News from Project Self-Sufficiency

Project Self-Sufficiency is seeking volunteers to assist with planting, maintenance and harvesting of fruits and vegetables from the community gardens at the agency’s Newton campus.   Volunteers would work alongside seasoned horticultural professionals on Monday – Thursday mornings, from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.   Volunteers must be at least 17 years of age.   No experience is required.   Project Self-Sufficiency’s Newton campus is home to numerous vegetable gardens which bear all kinds of crops for consumption by the agency’s low-income participants.   During the summer, hundreds of potted tomato plants also wreath the sidewalks throughout the 5-acre campus.   Produce is harvested daily and offered to agency participants at Project Self-Sufficiency.   Baskets are also provided for families to cart the bounty home and share with their children.   Participants are given tips on cooking and nutrition along with the food, and the children at the agency’s Little Sprouts Early Learning Ce

Project Self-Sufficiency announces that the next session of its popular employment skills training program, Higher Opportunities for Women (HOW), will launch April 8th.   The 16-week HOW Program combines intensive computer skills training with classroom instruction and has been reconfigured for a hybrid of in-person and virtual experiences, due to the ongoing public health crisis.   Curriculum prepares women who have been out of the work force or underemployed to seek entry-level office administrative positions.   Classes will operate Mondays and Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. through July 29 th .   In-person instruction will take place at the agency’s campus, located at 127 Mill Street in Newton.     Women who take part in the agency’s HOW program can expect 80 hours of computer skills training, including instruction in Microsoft Word, Excel, and other applications.    Normally, the HOW program also includes 40 hours of classroom instruction and 120 hou

  Project Self-Sufficiency recently received a grant from Macy’s in support of the agency’s food distribution program, The Food Project: Nourishing Our Neighbors.   The food pantry at Project Self-Sufficiency offers free food and limited personal care products to Sussex and Warren County residents, Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.     Patrons need not be agency participants.   Funding from Macy’s is specifically allocated for emergency food distribution related to the COVID-19 crisis.   Project Self-Sufficiency is welcoming monetary donations to purchase food, as well as the donation of non-perishable items such as canned soups and stews; canned fruits and vegetables; fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables; frozen meals; coffee; tuna; pastas and sauces; peanut butter and jelly; toothpaste; shampoos and conditioners; hair care products; skin care products; laundry detergents; diapers and baby wipes; toilet tissue; facial tissue; and feminine hygiene products.   “The need f

  Project Self-Sufficiency announces the launch of a new, virtual support group for breast cancer survivors.   The support group will meet over Zoom at 4:00 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month, beginning March 9th, and will be facilitated by Project Self-Sufficiency breast health program coordinator Haley McCracken.   Participation is free and open to breast cancer survivors who are searching for peer support, connection, information, and access to resources.   Since the agency has a long history of providing free breast health education, mammograms, health fairs, and celebratory events for breast cancer survivors, the support group is a natural evolution of the agency’s programming, noted Project Self-Sufficiency Executive Director Deborah Berry-Toon.   “In prior years, Project Self-Sufficiency offered breast health outreach, education, and support to women of all ages through our annual Survivor Events and Health Fairs, in-school education, and free mammograms.   This new