News from Project Self-Sufficiency

Project Self-Sufficiency’s robust food distribution program, The Food Project: Nourishing Our Neighbors, served 37,856 meals to 2,704 individuals from April through June.   The agency 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.   “We are so grateful to our Board of Directors for their tremendous support which has enabled us to purchase food to meet this unprecedented need,” commented Project Self-Sufficiency Executive Director Deborah Berry-Toon.   “This public health crisis has placed an overwhelming burden on some of the most vulnerable members of our community and we are exceptionally thankful for the donations we have received from individuals, businesses and other community organizations.   The support from the community has been truly inspiring.” Although Project Self-Sufficiency received funding from the ACM...

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 incre...

Project Self-Sufficiency was recently awarded funding to purchase and outfit a refrigerated vehicle to transport fresh and packaged food to far-flung portions of its service areas where residents may not have easy access to personal vehicles or public transportation.   Grants were received from the Post Foundation and the Ellman Discovery Foundation.   Funding has been used to purchase and refrigerate a vehicle and initiate a food rescue program throughout Sussex and Northern Warren Counties as well as Portland, Pennsylvania.   The mobile unit will travel a set schedule picking up usable food from grocers, schools and other venues and make it available to residents in need.   The program expands on the food rescue program currently in place in the Helen Morgan and Mohawk Avenue Schools in Sparta, as well as the agency’s nine community gardens and PSS Journey, the agency’s mobile services vehicle. The food rescue program in the Sparta school district ...