News from Project Self-Sufficiency

On any given day in the month of December, a little bit of magic happens on the Project Self-Sufficiency campus: A racing boat packed with toys docks in the parking lot, college and high school students deliver thousands of freshly-baked cookies, a caravan of trucks laden with toys from the Santa Train draws up, scores of volunteers from local businesses and schools help to sort toys, a school bus disgorges thousands of gifts collected by local children.   The result is a beautifully-arranged toy shop made available to more than 1,000 families selecting toys for more than 2,100 children and teens from our community this year.   This is the Season of Hope.   This is what it looks like to live in a community that cares.   The Season of Hope Toy Shop was made possible by so many generous and caring neighbors who contributed in a multitude of ways.   This letter cannot begin to list them all, but we would like to acknowledge several.   First, ...

Ed and Rosetta Di Tomasso recently visited the preschool at the Little Sprouts Early Learning Center to read several books to the children as part of the center’s Celebrity Reader program. “Project Self-Sufficiency is my favorite organization because it touches so many real issues in our community," explained Rosetta DiTomasso who serves on the agency’s Leadership Council along with her husband.   The couple highlighted the holiday season by distributing candy canes and ornaments to the children. The Little Sprouts Early Learning Center is operated by Project Self-Sufficiency, a local non-profit agency which offers a wide variety of services to families in northwestern New Jersey.   The daycare and preschool facility features separate classrooms for each age group, from infants through those entering preschool.   Fully-qualified teachers are available in each classroom and the child-teacher ratio adheres to or exceeds state standards.   Each class...

Students from 31 schools in Sussex and Northern Warren Counties spent the last few weeks collecting more than 5,500 new, unwrapped toys in a friendly Stuff the Stocking competition to benefit the Season of Hope Toy Drive.   Each year, the winning school takes home the coveted Stuff the Stocking trophy, along with a monetary donation to their school’s activity fund.   Second and third place winners also receive donations for their schools.   This year, two schools finished in first place, bringing in more than 1,800 items collectively:   North Warren Regional School District and defending champion Pope John XXIII Middle School.   Second place honors go to the Hardyston School District, with three-time champion Green Hills School coming in at third place. The Season of Hope Toy Drive is a joint effort coordinated by Project Self-Sufficiency, along with its partners First Hope Bank, Gravity DesignWorks, iHeartMedia, Inc., Intercar Mercedes Benz, O...