75 IDEAS FOR A MORE EARTH-FRIENDLY FAMILY LIFESTYLE

Submitted by Guest Blogger Hazel Baby & Kids

This post was initially published in April 2021 on Hazel Baby & Kids Blog

We asked our community of mothers what they do to lower their family’s environmental impact. Over 50 women responded with answers ranging from simple daily swaps, to favorite sustainable brands, even long term major hauls… we were inspired hearing so many people making an effort, big or small, to reform lifestyle habits for the good of the planet.

At Hazel Baby we’ve been talking about earth-saving swaps all year. We’re all on this planet together, and we’d certainly like to keep it that way! As families grow, it is easy to see how each individual can consume energy and accumulate waste. Even the tiniest humans can contribute diapers to landfills, and leave behind plastic bits and pieces in the ocean. So what can we all do?

We asked multiple nearby communities of mothers what they do to lower their family’s environmental impact. Over 50 women responded with answers ranging from simple daily swaps, to favorite sustainable brands, even long term major hauls… we were inspired hearing so many people making an effort, big or small, to reform lifestyle habits for the good of the planet.

So, in honor of Earth Day, we took their feedback and summarized it into this list. The most popular ideas were around household swaps - like reusable snack & sandwich bags instead of plastic zip bags. Perhaps these ideas are similar to what you’re doing at your home, too! Don’t have those yet? It’s an easy first step to tackle for more eco-friendly meal prep. We hope this list leaves you feeling inspired and ready to take action in your own home. 

1. We’re very disciplined about recycling everything applicable and involve the kids in the process of collecting, triaging and bringing it down to the recycle room that way they’ll grow up knowing no other way.

2. We try to limit plastic as much as possible. It's impossible sometimes, but I like a lot of products from Etee that make plastic-free household goods.

3. Glass containers instead of plastic Tupperware.

4. For toys, I try to get non-plastic options if it's available and feasible

5. I try to do a lot of 'upcycle' crafting with [my little one]. Mostly using packaging and recycled materials first before buying anything at the store! 

6. Anything reusable for snacks, lunches etc. (Think stainless steal containers, glass Tupperware, beeswax wrap, silicone storage bags)

7. Composting

8. Cloth diapers and cloth wipes.

9. Beeswax wraps instead of plastic wrap 

10. I use dish towels or rag clothes for almost everything in house. Wiping, dusting, cleaning..no paper towels.

11. Use muslin cloth / parchment paper to wrap food for my toddlers box instead of aluminum foil. 

12. Switched to bamboo paper towels that can be washed and reused up to 85 times. We cut the bamboo paper towels to different sizes and also use them as reusable napkins. They end up becoming really soft and absorbent over time.

13. Bring back waxed paper or butcher paper & masking tape for sandwiches in lunchboxes

14. Water bottles ~ having a favorite means you will use it more often.

15. Reusing boxes. When deliveries come, have your kiddos use the boxes as a play material. Yes, eventually they will end up in recycling, but in the meantime, they can be used to be a car, castle, cardboard cut out, toy for cats, canvas for art, etc, etc. 

16. My daughter has Replay plates and bowls for meals(they are made from recycled milk jugs).

17. Reusable everything. Cups, lunch boxes, water bottles etc. Refillable soap, shampoo etc dispensers.

18. LEDs everywhere 

19. We even use old t-shirts for wiping furniture - they are soft and last forever. But more importantly kids see how we don't just throw non-donatable items.

20. Crafting with kids can give lots of items new life: melt down crayon bits together in muffin pans/molds and make multi-color fun-shaped crayons, make collages or decoupage boxes with colored paper/pictures/cards.

21. Use plastic egg containers as palettes, or paper ones for storage of beads and such. 

22. Old plastic cups can be used to hold paintbrushes and water for painting. 

23. I use shoeboxes and other pretty boxes for EVERYTHING including shelf and drawer dividers. 

24. Reusable paper towels has been the most seamless swap for me. I get the ones you can re-roll. They're actually better for kid hands/faces and messes and fit on my existing paper towel holder.

