Michael Swayze's Community Resources

Category: Advocacy

  • Veteran and Spouse Career Fair – Teaneck Armory – December 1

    A few days ago I received an email from the G.I. Go Fund, announcing a Veteran and Spouse Career Fair. It will be held at the Teaneck Armory, 1779 Teaneck Road in Teaneck, New Jersey on Tuesday, December 1, 2009 from 10am – 2pm.

    Veterans and family members can register online by going to
    http://gigofund.org/exposignup.html and filling out the registration form. For additional information contact Alex Manis at the G.I. Go Veterans Transition Center of Newark, 973-802-1614 (phone) or 732-377-8032 (fax).

  • Statewide Winter Outerwear Clothing Drive

    The Trenton based nonprofit Homeless To Independence is conducting their 4th Annual Statewide Winter Outerwear Clothing Drive. Although collection activities ended in north Jersey about November 15, clothing collection efforts continue in central and southern New Jersey through December 13.

    The information about their clothing drive is contained in their November newsletter which reads as follows:

    Hello Everyone In New Jersey!

    HOMELESS TO INDEPENDENCE’S 4TH ANNUAL WINTER OUTERWEAR CLOTHING DRIVE
    IS NOW ON!!! WE NEED CHILDRENS COATS OF ALL SIZES!!!

    We are collecting coats/jackets, hats, scarves, gloves/mittens and blankets for women, children and men that are homeless, working poor, our veterans and those have just lost their belongings due to fires (manmade) and natural disasters and have been transplanted here in New Jersey. Our Northern New Jersey dates run from now through November 15th. Our Central and Southern New Jersey dates run now through December 13th – anywhere in the State of New Jersey call me for your items to be picked up. Some counties will offer drop off location dates and times also for your convenience. Please call me at: 1-609-575-8048 or email me at: ann@homelesstoindependence.org. ALL items will be given away freely – we DO NOT charge anyone for anything that is donated. Any houses of worship or organizations that would like to make your location either a drop off or distribution site contact me ASAP! Let’s work together!!!

    For those not familiar with Homeless To Independence let me give you a brief rundown. The Founder and Executive Director is Ann Martin-Frey. I became aware of her work several years ago when I read a newsarticle somewhere. A recent Trenton Times article (October 2, 2009 by Matt Fair, Staff Writer) provided the following: “With Homeless to Independence, Frey, 48, works day-in and day-out through a thickly woven network of contacts developed over the course of her life on the road gathering information on employment agencies, local job openings, government programs, food banks, shelters, or any other resources the homeless can take advantage of, and disseminating it all into the homeless community.”

    Ann is a true grassroots activist and my hat goes off to her. If you want to contribute to the winter clothing drive you can contact her at 609-575-8048. Homeless to Independence can also be reached at PO Box 22124, Trenton, NJ 08607. Checkout the website which has the feel of a community bulletin board. You can also join her on Facebook by looking for Ann MartinFrey.

  • Buy Stamps By Mail: Help Island Post Offices

    While vacationing recently in Camden, Maine, I picked up a copy of the local newspaper, The Working Waterfront. An article caught my attention about island post offices and their possible demise as local social and economic institutions. To promote their continued existence it was suggested mainland postal patrons purchase stamps from island post offices rather than online. In my opinion, this makes perfect sense as a way to maintain the social fabric of island communities. Here is the article from their September, 2009 edition and an order form to send to an island post office of your choice:

    Below you find a form ready to fill out, clip and mail to one of Maine’s small island post offices. Regular readers know (from stories we’ve run in the past) that small island post offices are constantly in danger of being closed down by the U.S. Postal Service, because their volume is small. Selling stamps by mail is one way these important community institutions can keep up their volume, and stay in business to serve island communities.

    Island Post Offices & Zip Codes:
    Cliff Island…04019
    Long Island…04050
    Chebeague…04017
    North Haven…04853
    Swan’s Island…04685
    Cranberry Isles…04625
    Isle au Haut…04645
    Islesford…04646
    Islesboro…04848
    Matinicus…04851
    Monhegan…04852
    Peaks Island…04108
    Frenchboro…04635

    Thank you. Other items available upon request. Please do not send cash. Enclose this order form plus check or money order payable to U.S. Postal Service. Orders of $200 or more will be sent by Certified Mail and must be signed for on delivery.

    You can printout the order form here. You can also get a better understanding of the concerns of island and rural communities by reading The Working Waterfront article titled “Maine island post offices fight for survival”. (The above article is reprinted with permission of Island Institute, a membership-based community development organization).