St. John’s Soup Kitchen and Women’s Center, one of Livingston Philanthropies’ distribution partners, is located on McCarter Highway in Newark. Its website notes that the kitchen “has but one mission, and that is feeding the hungry. For over 40 years we have been providing food to those who have none in the Newark area. Few people know what it’s like to go without food, but everyday guests come to our kitchen to eat.”
Livingston Philanthropies Inc. (LPI) founder and director Jeff Friedman explains, “I originally caught the philanthropy ‘bug’ at St. John’s well over 15 years ago while volunteering in their soup kitchen for Friday lunches. Today, Saint John’s serves over 500 breakfasts and hot lunches, five days per week.”
LPI volunteers are not involved with serving food at St. John’s, but rather, with the distribution of thousands of toiletries and cosmetics gift bags to those on the food line or dining in the Women’s Center.
Over the years, the soup kitchen has grown beyond just offering meals. Now it works with other organizations in the area, such as Livingston Philanthropies, to help provide basic necessities to those who go without.
To help St. John’s and other LPI distribution partners, says Friedman, “We are respectfully requesting all manner of gently used and new family clothing, men’s sneakers and shoes, new toiletries and cosmetics and more. Remember, please, ‘If you see something, buy something.’” He added, “In conclusion, I’d like to quote author Mary Anne Radmacher, who said, ‘As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way.’ ”
Donations may be dropped at the offices of Philanthropies partner the West Essex Tribune, located at 495 South Livingston Avenue, next to ShopRite.
In addition, the Livingston charity is still collecting money specifically toward the purchase of a vehicle to deliver the huge amount of donated items to its inner-city distribution partners. Monetary donations may be made on paypal at paypal.me/lpinj or by mail to LPI, P.O. Box 247, Livingston, NJ 07039.
Photo: The face of LPI: This week, Livingston Philanthropies volunteers met baby Kazira at St. John’s Women’s Center in Newark while distributing toiletries and cosmetics gift bags to the “poor, homeless, and disenfranchised.” Kazira enjoyed a hot meal at the Center, while her mom gratefully accepted toiletries donated by Livingston residents.
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