25. My one go to is I save and wash all jars I get with groceries - tomato sauce, pickles, roasted peppers, etc. I reuse for myself or when giving away food I make to others. 

26. I cover jars with plaster of Paris and have children watercolor paint them in my art classes. They make beautiful vases. 

27. My kids received a reusable sandwich sleeve in Kindergarten that we still use to this day! My youngest is in 6th grade and my oldest is a HS freshman, so it’s been many years of reusing them.

28. My favorite household planet saving swap is wool dryer balls. I put a few drops of lavender essential oil on them, and they’re so much better than dryer sheets.

29. Here is a crazy one I take the dry cleaning bags and tie a knot on the hanger side and use in my waste paper baskets. They look good too.

30. We have made many swaps over the years, two of our most recent ones have been around not shipping the water that products need. We add it when we use it. This reduces pollution/strain on the earth by not shipping the heaviest part of cleaners, the water.

31. One is hand soap tablets. We use Blueland. I love that they use paper packaging instead of plastics. My son has fun "making" the soap by putting the tablet in the water. Their mission is great. 

32. We do a “community garden” with my parents using our compost, and my kiddos love getting involved. Growing or buying local produce to lower the impact of shipping food.

33. Menstrual cups are life changing! I have the Luna (preferred) and salt. Also have Thinx 

34. Shampoo Bars

35. Cloth Diapers I was late to the game on this and only did one year of cloth with my daughter. But we’re hoping to reuse our cloth diapers when we adopt again. 

36. Gender neutral clothes so next baby can wear hand me downs

37. I LOVE buying second hand clothes and shoes for my toddler. They grow so fast!

38. Teaching and relearning to not support eating factory farmed animals and fished pulled from the ocean helps. There are so many plant based options now.

39. Eating less meat.

40. Meatless Monday

41. Tossing food is a big waste. I love leftovers, but I know that so many others do not.

42. Eat vegan at home.

43. Avoid juice boxes and single serve snack packs 

44. You can have kids help package snacks into reusable containers to help them feel involved in the process while also learning about measuring and sustainability.

45. Public transportation whenever possible.

46. Kohl's recycles plastic packages, I will collect and deposit bags at Kohl's when I'm out for shopping/stroll, without adding another task to my to do list 

47. We do not buy bottled water at all..always carry water from home when we step out 

48. Get our own box for a take out or to-go box for leftovers

49. As a child, I was required to bring home my brown lunch bag to reuse for the entire week! True story. We had lunch boxes but most kids had a brown bag, so if I used one, I had to reuse it.

50. We have metal straws, even portable ones for when we go out 

51. Bring clothes to H&M for them to recycle them (they will also give you a discount on your next purchase). Or you can bring textiles to the recycle boxes locally.

52. Toys etc can be donated in so many places: Swap shop, Goodwill, charities, daycares, preschools, etc or sold on all the local Facebook tag sale pages.

53. Facebook marketplace and buy/sell groups for exchanging perfectly good used stuff.

54. Buying food/household goods in bulk or from local famers markets or CSA,

55. Buying used/swapped items

56. We have limited our online orders to a very minimum, I usually go to a store to buy/place order online and pick it up (even though Amazon may be cheaper by a few bucks). This saves a lot packaging materials.

57. Buy loose/open vegetables/fruits from grocery stores and avoid those pre packaged ones with styrofoam containers and a plastic film wrap over it..

58. If we order from Amazon, I chat with customer service and request them to use a cardboard box, combine multiple items in one order. Request them not to send something in those bubble mailer sealed envelopes (they are the worst for recycling.)

