J.J.’s Story
We've had a wonderful, long-standing partnership with the Center for Family Services in Woodbury. Not long ago, we received a call from Supervisor, Yolanda Hamilton, requesting supplies for a young woman who was staying in a hotel and was due to give birth in a week. She was considering adoption because she had absolutely nothing for the baby. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we were able to provide all she needed to welcome her new baby home. Here's what she had to say...
Me and my fiancé lost our jobs due to COVID and feared we would have to give our child up for adoption because of our finances. Then I truly believe that God stepped in with something beautiful that happened yesterday. To whoever assisted us with donations of a stroller, car seat, bathtub, bassinette, diaper bag, diapers, wipes, and a tremendous amount of clothes, I am truly grateful. We had nothing and now we have EVERYTHING we need. I am truly speechless. - J.J.
This would not have been possible without "partnership". At the Dream Center partnership is at the core of everything we do...we simply connect those who have resources with those in need of resources. It's a beautiful exchange.
We feel the same way about our partners as Paul did in his letter to the Philippians in the Bible. He went on and on about how he couldn't share the good news of the gospel of Jesus without them. He diligently prayed for them and thanked God for them every chance he got (Philippians 1:3-6). We do the same!
Here's one more thing...partnership is a "two-way street". When giving to the Dream Center, the giver gets blessed too! They experience an overwhelming sense of community and purpose, knowing that they made someone else's life better by a simple act of kindness. It truly is a beautiful exchange.
Helping Families in Crisis
Every day we receive requests for help from people in all different situations. Once in a while we get a request for help like this one…a hardworking man went on vacation with his family, something they don’t normally do. The day before they headed home, they received an unexpected call that changed their lives. They were told their house burned to the ground. Their employer, who is a wonderful partner to the Dream Center, contacted us to see if we could help the family while they work out all the details with the fire. Within days, we were able to provide school supplies, coloring books, toys, clothing, shoes, food, laundry supplies, and more. Some were purchased, and some we had at our facility. All because of your giving. The mom had two pair of shoes to her name, Crocs and flipflops. But she was able to leave with two brand name, lightly used sneakers and more. We couldn't do what we do to help families like this one without YOU!
Expanding and Increasing our Food Partners
Got Bread? We sure do! Thanks to our partnership with the Panera Bread in Deptford, they have increased our pickups from one pickup a week to three, being that some local agencies had cut back on their food programs during COVID. Not at the SJDC! The pandemic had the opposite affect on our operation. We are busier than ever and ready and willing to take on as much incoming donations as we can handle. We have also increased our pickups at Albert's Fresh Produce from once a month to once a week. Fresh produce is considered a luxury for most families in poverty, which is why our agencies are so happy when we deliver a wonderful variety of fruits and vegetables. We've also added pickups two times a week at Acme, Sprouts and Target in Southeast Philadelphia, where we receive thousands of pounds of food, paper goods and more.
Giving and Receiving in Our Community
Big thanks to Crunch Fitness (upper right) for hosting a Baby Supplies drive at their kiosk in the Deptford Mall as they prepare to open their new facility in Deptford this year. We also welcome the Gloucester County SERV program (below left), a division of the Center for Family Services and stands for Services Empowering the Rights of Victims. Every month they pick up food for ten families in their program. The True North Church (below right) family continues to overwhelm us with their kindness by donating over 1,000 pounds of diapers in honor of Mother's Day.
In the News
Macy's "Bag Hunger" Campaign
What an honor it was to be the recipients of the proceeds from the Deptford Mall Macy's annual "Bag Hunger" campaign. Each customer was asked if they wanted to round up their purchase to the nearest dollar to support the SJDC. This is truly awesome. Our name was seen on every keypad throughout the whole store by thousands of customers! Thanks to the generosity of the Macy's customers, we were blessed with a wonderful donation.
Rowan University AFT Support
The Rowan University American Federation of Teachers Local Union 2373 hosted a virtual "Baby Supplies Drive" in honor of Mother's Day and raised nearly $2,000 to purchase supplies to help struggling moms and dads. Big thanks also to the Deptford buybuyBaby for the awesome discount for our purchase. We cannot do what we do without partnership like these!
