The following is from the Interfaith Hospitality Network:
The Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN), an Essex County organization that provides homeless families with shelter and meals through a network of churches and synagogues with the goal of helping families find permanent housing, is hosting its Annual Breakfast on Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 7:45–9 a.m. at Mayfair Farms in West Orange.
The continental breakfast — the theme of which is “A Journey Home” — is an opportunity for people to learn more about IHN’s mission to help families move from homelessness to self-sufficiency. The event will feature board members, staff and a formerly homeless family.
To attend, please call 973 746-1400 to make a reservation for this free breakfast or contact Ellen Donker for more information.
IHN is still seeking sponsors for the breakfast, which will attract around 350 individuals from Essex County. If your company would like to be a breakfast sponsor, please contact Ellen Donker at ellen@ihnessexnj.org. (See Sponsorship brochure and more information attached below as a PDF).
To learn more about IHN, visit their website.
The goal is to both educate and inspire others about IHN’s critical mission and to raise unrestricted multi-year funding. According to IHN Executive Director Emma Justice, “Knowing that we have individuals who have pledged their support over a five-year period allows us to plan our programs and budget accordingly. Pledge donors are indispensable to the vitality and strength of IHN, enabling us to serve the families who walk through our doors.”
While families are in the shelter network, the IHN works with parents on a plan to address the issues that led to the family’s homelessness, and helps them set goals to work toward finding a home and becoming self-sufficient.
The IHN provides:
- Emergency shelter and meals 365 days a year through a network of 25 churches and synagogues in Essex County.
- Family Resource Center in Montclair, N.J., where families can access phones and the internet and meet with case managers to work toward self-sufficiency. IHN provides van service between the host congregations and the IHN Family Resource Center.
- Assistance with housing and employment searches; opportunities for job training; day care assistance; budget management, credit counseling, and parenting and nutrition workshops.
- A free afterschool program five days a week for children in shelter and permanent housing at the IHN Family Resource Center in Montclair.
To attend, please register online. (Walk-ins will not be accepted.)
You can also donate to IHN or become a volunteer. To receive IHN news, sign up on their webpage.