59. Bring your own reusable bags to the store.

60. Shop with B Corporations as much as possible, for everything

61. Buy/gift recycled toys when possible.

62. Buy/gift second hand toys when possible.

63. Buy opened ended toys that can last years.

64. Bring thin mesh bags for produce to the store to avoid cellophane one from the roll at store.

65. Be mindful when shopping looking for non-plastic alternatives such as deodorant, laundry detergent, etc.

66. Create a virtuous circle - Another one that many people have mentioned in one way or other is to create a community of people who have children 1-2 years younger who you can keep in your clothing recycling circle. Every time you do a clean out, they are happy recipients of lightly worn toys, baby gear, shoes, sports equipment, winter clothes, etc. if they don’t want the items, ensure they get into the hands of another neighbor or someone in need 

67. I’d give a big shout out to the Buy Nothing Project. THE best way to get things you need (especially for kids) and to also give when you’re done with items. We’ve been very active giving and receiving the last few months and it’s taught generosity to my kids and now they’re quick to say we should give something away.

68. Look to buy items in glass containers versus plastic, and rinse before recycling.

69. Reusing things instead of buying new stuff to make a big difference both in terms of less packaging and the item itself- there are companies like ThredUp that help and also there is a trend towards local “Buy Nothing” groups on facebook

70. Not throwing stuff out of your car windows or litterin 

71. Planting trees

72. Never supporting boat cruises or that industrial at all. Ever year those companies are fined over and over for dumping waste and polluting the oceans 

73. This amazing company Think Zero Home does really helpful consulting to help you move towards a zero waste home we used them!

74. Turning off the electricity if we are not using it. 

75. Pay attention to the most important R, Reduce! If you don't need it, don't take it.

Thank you to everyone for sharing with us your best sustainable family life tip!

https://www.hazelbaby.com/blogs/blog/75-ideas-for-a-more-earth-friendly-family-lifestyl/

New Jersey: A New Land of Community Solar Opportunities

New Jersey: A New Land of Community Solar OpportunitiesJ

SJC and PowerMarket have partnered to offer JC Residents an opportunity to participate in one of four Community Solar Projects in North Jersey - SIGN UP NOW AND RECEIVE A $100 CASH GIFT CARD !

Submitted by Guest Blogger Amanda Colombo, Business Operations Analyst at PowerMarket

Hartz Mountain Industries, Inc (a commercial real estate enterprise) and PowerMarket (a community solar market leader) have partnered to bring some of the first community solar projects online right here in Northern New Jersey –three in Hudson county and one in Essex county. On top of that, there is an exciting partnership PowerMarket has formed with Sustainable JC, within Jersey City, to create awareness about community solar through educational outreach and to get people signed up! For the first time in NJ, everyone can participate in the clean energy revolution by joining community solar (and even lowering their monthly electricity bill).

What is community solar you might ask? Instead of installing solar panels on your roof, you take part in a larger solar array constructed in your community from which you and your neighbors all benefit from the clean energy that is generated. Because no roof or upfront costs are necessary to join, community solar provides a fair and just way for all community members to participate in the clean energy revolution. As you can see below, here is what a community solar farm can look like in your neighborhood:

Once subscribed, community solar credits (equivalent dollar cost savings) generated from your portion of the project would appear on your utility bill, i.e., a credit to your monthly utility bill. To benefit less served communities, we have committed to providing over 50% of savings to low income households. As a New Jersey resident, you can imagine how excited I am for NJ to be one of the leaders in the nation to roll out a Community Solar program!

Given the global pandemic, all outreach campaigns to join these projects in New Jersey will be done virtually. Thanks to our online marketplace, it is easy for potential subscribers to enter their utility and billing information as well as sign a participation agreement digitally. These four Hartz Mountain projects will be operational between September and December of this year, and we are starting to sign up interested subscribers now. This is an opportunity for communities to support clean renewable energy and see cost savings each month.

