News from Project Self-Sufficiency

  Project Self-Sufficiency client Katelyn MacLean recently got a call from the agency letting her know that she would be receiving a used vehicle which had been donated to the agency by a benefactor.    MacLean, a college student who had never owned a car, recalls, “I was amazed!”   After being laid off from her job as a waitress due to the pandemic, MacLean had been searching for a new job while juggling courses at Sussex County Community College and relying on her family for transportation.   MacLean is studying elementary education and the lack of transportation restricted her access to the full array of courses required for her major in addition to limiting her employment opportunities.   “This car will help me further my education and I will use it to get back and forth to work once I find a job” explains MacLean.   “Getting this car was the best feeling I had in my life and I am forever grateful.” “It is extremely difficult to live and work in ...

Project Self-Sufficiency client Priscilla Merring’s car had completely broken down.   When she received a call from the agency letting her know that she would be receiving a used vehicle which had been donated to the agency by a benefactor, Merring initially did not believe her good fortune.   “I was in such a state of shock, it’s such a huge gift!”   The mother of an eleven-year-old son, Merring is grateful for the opportunity for a fresh start.   “We were struggling every day,” she recalls.   “It’s so easy to drive this car and it’s so comfortable.   Now I have the option of getting a job.   Having this car will allow me to travel.   I really appreciate it.   I don’t know how to find the words to thank the person who gave this to Project Self-Sufficiency.” “It is extremely difficult to live and work in our community without access to a reliable vehicle,” commented Deborah Berry-Toon, Executive Director of Project Self-...

RoNetco Supermarkets and Hinkley Auto Sales recently joined together to provide a newly-refurbished car to Project Self-Sufficiency participant Ashley Harrington.   The vehicle was previously owned by RoNetco Supermarkets and had been used by the firm for company business.   After being taken out of service, the car was thoroughly detailed by Hinkley Auto Sales and then donated to Project Self-Sufficiency, a local non-profit agency which specializes in services for low-income families in the New Jersey counties of Sussex, Morris, Warren, and Hunterdon.   A mother of an infant daughter, Harrington works two jobs and had been without a car for years.   “I was walking everywhere or asking friends for rides,” explains Harrington.   “It’s so much easier to get to work now.   I feel so blessed.   This car gives me peace of mind because I can drive my daughter around safely and comfortably.   It’s nice not having to rely on anyone else for...