Spirit of Generosity: Gene Epstein

Just before Christmas in the late 1980’s, Gene Epstein and his wife, Marlene, dressed up as Santa Claus and, together with their son and daughter, packed up a truck-full of boots, socks, mittens, and coats, went to Center City, and passed them out to individuals they met who were living on the streets.  When they were finished, they had a few left over and asked someone if they knew of an organization that might need them. They were directed to Project HOME and the rest is history. 

Seldom does a week go by that Gene doesn’t reach out to Sister Mary Scullion or folks in Project HOME’s Development Department with articles, ideas, and encouragement on how to raise more resources and engage more people in doing what he does every single day – helping people.

“He is a tireless leader with a huge heart,” said Sister Mary. “I remember back in the early days when he reached out to us and learned that we were buying our Hope Haven residence.  He wanted to help with the down-payment on the property, but he also wanted to educate others about homelessness and how they could help. He wrote to his neighbors and friends and asked them to get involved.  Though he could have made a donation outright, he shared that it was important to him to make it a community effort.”

“I want people to see that there’s a community that cares about people and are willing to get together and help support Project HOME,” shared Gene.  He learned about helping others from a young age. “My mother and father helped people all the time. My father died when I was 11, and it was only after his death that we learned he had been quietly going around and helping support other families in the neighborhood. My grandparents owned a candy store and, despite being Jewish in a largely non-Jewish neighborhood, were the biggest donors to all the churches in the area.”

Through the Gene and Marlene Epstein Humanitarian Fund, Gene and Marlene continue to inspire others to provide resources to end homelessness in Philadelphia and to countless other causes around the country and the world.  From beginning a program to gather Muslim, Christian, and Jewish high school students in Israel to learn about each other’s faiths and find common ground to working with Congress to pass legislation making it profitable for companies to hire unemployed workers, Gene puts his all into making a difference.  

He continues the work to end homelessness that he began so long ago. He has provided matching gifts on several occasions to leverage donations to Project HOME’s Giving Tuesday campaigns and for new donors making a first-time gift. He brings individuals on tours of Project HOME sites and works to share our vision and mission. 

Every correspondence he sends ends with “We should ask ourselves daily, ‘What can we do to make someone’s life better today?’" Gene not only asks the questions, he helps find solutions. Project HOME is deeply grateful for his passion, leadership, creativity and commitment.