The first four projects PowerMarket has going online are in Jersey City, North Bergen, Newark, and Secaucus. The sign up is live here!  Overall, we are looking for 1,300 total subscribers to fill the projects- with 51% of subscribers being Low to Moderate income subscribers (LMI). There are no fees to enter, no fees to leave, 15% savings off credits for LMI, and 10% savings for non-LMI and of course guaranteed savings each and every month.

Want to learn more about community solar? We’ve provided some frequently asked questions below. However, if you have a question that we haven’t answered, please feel free to contact the PowerMarket team at 800-253-4333 or adrian.varga@powermarket.io.

1. Who can participate in community solar?

In New Jersey, currently, anyone who pays a utility bill can participate in community solar. To participate in these 4 projects, you have to reside in Newark, Jersey City, North Bergen, Secaucus, or a neighboring municipality- but don’t worry, we’ll let you know if you qualify when you go to sign up!

2. How does billing work?

You would get your bill from PSE&G just as you have been and pay it like you normally would.  The total gross amount of community solar credit shown on your utility bill will be adjusted through a two bill system, reflecting a net credit and savings for you on your monthly utility payments, i.e., you will be invoiced by PowerMarket for the difference in the total gross community solar credit on your utility bill and the discounted community solar credit amount based on your standing as a Non-LMI or LMI subscriber - 10% off for Non-LMI Subscribers and 15% off for LMI Subscribers.

As you can see in the example below, $115.57 was taken off this LMI subscriber’s electricity bill for the gross amount of community solar credits they earned that month, showing $138.73 total monthly charge from the utility company, which the utility customer will pay. This lowered their bill significantly, more than the allowable total billing credit afforded under this program (10% off for Non-LMI Subscribers and 15% off for LMI Subscribers) .  To adjust that to reflect the proper net credit to the LMI Subscriber,  they will receive a notification and invoice from PowerMarket showing the difference between the gross credit and the discount amount applied to the gross credit (10% off for Non-LMI Subscribers and 15% off for LMI Subscribers) to provide the proper net savings gain for them.

This example was at a 15% discount for a LMI Subscriber, so they will only pay PowerMarket $98.23 for this $115.57 worth of community solar credits, which is the difference between the gross amount of community solar credits shown on your bill and the legal discount amount afforded under the program. In the end, they will save $17.34 this month for being part of their local community solar project.

3. How do I get started?

You can get started HERE!  PowerMarket is now offering a $100 cash gift card when you sign up from start to finish! You enter your utility information, billing, and sign a contract. There is no cost to join and no cost to leave the program. After approval from the utility, we allocate you a percentage of the project, and you’re subscribed! You’ll enjoy the benefits of saving every month plus supporting clean energy onto the local grid. Are you ready NJ?!

More information on Partner Organizations:

About Sustainable Jersey City:

Sustainable Jersey City is a catalyst organization whose mission is to educate, empower and activate community stakeholders, to make Jersey City NJ a more sustainable and resilient place to live and work. Our vision is for Jersey City to become the greenest, most sustainable and resilient city in New Jersey, with community stakeholders that are educated about and committed to environmental, economic and social justice. As part of the balanced urban ecology we are advocating for in Jersey City, we try to include the arts in our projects and activities as much as possible! We feel that artists can help us to evolve some of our sustainability strategies through a unique lens and welcome their participation at all of our events. After all, sustainability is a cultural conversation and artist activists often pave the way when society needs to change direction - that time is now!

SJC Charter: https://www.sustainablejc.org/sjccharter

About PowerMarket:

PowerMarket works to make clean energy more accessible, affordable, and ubiquitous through community solar. We are a recognized market leader in providing subscriber acquisition, management & billing services to the community solar industry. Based in New York City, we manage over 200 MW and 20,000 subscribers—ensuring they are seeing utility bill credits, savings and the environmental impact of their participation. In 2019 alone, we put over $300,000 back in the pockets of our community solar subscribers. We are an advocate for our subscribers and have rolled out many programs across the Northeast with Low to Moderate Income (LMI) carve outs to ensure benefits are equally distributed their communities. We are extremely excited about our New Jersey projects, as we will give the majority of subscriptions and benefits to Low to Moderate income families.

