Care and Compassion Delivered to Front Doors Across New Jersey!

Mercer County, NJ—Imagine worrying if you are going to be able to provide the traditional holiday meal for your family this year, and then there is a knock on your door. You go investigate and find that The Father Center of New Jersey has provided you with a special delivery of a turkey dinner with all the trimmings! That is exactly what is happening today and tomorrow as staff members hand deliver 30 full Thanksgiving meal packages to families in both Mercer and Burlington counties.

The Father Center of New Jersey has a long history of providing support to families and was originally founded in 1859 as an orphanage with the name, Union Industrial Home for Children. Now, almost 162 years later, the organization, one of the oldest in New Jersey, continues to serve fathers and families in the state and beyond. Free programs offered at The Father Center of New Jersey (TFCNJ) include career counseling, computer literacy training, parenting education, workforce development, and health and trauma support. “Our vision is to empower every father to positively impact his children and family, which ultimately contributes to the success of our community as a whole,” said Karen Andrade-Mims, Executive Director.

This season the entire staff was motivated to make sure the participants served in the community, both past and present, will have the chance to enjoy the holidays with delicious and healthy food baskets. The brainchild of Dawn Smith, the agency’s Office Assistant, she organized the donations and the list of persons needing support. Maurice E. Crump, Jr., a Client Services Coordinator who delivered many of the meal baskets stated, “I feel humbled and blessed to be able to give back to the community, with no expectation of a tangible reward or acknowledgment. A smile is enough.”

Additionally, Carter W. Patterson, Director of Programming, arranged a partnership with the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) and is installing a kiosk onsite where families can sign up for services. Carter stated “We are really excited about getting more information about our agency into the community to help more people!”

Julie Janis, the Social Services Coordinator at TASK said, “TASK has been partnering with TFCNJ for years! We are very excited about the kiosk coming to TASK. The majority of our patrons are men. We are also seeing a lot of folks that have been recently released from incarceration. Many of our patrons have child support issues and difficulty finding and maintaining employment. We are so excited about being connected to the wonderful programs and services offered at TFCNJ and look forward to a continued partnership.”

“The kiosks are one of the best ways to have outreach in the community, so when our staff is not there, people can still sign up for services they need,” stated Samuel (Ryan) Fulwood, The Father Center of New Jersey’s Media/Technology Support Specialist. Both Ryan and Carter are on a mission to get as many kiosks into community venues as possible! Carter wants to work with program partners in the area and potentially place kiosks into state certified childcare centers. Right now, there is an additional kiosk in Burlington at SisterHood, Inc., an agency providing outreach and education to the community and located a few doors down from The Father Center’s location in Burlington on Broad Street.

The Father Center of New Jersey will also plan to provide an additional 30 holiday meals in December, along with the delivery of toys for families in need. The local chapter of Toys for Tots will be providing the toys. If you want to support The Father Center of New Jersey’s holiday food campaign, or donate new toys for the toy delivery, there is still time to contribute! Contact the agency at (609) 695-3663 to arrange to drop off your contribution. If you would like to donate online, follow this link: Make a donation to The Father Center of New Jersey.