Month: December 2025

KYW

By Kim Hudson

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    PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (KYW) — A group of neighbors stayed in a constant fight to keep their friends safe from the cold and from hunger, while they waged their battle in the Point Breeze section of Philadelphia.

Volunteers braved the December cold with help from a propane heater as the group Homies Helping Homies prepped boxes full of help for others trying to beat cold weather and food insecurity.

Co-founder Anthony Adams said this work was not just about serving those in need. It was about public safety.

“It’s really difficult, because a lot of people do some of the most desperate things in their life just trying to put food on their table,” Adams said.

All the boxes of food were coming from other volunteers like Alexis Buss, of West Philadelphia, who made sure food from grocery stores got into homes before it perished and headed to the landfill.

“This food is actively perishing,” she said. “And we’re actively saving it from being wasted. So, it feels like very meaningful work.”

Also there, were piles of donated cold-weather gear.

“So, we’re very excited,” Adams said. “To be able to offer new and gently-used coats, hats, gloves, scarves, and anything that helps keep people warm.”

After everything was packed up, it was later unpacked to give to families waiting in line at Wharton Square Park. Sylvia Davis went there not just for fresh food for herself, but for her six-year-old granddaughter, too.

“I got green peppers, red peppers,” she said. “I got pear-apples, apples,” Davis said.

She was grateful not just for the food and clothes, but also for the respect from the volunteers.

“Oh, it’s a blessing. It’s a blessing, because she needs these things,” Davis said.

Adams was happy to hear this, but said more needs to be done.

“It means that we’re doing something right. But at the same time, it only means that we have to fight that much harder to make sure that we’re able to impact other people’s lives that way.”

The group will have distributions the first three weekends of every month. If you need help, or if you want to donate or volunteer, email homieshelpinhomies@gmail.com.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Kim Hudson

Click here for updates on this story

    PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (KYW) — A group of neighbors stayed in a constant fight to keep their friends safe from the cold and from hunger, while they waged their battle in the Point Breeze section of Philadelphia.

Volunteers braved the December cold with help from a propane heater as the group Homies Helping Homies prepped boxes full of help for others trying to beat cold weather and food insecurity.

Co-founder Anthony Adams said this work was not just about serving those in need. It was about public safety.

“It’s really difficult, because a lot of people do some of the most desperate things in their life just trying to put food on their table,” Adams said.

All the boxes of food were coming from other volunteers like Alexis Buss, of West Philadelphia, who made sure food from grocery stores got into homes before it perished and headed to the landfill.

“This food is actively perishing,” she said. “And we’re actively saving it from being wasted. So, it feels like very meaningful work.”

Also there, were piles of donated cold-weather gear.

“So, we’re very excited,” Adams said. “To be able to offer new and gently-used coats, hats, gloves, scarves, and anything that helps keep people warm.”

After everything was packed up, it was later unpacked to give to families waiting in line at Wharton Square Park. Sylvia Davis went there not just for fresh food for herself, but for her six-year-old granddaughter, too.

“I got green peppers, red peppers,” she said. “I got pear-apples, apples,” Davis said.

She was grateful not just for the food and clothes, but also for the respect from the volunteers.

“Oh, it’s a blessing. It’s a blessing, because she needs these things,” Davis said.

Adams was happy to hear this, but said more needs to be done.

“It means that we’re doing something right. But at the same time, it only means that we have to fight that much harder to make sure that we’re able to impact other people’s lives that way.”

The group will have distributions the first three weekends of every month. If you need help, or if you want to donate or volunteer, email homieshelpinhomies@gmail.com.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Jesse Zanger

Click here for updates on this story

    NEW YORK CITY, New York (WCBS) — New York City’s Mulchfest kicks off Friday.

It’s a way to recycle your Christmas Tree.

Trees will be turned into wood chips that are used to nourish other trees and plants across New York City.

Click here to find a Mulchfest location near you.

The Department of Sanitation reminds New York City residents can also be collected curbside.

Residents are asked to make sure that they’ve removed all decorations, ornaments and stands, and place trees on the curb during their weekly composting and recycling day. Wreaths can also be composted, again with all decorations removed. Wreaths and trees should simply be left out on the appropriate collection day, and should not be placed in plastic bags.

It’s a result of the city’s expanded curbside composting program.

For those looking to recycle an artificial tree, residents are asked to put the metal base and trunk with their other metals for recycling.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Alexa Liacko

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    ATLANTA, Georgia (WUPA) — Long before Barb Russell and Dave Walter found each other, they shared something neither of them ever wanted — the loss of a spouse. Now, the Cobb County couple is using music to bring comfort to families facing the same grief they once carried alone.

Russell and Walter volunteer at four Wellstar clinics, including hospice units, where they play guitar and sing for patients and loved ones navigating some of life’s most difficult moments.

Walter likes to joke that “the pay is enormous,” but Russell always reminds him with a laugh that “we’re volunteers.” He follows it up by admitting, “We don’t get paid, but we really enjoy doing it.”

Both know what it’s like to sit beside someone you love in a hospital room, and what it feels like when the holidays and heartbreak collide. Russell’s husband, a Vietnam veteran, died of lung cancer in 2004, just a week before Christmas. She remembers that time as “scary and lonely,” and says the isolation during hospice inspired her to help others later on.

“I didn’t want other people to go through that same kind of feeling,” she said.

Walter’s wife died in 2009 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

“She passed away two months to the day after she was diagnosed,” he said.

For years, both grieved separately. Then, in 2014, they met online and quickly discovered a shared love of music. As their relationship grew, so did their sense of purpose.

“When we found the pathway to hospice, that just gave so much meaning to our relationship,” Russell said. “I treasure that.”

Families often pause on their way out of the hospital to share what the couple’s music means to them.

Walter said people tell them, “I came in stressed out, but after hearing you play, I can feel my blood pressure go way down,” which means more to them than any compliment about musicianship.

Even as they’ve moved forward together, they continue to honor the partners they lost.

“We both had really beautiful marriages,” Russell said. “I think it’s their gift to us to continue on in a loving and beautiful rest of your life.”

Their second chance at love has become a source of comfort for others navigating grief — especially during the holidays, when memories feel heavier, and silence feels louder. Russell believes that “anything that can lift somebody up and bring a smile, even if it’s just for a short little bit, matters — and I feel like we matter too.”

Their message is simple: grief never disappears, but neither does love — and life can still find harmony. Russell encourages others to “hold on to the memories, look for new ways to make new memories, and cherish what you have right in front of you.”

And for patients who can no longer speak or open their eyes, research shows music can still reach them — a reminder that even when connection feels impossible, there is always a way to be heard.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.