Company Website: https://powermarket.io

About Hartz Mountain Industries, Inc:

Hartz Solar is a subsidiary of Hartz Mountain Industries, Inc. Hartz Mountain Industries, Inc is one of the largest private owners of commercial real estate in the U.S. They have grown from a small start in 1966 to a large regional real estate enterprise. They own and operate a portfolio of more than 260 properties primarily in major East Coast markets, including New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, Charlotte and Maryland. They also own and operate assets in Chicago, Austin and Seattle. In total, their portfolio comprises more than 45 million square feet of residential, office, hotel and industrial properties. They are staffed to build complex developments, quickly and economically with in-house architectural, construction, design, engineering, legal, marketing, leasing, property management and financial teams. Hartz Solar isn’t new to the solar industry considering an 8.5-megawatt ground-based solar array built in Hamilton, which began producing power at its Hartz Solar Hamilton facility in 2011.

NJ Community Solar Brochure from NJ Clean Energy Office

The Future of Work After COVID-19

Opportunity For Sustainable JC Folks To Consider Job Market Trends With First Of Short Series On Future Of Work And Acquiring New Tech Skills As We Transition In The Age Of COVID !

Submitted by Artur Meyster, Guest Blogger / Founder of Career Karma

COVID-19 changed our world four months ago after the WHO (World Health Organization) declared it a pandemic. Governments started implementing quarantine measures to control its spread, but these measures left many companies floundering to keep their operations afloat. A vaccine isn’t a reality yet, and many people believe we will not get back to normal until an effective one is developed.  

However, after months of social distancing and staying at home, some countries are already relaxing some of the regulations in an effort to salvage the economy. And companies are redesigning the workplace to fit a world with COVID-19. 

Below are some of the changes we will see in the new work environment.

Distributed Spaces

In the past few years, it was common to find offices that had as many people possible comfortably working in the same space. This distribution of areas was designed to foster collaboration and communication. But after COVID-19, this will be left in the past and instead, we will start seeing distributed spaces. 

Distributed spaces will be smaller offices in locations closer to the employee’s home. With these smaller, distributed offices, workers will not only have less risk of infection while commuting, but the whole team won’t need to be quarantined if one of them gets infected. So the team will be able to collaborate, but in smaller groups. 

Rotating Workdays

Another option to minimize contact in the workplace is to rotate working days in the office. First, managers will pinpoint which employees need to come back to the office and are able to do so. Then create a schedule for which people can go to the office each day and which persons need to work together on the same day, and so on would be the way to go. 

This rotating work schedule may sound unnecessary and a lot of work if employees can work from home, but many companies don’t have that luxury. Some businesses need their employees physically at the office for essential tasks, but rethinking this may create options not thought of before that could save time and money, and provide other workaround benefits for businesses and workers. 

Hospital-Like Elements

After COVID-19, people are now more aware of sanitation and possible infectious points more than ever, e.g., many questions have arisen as simple as whether to touch a surface or a door when going out in the past few months, and are now applicable to workplace settings.  

Many people may not know this, but hospitals use unique materials on walls, floors and furniture that can withstand strong cleaning products. Companies will start designing office spaces using hospital-like elements and materials so they can be continuously sterilized. 

Not only will the cleaning increase, but business environments will probably also include disinfection strategies. These strategies will likely include wash stations for cleaning hands, constant use of antibacterial solutions and even air purification systems. 

IoT Office Space

The Internet of Things (IoT) is about both smart devices that can be connected between themselves and with the Internet to access data and to control transactions. There are already many of these devices used in day-to-day home activities. For example, smart TVs that allow you to control the lights in your house or mobile apps that can connect to your smart fridge. 

