How to volunteer and donate in New Jersey during the coronavirus outbreak (03/14/21)
Updated Mar 18, 2021;
Since the coronavirus gripped New Jersey last March, nonprofit groups and social agencies operating in the state have worked to help those who have been hit hardest.
This resource guide features groups that work to help those with the greatest need. For those so inclined, there are myriad opportunities to assist the nonprofits and agencies do their work. Organizations welcome volunteers as well as donations of money, food, clothing and other goods.
Information on how to contribute is detailed below. Readers are encouraged to check back frequently, as the list will be updated regularly. To add your nonprofit organization to the guide, email lobrien@njadvancemedia.com.
How to volunteer and donate in New Jersey during the coronavirus outbreak (01/17/21)
Updated Jan 17, 2021;
Over the course of the past 10 months, many organizations and individuals have worked to get food to New Jerseyans in need.
In fact, some groups have massaged their missions in order to help those who have felt the economic impact of the coronavirus.
One such organization is Grow It Green Morristown, which works to create sustainable farms and gardens, and educate communities on healthy eating and environmental stewardship.
Lisa Alexander, executive director of the nonprofit said, “In 2020, determined to serve, Grow It Green modified programs and focused resources to meet the needs of our community in crisis. We provided equitable and sustained access to fresh, local food, outdoor spaces and activities, and education about the environment and health in a year when food insecurity, racial equity and climate change issues were brought to the forefront.”
Tom O’Leary is the founding director of the Samaritan Homeless Interim Program (S.H.I.P.) in Somerville, a social services organization established in 1984.
I’m not the same person I was a year ago and neither are you. How we survived the most unusual year of our lives.
Updated Mar 19, 2021;
Click the play button, below, to listen to the audiobook version of this story.
The last time I was in a crowd of people a real crowd, not the checkout at Home Depot was Jan. 28.
I got up at 5 a.m. to join the Trump line, that is the thousands who had converged, some of them days in advance, outside the Wildwood Convention Center in the hopes of sharing a room with the president.
How to volunteer and donate in New Jersey during the coronavirus outbreak (12/20/20)
Updated Dec 24, 2020;
The holidays can be difficult for those coping with isolation. And, this year, the fight against the spread of the coronavirus has meant a necessary surge in social separation. For elderly individuals, loneliness can be especially difficult.
At Harrogate, a not-for-profit life plan community in Lakewood, isolation of the residents has been a concern of the staffers this season.
Kelly O’Toole, MSW, director of social services at Harrogate said, “COVID-19 has had such an impact on everyone, especially our seniors. The impact social isolation has on older adults can be detrimental. It not only affects their mental health but their overall well-being. It has been hard for all of our residents at Harrogate to have such a change in their routine both inside and outside of Harrogate. They’ve had to adapt to the ‘new normal’ which hasn’t been easy for them. Not being ab