In a typical month, non-profit agency Project Self-Sufficiency serves
thousands of clients at its Newton campus or in the privacy of their
participants’ homes in the New Jersey counties of Sussex, Warren and Hunterdon. With the advent of the current public health
crisis, the agency’s more than 70 employees have had to quickly adapt to
serving these individuals and families remotely. Nurses and home visitors who used to meet
pregnant women and mothers of young children in the clients’ homes now talk to
them using video chat platforms. High
school dropouts in the middle of working towards their high school diploma now
meet with instructors virtually. Men and
women engaged in job training programs receive assistance over the phone and
internet, rather than in the agency’s state-of-the-art career center and
computer labs. Project
Self-Sufficiency’s food pantry which routinely serves hundreds of families a
month is now providing nutritious food to increasing numbers of families per
day. At the same time, the agency has
had to cancel its most lucrative fundraiser, A Taste of Talent, which can
usually be relied on to bring in $250,000 to be used in support of its programs
and services. The event has morphed into
a direct mail and online giving initiative instead.
The agency issued a plea for the donation of non-perishable food for its
food pantry weeks ago. The notice of the
cancellation of A Taste of Talent followed shortly thereafter. The community response has been
overwhelmingly positive, noted Project Self-Sufficiency Executive Director
Berry-Toon. “While A Taste of Talent has
been cancelled, we are deeply gratified by the unflagging support we continue
to receive from our direct mail initiative. Our supporters are well aware of the
significant impact this event has on our ability to provide essential services
to families in need. We are blessed to
live in a community which comes together in support of those in need when a
crisis arises.”
Donations of food has been received from numerous
individuals, organizations, and businesses.
The limited agency staff on site have bundled the food into bags for safe
distribution to clients and members of the public. “Our participants and their families are the
most vulnerable to an economic downturn in our community. Even a temporary loss of income can be
devastating to these families,” noted Berry-Toon. “We are tremendously proud of our staff’s
commitment to continuing to serve the neediest individuals in our area at a
time when their own home life may have been disrupted due to school closures
and the furloughs of their own family members.”
Project Self-Sufficiency’s Central Intake, which fields calls from
Sussex and Warren County residents in need of medical, educational and social
services, has operated seamlessly since the onset of the public health crisis. “I feel extremely fortunate that our doors
are open and that we are able to be here for our families,” noted Central Intake
Worker Melanie Wawrzyniak. “We are
hearing a lot of panic about basic needs, loss of income, keeping up with
rental payments, navigating unemployment, and mental health and isolation. The increased need demonstrates how essential
Project Self-Sufficiency’s services are to local families.”
Project Self-Sufficiency’s three home visitation programs for
pregnant women and parents of young children has adapted quickly to remote services,
even hosting a virtual gathering for mothers and children online this
week. Program Supervisor Patrice Green notes
that clients are eager to keep in touch with their home visitors. “Our Healthy Families, Parents as Teachers and
Nurse Family Partnership staff are able to offer resources and support to these
young women as they grapple with their own healthcare needs and the needs of
their children and families.”
Nurse Supervisor Sandra Ooms, RN, works with the agency’s Nurse
Family Partnership home visitation program.
“We are reaching out to clients daily to make sure that they have the
resources they need. Especially during
this time, we teach them about health issues, and we discuss ways to keep
pregnant women, mothers and babies safe.
Stress reduction is very important during pregnancy and even more so
now.“
Project Self-Sufficiency’s high school equivalency education
program, New Jersey Youth Corps, as well as the employment skills training program,
Higher Opportunities for Women, have also continued with the use of online
tools. “The students in the New Jersey
Youth Corps program are meeting twice a week on Zoom, and we are doing
individual calls multiple times a week connecting over needs related to academics
and any challenges they may be facing at home,” explains Career Center
Coordinator Kyersten Geiger. All coursework
is completed using Google platforms. The
women enrolled in the agency’s HOW program are also using Zoom to meet virtually.
Agency staff is also making a concentrated effort to reach out to
senior citizens affiliated with the Earth Angels program to ensure that they
have the resources they need. Sarah
Huertas, a Project Self-Sufficiency staff member who works with the agency’s
Keeping Families Together program, commented, “We are grateful that we are able
to continue to support families through this storm. We love to see our families’ faces on Zoom,
hear their voices over the phone, and keep the connection going! It is extremely important that the families
that we work with continue to feel supported and be secure in the knowledge
that they are not alone during this time.”
Project Self-Sufficiency is accepting food and monetary donations, Monday
– Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Those
who need assistance or who want to drop off a donation are encouraged to call
the agency at 973-940-3500 prior to visiting the campus at 127 Mill Street in
Newton. To make a donation, or to find
out more about the programs and services offered by Project Self-Sufficiency,
visit www.projectselfsufficiency.org.
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