We will be seeing something similar at our workplaces, for example being able to control different things using smartphones like workers calling the elevator, opening doors or making coffee and more at business premises.. With these smart solutions, employees could avoid contact with contaminated surfaces. 

Home Office

Since COVID-19 became a pandemic, many companies have changed to home office modalities. It was in an effort to maintain the business while reducing the possibility of infection. But now, with some of the quarantined measures being lifted, many companies aren’t rushing back to the office. 

The fact is, home offices have many potential cost-effective benefits and perks, depending on the employee. The first and topmost consideration is that it could be less costly for the company to help an employee set up a home office than redesigning current business or office workspaces. But other benefits include the potential for more productive and happy workers too!

However, not all employees are best suited for working from home. But your company could choose to implement a hybrid solution with some people working remotely and others working at the office or other business location. It reduces possible environmental issues regarding spreading infections and allows working comfortably from home for employees that prefer that option. 

Daily Health Checks

Daily health checks are another potential change for post-pandemic work environments. In some countries, people already get their temperature checked before being allowed to enter any public establishments. It will be something similar for the workplace, things like temperature cameras that check all the employees for fever could be implemented. 

These health checks will also include sending the employee home if they show slight symptoms of sickness and workplaces having more flexible sick leave policies all around. 

Emphasis on Health Education

In many companies, health education was an afterthought unless it was related to direct security hazards at the workplace. But now, with the pandemic, employees, especially the ones returning to physical workplaces and offices, need to be aware of all possible health risks of the COVID-19 disease. 

By knowing precisely what the risks are, they can accept those risks to return to work or not. Also, it’s the company’s prerogative to teach it’s employees of the preventive measures they have to take and the correct way to work in the new environments. So, constant health education to remind them to protect themselves will become standard. 

Use of Protective Gear

The use of protective gear will also become standard and not only at the workplace. This measure doesn’t mean complete body gear, maybe just in specific industries that required it. But most people will have to start using at least mouth caps / face masks to protect themselves and their coworkers. 

Increase e-Learning

Many companies offer career development benefits for their workers, and they don’t need to stop due to the pandemic. Instead, they can go for e-learning sources. Many online education platforms offer courses for anything, from soft to tech skills. Even coding boot camps have online learning options for people that want to learn programming skills. 

#sustainable #jerseycity @sustainablejc #futurework #newtechskills @CareerKarmaApp @Career_Karma

SALT Foundation Partners With City of Jersey City For Mobile Food Pantries

Roadside Food Pantries in JC Feed The Hungry While Curbing Food Waste - August Dates Coming Up !

Submitted by Marc Adelberg, Sustainable JC Board Member

Humans have utilized salt to extend the life of food for millennia.

So when Claudia Wheeler was debating names for her nonprofit, which distributes would-be wasted groceries to families in need, it was a surprisingly easy choice.

“From way back, salt has been a way to preserve food,” Wheeler told Sustainable JC.  “That’s what SALT (Foundation) does.  I’m here to preserve not only food, but families and communities and individuals as well.”

An idea inspired by a food drive at her Franklin Township church has germinated into a weekly event, with distributions throughout Hudson, Mercer, and Middlesex Counties.

For three years, Wheeler’s SALT Foundation has been picking up expiring food from local Trader Joe’s and Wegmans supermarkets and delivering it to those in need.  In any given week, the organization brings fresh products to food pantries, women’s and homeless shelters, and churches. 

Wheeler, a Navy veteran and schoolteacher, is plenty resourceful; she completes most food pick-ups and drop-offs by herself, with occasional operational support from her husband, David.  But with COVID-19 highlighting the need to give back, Wheeler has received help from friends and additional contributions from volunteers.  SALT soon began to distribute healthy produce, bread, and other food with even more frequency. 

