After continuing production throughout the summer months, Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) is officially starting its ninth season of “providing for the poor, homeless, and disenfranchised,” which it has been doing since its inception in 2011.
“Volunteers Alan Levin, Rick Levin and Pat Corcoran kept it all flowing to our state’s poorest by picking up Livingston’s generous donations at the offices of our partner, Livingston’s West Essex Tribune, and delivering to LPI’s Newark distribution partners,” notes Jeff “the Coat Guy” Friedman, LPI founder and director.
He continues, “Volunteers are an intrinsic part of our organization. For example, we are now enjoying both a website and Facebook page thanks to the efforts of Livingston resident Allison Eglow, a student at New Jersey Institute of Technology. Operations are rolling along as we officially commence season #9. Visit LPI on the web at njhomeless.org, or on Facebook at Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. Readers can email me at njhomeless@aol.com, as well.”
LPI has been fundraising for a vehicle for quite a while. The charity, so far, has been relying on the use of volunteers’ vehicles to transport donations to distribution partners in Newark and the Oranges. However, with operations having outpaced the availability and capacity of volunteers’ cars, efforts have been ongoing to raise money to purchase an LPI van. “Stand by for an exciting announcement in this regard in mid-September,” says Friedman.
Donations of all sorts, including financial, are tax deductible for 2019, Friedman emphasizes. “LPI gladly provides an official receipt upon request. After all, tax time is somehow just around the corner. To help those living below the poverty line and worse, please mail generous contributions to LPI, P.O. Box 247, Livingston, NJ 07039. Item donations may be dropped at the Tribune offices, located at 495 South Livingston Avenue, next to Shop Rite.”
In conclusion, the Coat Guy says, “I’d like to close with this quote from Lily Tomlin: ‘I always wondered why somebody doesn’t do something about that. Then I realized I was somebody.’ ”
Photo: LPI volunteer and Livingston High School alumnus Rick Levin fills LPI founder and director Jeff Friedman’s garage with all sorts of badly-needed items for delivery to the profoundly poor. Levin “was there at the very beginning in 2011, volunteering his time and vehicle to help me get started,” Friedman notes.
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