By Jeff Friedman
Editor’s Note: This week, Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. founder and director Jeff Friedman reflects on how the pandemic has changed so much in our lives, including the way LPI assists the homeless.
• • •
It is difficult to visualize Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) making regular deliveries to distribution associates in Newark just five short weeks ago. LPI volunteers distributed new men’s socks and toiletries gift bags at Penn Station just a week earlier, and delivered a large women’s wardrobe to our friends at Willing Heart Community Center’s Clothing Boutique.
It was just over a month ago, when the world was different. It was “the way we were.” Musically, “The Way We Were” was the 15th studio album recorded by American vocalist Barbra Streisand. It was released on January 1, 1974 by Columbia Records. In a moment of reflection, I find the lyrics to be emblematic of recent times past… “Memories, light the corners of my mind. Misty watercolor memories, of the way we were. Can it be that it was all so simple then, or has time rewritten every line?”
My thanks to the many Livingston residents who contributed to LPI’s “Ship to the Homeless” initiative. When funding arrives, we ship food and bottled water to our regular distribution associates. Previous shipments went to the Apostles’ House and the Bessie Green Community, both in Newark and both providing food pantry services for the homeless and profoundly poor. LPI’s next direct shipment is planned for Newark Emergency Services for Families, struggling to provide sustenance to Newark’s needy residents.
To partner with LPI so we can continue shipping cases to those living below the poverty line, your generous contributions are more important now than ever. It’s quick and easy to help directly at paypal.me/lpinj, on our website at njhomeless.org, or by mail to LPI, PO Box 247, Livingston, NJ 07039. Contributions are always tax-deductible.
Photo: “The Way We Were” before the coronavirus: Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) volunteer Alan Levin of Livingston, delivers 3,000 pairs of new, men’s Bombas socks to Tony at St. John’s Parish and Soup Kitchen in Newark, about a week before the pandemic forced major changes in daily life. Socks, needed badly in the homeless community, were distributed in-person by LPI volunteers just five short weeks ago.
...
