ST James Social Services

The highlight of 2011 for St. James Social Service Corporation was being blessed with a total renovation of our soup kitchen and dining room by Chef Robert Irvin; and being featured on a special episode of the Food Network’s Restaurant Impossible. Our volunteer “Chef”, Georgiana Loney and the work she does at the soup kitchen was also featured during Christmas as a “Miracle of the Season” on Verizon FIOs 1 News. 2011 also marked the launching of the SJSSC HIV Prevention and Awareness program as a licensed testing center. We, in the course of the year provided HIV/AIDS educational outreach programs to more than 400 persons, and tested nearly 200 people between August and December of 2011. We also provided counseling and referral services, including referrals for medical and advanced care. These were made possible with grants from NJ AIDS Partnership and Healthcare Foundation of NJ. Funded by the Essex County Citizen’s Services Dept., and with support from the NJ Community Food Bank we provided a total of 85,000 units of food to more than 18,000 people through our Christian Café Soup Kitchen and Emergency Food Pantry, and academic enrichment and recreational programs to 95 children through the SJSSC Afterschool and Safe Haven Summer Peace Camp programs with funding support from Victoria Foundation, the City of Newark, and the NJ Office of Faithbased Initiatives. Funds obtained from PSE&G, Montclair Fund for Women, and Essex County Workforce Investment Grant Facility, helped us to train 53 unemployed people to become Certified Home Health Aides, and 47 additional men and women completing our Workforce Literacy Job Search program. We processed 218 NJ Shares applications for utility assistance, and distributed 20,000.00 items of clothing and in conjunction with the Saint James WMS and Saint James Church, provided 750 food baskets at Thanksgiving, 350 baskets and 1800 toys for Christmas.