Shelter receives delivery from ‘neighbor’

EDISON — A UPS truck pulled into the parking lot of the Ozanam Family Shelter on July 24, hauling a delivery that was not ordered, but donated. 

The donation included more than 500 individual personal care packages, face masks and nearly 1,000 bottles of shampoo. Employees from the UPS Edison division, with centers in Edison, Linden and Dayton, donated the items, which will benefit individuals and families served by Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen (CCDOM). 

“They may seem like little bags of toiletries, but these little bags are actually big impact bags for the families we serve,” said Julio Coto, acting executive director, CCDOM, which is supported by the Bishop’s Annual Appeal. “People come here with nothing, so there is nothing too small for someone who is in need.” 

According to Glenn Thimons, a business manager for UPS, all three centers in the division worked together to collect the donations as part of the company’s Neighbor-to-Neighbor program, which extends support to local communities and provides employees with service opportunities.  

With so many in need and a larger workload as the result of COVID-19, Thimons said their task to serve can sometimes seem daunting, but, he added, “we always find a way and that’s what we do at UPS. We’re always going to keep going and find a way to help the next person.” 

While Catholic Charities is just one of the many organizations to which UPS’ Neighbor-to-Neighbor program has donated, it holds a special place in the heart of some UPS employees, like Carla Johnson, who helped to coordinate the donation. 

“In my past, I had to turn to Catholic Charities when I was in a bad situation and they came through for me,” said Johnson. “They helped me and my daughter, so I was excited to learn of the opportunity to help in return.” 

Johnson’s story is a familiar one to Coto, who has heard similar stories from many clients seeking assistance over the years.  

“Homelessness can affect anyone, at any time, so the clients living here are from all different walks of life,” Coto said. “Need doesn’t have a type or a timeframe, even and especially during a pandemic.” 

To allow for social distancing, the Ozanam Family Shelter is currently housing more than 60 families, but before the pandemic the shelter often reached nearly 90. 

The shelter provides temporary housing for families who would otherwise be homeless and the staff works with the families on taking steps toward reintegration, according to Coto. 

“From the time these families enter the shelter, our case managers are individually working with them to find permanent housing, work, or education,” said Coto. “Every client that walks in here has a personal case manager that will help them get back into the community.” 

Because those temporarily housed at the shelter are continually working toward reestablishing themselves in the community, donations like the one made by UPS are even more appreciated. 

“As the clients at our shelters find permanent residency, those little bags filled with toiletries can travel with them and that need — the need to buy shampoo, soap, toothpaste, deodorant, etc. — then becomes one less thing they need to worry about,” said Coto. 

The more than 150 services and programs offered by CCDOM, among them the shelters, rental assistance programs, and resource and referral programs, often work simultaneously to help those in need. It is one of the largest nonprofit social service agencies in the state of New Jersey, assisting all those in need regardless of race, religion or ethnicity. 

All programs offered in the counties served by the diocese — Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren — have been operating throughout the pandemic.  

“During these last five months, I have been especially grateful for the work of our staff and those donations from the individuals, families, parishes, schools and communities — like the donation we received from UPS — which have helped to keep our programs going and the needs of the people in our local communities met,” said Coto. 

To learn more about how you can help and how even a small donation can make a big impact on someone’s life, visit www.ccdom.org