NJ Monthly Highlights Our Work

Thank you New Jersey Monthly for highlighting our decades-long work supporting and assisting our neighbors here in Newark – just as we wind down our coat drive, with 750 coats and accessories distributed, and our turkey giveaway, enabling hundreds of families to gather in gratitude, and prepare for our holiday party and toy giveaway in mid-December.

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It’s been a labor of love for all involved over the years. We're proud of the dedication of our staff, volunteers and board members and the ongoing generosity of our donors - large and small. Writes author Julia Martin:

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^{"For the past 20 years, the group of mostly volunteers has been providing hot meals to the residents of Newark’s Central and West wards four days a week. That’s over 1.5 million meals since the organization started, and about 100,000 each year—even during the pandemic, when they were the only soup kitchen in Newark to remain open.}

^{But Franciscan Charities’ concern for the families they serve extends well beyond mealtimes. On Thursdays, they set up a farmers market with fresh produce outside their South Eighth Street building. (The area is high on the state’s list of food deserts, with a dearth of stores selling healthy foods.) On Tuesdays, they give out diapers (more than 80,000 a year), car seats and other baby basics; in August, it’s backpacks filled with school supplies. This fall, 600 were given out to students who lined up for blocks.}

^{They’ve even provided construction boots to help immigrants looking for work at the nearby Home Depot, and set up barbers to give free haircuts.”}

Read more here, and come help Franciscan Charities make a difference in the lives of the neediest among us!

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