged fresh foods. The NRTC grant it funded will serve to improve and revitalize the area it is based in. Campbell said it remains focused on making food accessible to all through partnerships that focus on improving communities’ health and well-being.
