By Jeff Friedman
Editor’s Note: Jeff Friedman, founder of the Livingston Philanthropies, which runs a seasonal coat drive and a year ’round toiletries drive, continues his “guest appearances” in the Tribune’s pages as he writes about his organization’s ongoing efforts to help the “poor, homeless, and disenfranchised” in urban Essex County.
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As Livingston Philanthropies “Toiletries and Cosmetics Challenge” for the poor, homeless and disenfranchised continues, I received a message from our friend and distribution partner, Markisha Deville from Newark Emergency Services For Families, Inc. (NESF). Markisha is NESF’s program director for the Supportive Assistance for Individuals and Families Program. Not knowing of Livingston’s ongoing Toiletries Challenge, she asked if I knew where to get toiletries for distribution at an upcoming job fair. I told Markisha that she came to the right place.
Markisha explained, “The event is geared for our clients to assist them towards self-sufficiency. ‘Supportive Assistance to Individuals and Families (SAIF)’ is a program whose clientele is currently receiving general assistance and is in the process of alleviating their personal barriers.” Naturally, the light bulbs went off here and volunteer Karen Friedman [“Mrs. Coat Guy”] immediately got to work creating toiletries and cosmetics gift bags. Through the continued donations brought to our partner, the West Essex Tribune, Livingston volunteers delivered some 75 gift bags to NESF in time for the event. That’s 75 bags times six items per bag. My limited mathematical acumen suggests a total of 450 individual items ready to go in days. Thank you, Livingston friends – and please keep them coming.
Collection of men’s dress attire continues, as well. Once again, powered by Livingston donations, Philanthropies volunteers visited our friend Luis Martinez at Willing Heart Outreach Center in Newark with a car-full of high quality men’s suits, dress shirts, dress slacks and neckties. Tuesday is “shopping day” at their Clothes Closet, so Livingston’s freshly donated garments arrived on Monday afternoon. They were sorted by size by Willing Heart volunteers, then placed on the racks in time for the poor, homeless and disenfranchised to shop (at no charge) on Tuesday. Willing Heart Outreach Center is a community initiative of Pastor Jefferson and his Metropolitan Baptist Church.
I would like thank our volunteers: Candi Samansky, Evelyn and Alek Demaio, Joyce Friedman [Jeff Friedman’s sister-in-law], and Karen Friedman. Also, Livingston mayor Shawn R. Klein and the Livingston Township Council for their citation, generously presented to Livingston Philanthropies at a ...
