Tootsie Iovine-D’Ambrosio is continuing the important work she did when she owned Tootsie’s Salad Express at the Reading Terminal Market in her new position at St. John’s Hospice, writes Mike Newall for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

While it was open, her iconic lunch counter served as an informal aid station. Iovine-D’Ambrosio offered food to hurt and hungry souls and helped others find housing and treatment. She also organized holiday jobs for youth impacted by gun violence and supported homeless outreach teams at the market.

Sadly, her self-serve buffet did not survive the pandemic. That loss was St. John’s Hospice’s gain. When the homeless shelter, kitchen, and treatment center in Philadelphia needed somebody to help with its community outreach, they knew who to turn to.

In her new role with the shelter, Iovine-D’Ambrosio is again feeding the hungry and helping oversee events and volunteer programs.

For Kris Jaeger, St. John’s director of development and community relations, Iovine-D’Ambrosio was the perfect and only choice as someone who could get new stakeholders to the table.

“Nobody has their pulse on the finger of the neighborhood like Tootsie does,” he said.

Read more about Tootsie Iovine-D’Ambrosio and the longstanding work she does for those in need at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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