Rotary Club provides supplies for homeless
NEWTON. Project Self-Sufficiency receives 24 backpacks for children and teens and 24 rolling duffel bags for adults.
Newton /
| 22 Nov 2023 | 01:19
Members of the Newton Rotary Club donate bags packed with supplies for the homeless to Project Self-Sufficiency.
Members of the Newton Rotary Club have spent the past few months gathering essential supplies for homeless children, teens and adults.
In November, club members packed 24 backpacks for children and teens and 24 rolling duffel bags for adults with a variety of toiletries, reusable utensils and non-perishable food.
A caravan of vehicles brought the bags to Project Self-Sufficiency for distribution to those in need.
Rotary member Denise Current spearheaded the project.
“I like to get involved in different things,” said Current, who offered her spacious barn for a Farm-to-Table fundraiser earlier in the year.
Proceeds from the event were matched by a grant from Rotary International and the funds were used to purchase toiletries, such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo and body wash, along with pie pans, plastic utensils, can openers and canned goods.
Bags for adults also contained a $25 ShopRite gift card.
Bags for children and teens contained items tailored to their needs, including Walmart gift cards.
“We did a lot of work to get this together and we wanted to give the bags to people who truly need them,” said Current, who is a member of Project Self-Sufficiency’s Leadership Council and a longtime volunteer at the agency.
“The most powerful part about this project was walking into Project Self-Sufficiency today, seeing the food pantry and being educated about the needs of the clients they serve. We were glad to do something to help.”
Deborah Berry-Toon, executive director of Project Self-Sufficiency, said, “Friends like Denise Current and the members of the Newton Rotary make this community an extraordinary place.
“Project Self-Sufficiency’s Connecting NJ is the central intake for Sussex and Warren county residents seeking assistance for emergency needs, like food, shelter, utility bills, and health-care and legal issues. Being able to receive essential supplies in bags which are packed with such obvious care for the recipient will allow people in crisis to take that first step forward with dignity.”
