SOMA Living March 2022

CHARITABLE ACTS In Full Bloom Beautiful plants and flowers are for every season! So if you’d like to support JESPY and are in need of flowers for a special occasion; indoor plants for winter; or are preparing for spring planting – consider shopping at Metropolitan Plant & Flower Exchange. The establishment is once again donating a portion of their sales to JESPY House. When a customer makes a purchase that is valued at $50 or more, Metropolitan will donate $10 to JESPY. The offer expires June 30, 2022. A form is required so please email skimble-ellis@jespy.org to receive. Hard at Work A major goal of many JESPY clients is to have gainful employment. While a great deal of clients have been participating in the workforce, working in a variety of sectors, the number increased impressively over the past few months. As of September 2021, twenty-two clients have become employed. Many of these positions are with new employers that are a direct result of the efforts of JESPY’s WREE (Work Readiness & Employment Engagement) staff and the tenacity of JESPY clients. JESPY client Christian M. recently began working at Wegmans, which was voted #80 on Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work in 2021. Christian is a Grocery Clerk who stocks shelves and assists customers as needed. He’s excited about learning new skills and has already received accolades from customers. New and continuing employers include Wegmans, Shop Rite, Bed Bath & Beyond, Carriage House Restaurant (Paper Mill Playhouse), Christmas Tree Shops, Barker Lounge, and Burlington Coat Factory. To learn more about JESPY’s WREE department or to become an employment partner, email Lisa Fiore at lfiore@jespy.org.

Gifts from the Heart This past Thanksgiving, the South Orange neighbors (shown top right) of The Michael Och House, A Center for Aging at JESPY held an informal Turkey Trot. In lieu of a traditional entry fee, each participant was encouraged to donate to JEPSY House. The good-hearted neighbors raised over $800 for JESPY. The neighborhood event included everything from a local run to craft activities for the kids. Maplewood’s Studio 509, co-owned by Holly Benge, Guada Bas, and Bethany Pettigrew, held a community class that raised $500 from participants for JESPY. Sports enthusiasts at Atreides Management in Boston used their office football pool as a way to support JESPY. Not only did employees make generous donations, but the company did as well, generating $12,000 of support for JESPY. Facebook fundraisers to celebrate a birthday or special occasion are a popular way to support JESPY, and it’s easy, too! More than a dozen generous people held a Facebook fundraiser over the past year, generating over 200 donations for JESPY! Perhaps these ideas will inspire you to creatively raise funds for JESPY. We are enormously grateful to all our supporters! For more information on how you can support JESPY, email aengel@jespy.org

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MARCH 2022 | SOMA LIVING 21

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