Senator Cardinale To Address Unemployment At Meeting

Residents with questions about the New Jersey job market can ask them directly to Senator Gerald Cardinale at the Thursday.

Neighbors-Helping-Neighbors, a support group for the unemployed that meets every Thursday night at the Mahwah Library, is hosting Cardinale. The group also meets at the on The District 39 representative is expected to give an introduction and field questions relating to unemployment from the audience.

“These Meet-and-Greets are relatively new for us,” NhN founder John Fugazzie said. “But I think they are a great resource for our growing group.” Fugazzie starting NhN in January of 2011 at the River Edge Library. Since then, the group has expanded to 18 libraries all across North Jersey. The group boasts nearly 500 members and over 90 “success stories.”

“We have had 92 people who have found employment so far,” Fugazzie told Patch last week. “The meetings are great, because we act as support and networking for our members. We focus on the positive, and work to encourage people to be proactive about gaining employment.”

Fugazzie said the group aspect of NhN “is so important. Everyone is in the same boat, so there is no judgment. Everybody helps everybody else in a way that is hard to do if you’re not in the same situation.”

The founder said he hopes Thursday’s event will let residents know more about the group, and provide a helpful resource to locals looking for work. “The economy has hit people who should not be out of work,” Fugazzie said. Those who typically join NhN include the under-employed, moms and dads reentering the job market, struggling small business owners, those in a career transition, recent graduates, retirees looking for part-time or volunteer work, and those who are unemployed, he said.

“The event with Senator Cardinale will focus on issues related to unemployment,” he said. “It should be a great opportunity to interact with one of our representatives.”

Get more information about the Meet and Greet, which is happening at the Mahwah Public Library at 7 p.m. Thursday, .