In late March, with the pandemic raging and ravaging livelihoods, the foundation held its first outdoor “Community Love” food pantry in Franklin Township, satisfying CDC guidelines for social distancing.  After a dozen “pop-up drive-thru” food pantries in Somerset, handing out hundreds of bags of food each time, SALT expanded to alleviate food insecurity in Northeast New Jersey. 

Hudson County proved an important destination for Wheeler.

“I reached out to a councilwoman in Jersey City and I said ‘I’m Jersey City-raised and my heart is there. I’d love to bring this to Jersey City,’” Wheeler said. 

(SALT Foundation began partnering with Five Corners restaurant Freetown Road Project on “Community Love” gatherings in January, so Wheeler was familiar with service in the City.  Her brother, Claude Lewis, opened Freetown Road Project in 2019 – a few months after winning an episode of “Chopped” on Food Network.  Lewis was formerly executive chef at Porta downtown.)

Late in the spring, Jersey City Councilwoman Mira Prinz-Arey facilitated a connection between SALT Foundation and Healthier JC.  It didn’t take long to secure the first pop-up pantry, which occurred on Route 440 on June 7.  And with lines of cars stretching back onto Route 9 that day, it was evident SALT Foundation was filling a need.

SALT and Healthier JC have been teaming up every other Sunday since.  The organizations plan to continue that pattern through at least the end of August, with the next pop-ups occurring August 16 and August 30 - location is at 575 Route 440.

“As a partner of #HealthierJC, we salute the efforts of the SALT Foundation as we expand our efforts in providing healthy food access to people in need during the COVID-19 crisis,” said Stacey Flanagan, Director of Health and Human Services for Jersey City.  “Claudia and her team have been amazing partners as they feed nearly 200 families every mobile pantry day.”

Wheeler is heartened by the large number of people SALT Foundation is servicing with its distributions – individuals from all walks of life.

“You could be driving a BMW.  I don’t know what’s going on in your home.  We’re all going through this together,” Wheeler stated.  “I don’t require any type of identification,” she added.  “Just the smile through your eyes – through the mask, because we’re being safe – that’s all that I need.”

The duty to teach drives Wheeler, whether endowing her young students with knowledge or stressing the benefits of giving back through community service.  (Among her favorite passages from the bible?  Galatians 5:13 – “Serve one another in love.”) 

 “Food is what unites cultures and communities,” Wheeler avowed.  “I want SALT to act as the hinge that keeps us together especially during these challenging times.”

@HealthierJC @sustainable @jerseycity @sustainablejc #HealthierJC #foodrescue @StaceyLFlanaga1 @KelleherMKJC @SaltNJ

Thank You All - Fundraising Campaign Success for The Sharing Place Food Pantry !

Fundraising Campaign Success for The Sharing Place Food Pantry !

Submitted by Marc Adelberg, SJC Core Team Member

Dear Donors and Community Partners,

Sustainable Jersey City (SJC) is thrilled to announce that we have raised $5,448 for The Sharing Place food pantry via the ioby crowdfunding platform, reaching and exceeding our goal of $5,000.  We could not have done so without your assistance. (Campaign site here.)  

This influx of money means that the food pantry can alleviate expanded food insecurity during the COVID-19 crisis.  In a time of true need for so many, your generous donations and community support have ensured that The Sharing Place can continue to stand by its creed: to not turn anyone away.  The funds will allow The Sharing Place to procure healthy food— in April, 195 families received a total of 14,000 pounds of food, including fresh meat and produce—for the next three months of distributions.

We at SJC were overwhelmed by the immediate response to our call to action.  It is certainly fulfilling to contribute to a vital cause; it is even more so in this unprecedented situation.  We are grateful for your selfless acts of support.  Helping us accomplish our goal guarantees that The Sharing Place can fulfill its mission, even during the pandemic: lifting the burden of hunger for Jersey City and Hudson County residents. 

Thank You Note From The Sharing Place ~

Sincerely,

Marc Adelberg

Core Team Member

Sustainable Jersey City