The photo above is one of the final renderings of Gift of Life Howie’s House (130 total).

The construction was underway at 401 Callowhill Street in Philadelphia, just one block away from Gift of Life Donor Program.

Gift of Life Howie’s House hosted the first volunteer graduation for Guest Services Volunteers.

The first group prepares and serves dinner to families – organized by Missy Gurmankin.

“To see this project come to fruition has been a true thrill. I can’t tell you how wonderful it felt to finally cook in the beautiful Gift of Life Howie’s House kitchen. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how grateful the families were to be housed in our beautiful facility. They kept coming over to me to tell me what a lovely home it is and how fortunate they feel to have a place like this available to them at this very difficult time. One of the families had just gotten news that their loved one made it through the surgery well. Just before they sat down to eat they broke into a song. It was very emotional! Then they seemed to relax as they sat down to eat and started laughing and joking. It was nice to see and a pleasant first experience for me at the house.” –Missy Gurmankin

Dr. Ranjoo Prasad, Gift of Life Howie’s House Advisory Board Member, helping guest with special project.

The Gift of Life Howie’s House Activities Program provides a much-needed lift to guests at the Howie’s House. Volunteer led activities help alleviate stress, give the opportunity of quality time spent together not focusing on health issues, and stimulate positive, hopeful feelings.

Comcast staff volunteered and presented Gift of Life Howie’s House with a check for $5,000 on Tuesday, April 23, 2013 during Comcast Cares Day.

The Home Cook Heroes Program hit a milestone in 2014 when it served its 50,000th meal to Gift of Life Howie’s House guests. The special meal was prepared on February 1, 2014 by five local couples who turned their regular “Family Dinner” that they hold at each other’s houses into a “Howie’s House Dinner.”  Pictured from left to right is Casey Lyons Dilsheimer, J.B. Dilsheimer, Craiger Drake, Denise Duszak, Robert Shino, Julie Cassel, Jeanne McFalls Lamb, Patrick Lamb, Aaron Maass and Ashley Via.

Michelle, a physician and commander in the Navy needed a place to stay when her young daughter required a transplant

“It was truly amazing the level of care at many notches above what we had ever experienced. I would look forward to going back to the Gift of Life Howie’s House just to have dinner with my family after a long day at the hospital.” – Gift of Life Howie’s House guests Michelle Liu, with her daughter Esther Grace, a double lung transplant recipient

Just two days after being listed for a lung transplant, Bobby married Ashley in the hospital ICU. Moments before their wedding ceremony, doctors came in to the room to give them the incredible news: they had a prospective donor for Bobby!

“We are indescribably grateful for Gift of Life Howie’s House and how positively it has affected the outcome of our situation. Without Gift of Life Howie’s House, it would have been very difficult for Ash to be with me every single day, both financially and logistically. Without her unyielding emotional support and care, I wouldn’t be as well off as I am today. Guaranteed. And without the support and the positive environment of Gift of Life Howie’s House, Ash wouldn’t have been as available and emotionally present for me. Gift of Life Howie’s House truly is a ‘home away from home’!” – Bobby Adams

Gift of Life Howie’s House celebrates being a source of comfort and support to families traveling to Philadelphia for transplant care for four years. It’s a place where families not only find comfortable beds and home-cooked meals, but also a community of other caring families who understand the ups and downs of the transplant journey.

In March of 2016, thanks to generous supporters, Gift of Life Howie’s House provided 30,000 room nights to transplant patients and their families!

To evaluate how well it has been supporting the families, Gift of Life Howie’s House conducted by an independent, doctorate-level researcher. The study found conclusively that transplant caregivers felt Gift of Life Howie’s House positively impacted their overall health and wellbeing by providing a way to strengthen their resilience to support their loved ones as they navigated the transplant journey.

“We stayed at Gift of Life Howie’s House for about a month during recovery. Everyone there was really supportive. It felt like being home—that this was our house. You never know the importance of how something we take for granted can change a life forever. The warmth there was really special.” – the Prince Family

The new shuttle seats 11 passengers and has a larger cargo area for supplies like oxygen tanks and wheelchairs. It also has a bus-style door and raised roof, making it easier for guests to get on and off.

This program encourages volunteers to raise funds to support Gift of Life Howie’s House on their birthday.

“I was here from December 30th through the middle of February. I had received a liver transplant and was there to stay while I healed and went to doctors’ appointments twice a week. During that time I met caring and wonderful staff counselors and shuttle drivers. The Home Cook Heroes always provided yummy dinners every evening which was something to look forward too. Another thing that always stuck out was the never-ending baked goods and sweets they always seemed to have I felt like a big kid whenever I wandered into the kitchen and took a treat!! I’m very thankful for Gift of Life Howie’s House and its staff and volunteers.” – Dustin Myers, liver transplant recipient

Through the Home Cook Heroes program, an incredible milestone was reached of serving 250,000 meals to transplant patients and their families! Thank you to all the amazing Home Cook Hero volunteers that helped achieve this accomplishment. Whether they dropped off a meal, arranged catering, made a financial donation, or hosted a food drive, families are grateful for their support.

To mark this special milestone, a year-long anniversary celebration and fundraising effort was called Journey to Hope Campaign was created in honor of the courageous families we serve every day.

On June 29th, 2022, Gift of Life Family House was renamed Gift of Life Howie’s House in honor of its founder and former president, Howard M. Nathan and his over 43 years of life-saving service to the organ donation and transplant field. The House held a special celebration to honor Howard and officially re-dedicate it as Gift of Life Howie’s House.

The House reached the incredible milestone of providing over $12 million in free, subsidized care for transplant patients and their families.