CityTeam Chester, with a new executive director on board, distributed more than 400 food boxes on Nov. 18 as part of its annual Thanksgiving distribution to needful members of the Chester community.

The boxes contained turkey, green beans, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, dessert, pasta, and tomato sauce.

Richona McKnight will now lead CityTeam Chester into its next phase of love and service to the community. 

CityTeam is a non-profit organization that serves low-income and homeless populations throughout the greater Delaware Valley.

McKnight sees a positive future for the local community through the CityTeam programs and hopes to bring more awareness to what can be done to improve the lives of local individuals and families.

“Like the story of so many, my family has been impacted by addiction and lack of resources, and our programs at CityTeam speak directly to my heart as a result of that,” McKnight said.

The new executive director has watched loved ones struggling to overcome addiction or financial insecurity alone, “but I’ve also been blessed to see the incredible future a person and a family have when they allow their community to come together and support them in a healthy way.”

McKnight follows in the steps of Kwinn Tucker, who was executive director for ten years.

CityTeam Chester opened in 1987 as an extension of the west coast CityTeam, which served only the San Francisco Bay Area.  

Its mission has grown from providing meals to including safe shelter for homeless men, with a long-term men’s program added in 1993.

In 2000, the Mother & Baby program began for at-risk local families.

McKnight began at CityTeam Chester in 2009 as a volunteer.

She participated in different areas of service, including working with individuals seeking employment support.

She is a graduate of Cheyney University and Widener School of Law and became the development director at CityTeam in 2021.

She has also volunteered with her alma mater and local churches.

Find out more about Richona McKnight and CityTeam Chester.