Dear Donors and Community Partners:
Harmony House management and the families would like to take a moment to express our deep appreciation for all the support and aid that have been offered in these unprecedented times. Even during a period of nationwide social and economic unrest, and a statewide quarantine that has disrupted the lives of so many, the various organizations and individuals have taken the time to demonstrate to those most vulnerable in our community that they are not forgotten and that their health and wellbeing matter.
Harmony House is a transitional housing program with the primary goal of helping families move from homelessness to permanent housing and from dependency to self-sufficiency. With the capacity to house 102 families in individual apartment units and a host of on-site social services, Harmony House provides much more than a shelter. It offers stability to families facing seemingly insurmountable barriers and enables them to restore their lives.
Since the COVID-19 shutdown began in late March 2020, Harmony House has received the following donations from our generous supporters:
- World Central Kitchen, in partnership with Audible, has made over 70 trips to Harmony House. From early May to the end of June, they have delivered 5,580 meals.
- Newark Emergency Services for Families (NESF) has increased its usual monthly donation of perishable and non-perishable goods to a weekly delivery of donations during the shutdown.
- The National Council of Jewish Women in collaboration with the Community FoodBank of New Jersey continues to support us through their donation of sanitary napkins, totaling 81 boxes annually.
Throughout the year, the following supporters have also been a beacon of support and hope to our families:
- Margaret Strong from St. Teresa’s in Summit, N.J., has provided our families with Christmas gifts for all the children.
- Sally Milad has continuously provided our families with back-to-school haircuts and hairdos for all children year after year.
- Sean Lewis from Calvary Baptist Church in Morristown, N.J., provides Christmas gifts for our children.
- Ana Osario from Newark Public Schools has graciously provided toiletry items for men and women, as well as food donations.
These donations have been incredibly important to and gratefully received by our families. The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a crisis with multiple dimensions: an economic catastrophe, a fear for health and life itself and above all uncertainty of what the future holds and how to move forward. Uncertainty and economic fragility already plagued our residents before the pandemic hit, and the current state has only made it that much harder for our residents to get back on their feet. On behalf of Harmony House staff and residents, we truly cannot thank you enough for doing what you can to help.
Amidst all the turmoil, a silver lining can perhaps be found in how the pandemic has brought communities together. All across the nation, everyone from community residents at the grassroots level to large corporations have come together to form relief funds and support networks to ensure that we all come through this crisis whole. I hope that we are able to sustain this momentum even once COVID-19 is a problem of the past and continue to lend each other a helping hand. Altruism and compassion are as much a part of a healthy society as vaccines and businesses.
Sincerely,
Yonette Fredericks
Director of Harmony House
