EAST ORANGE, NJ — The Junior League of the Oranges and Short Hills celebrated the Christmas holiday with Isaiah House, a critical safety net for local families and an organization founded in part by JLOSH. Located in East Orange, Isaiah House provides temporary and permanent housing, food, social and financial services to the most vulnerable families faced with unemployment, chronic illness, substance use, teenage pregnancy and other social determinants. Isaiah House offers families a range of social services to help support and provide them with a pathway to stability.
This Christmas season, JLOSH supported the residents of Isaiah House by decorating the house for Christmas by putting up Christmas trees, hanging lights in common areas, making homemade Christmas decorations and decorating dozens of Christmas cookies with many of the resident families and their children. Together with Dun & Bradstreet, new pajamas were gifted to each child on-site, along with many additional new pajama sets that can be given to families transitioning in to the house for shelter. In addition to contributing a financial donation, Dun & Bradstreet also donated many healthy snacks for resident use, including dozens of juice boxes, granola bars and other child-friendly snack items.
A core mission of JLOSH is supporting children living in poverty, faced with trauma and many other public health issues that impact their ability to thrive. Working to provide some stability to children and their families is a critical element of JLOSH’s service and outreach.
“Coming together as a league to support Isaiah House and its residents, a community partner that JLOSH has proudly and historically supported, has greater importance during the holidays,” JLOSH President Rosemary Mattson said. “The holidays are a time when children anxiously await new toys and basic-need items and their families worry about the possibility of providing a memorable Christmas. We are humbled and happy to bring joy and support to the many residents at Isaiah House this holiday season.”
“Our residents and staff alike raved about how exciting the day was,” Zammeah Bivins-Gibson, executive director of Isaiah House said. “We all felt that the volunteers from JLOSH created an atmosphere of inclusion by allowing all of our residents, including our adults, get into the Christmas spirit and feel like kids again. We are so grateful for JLOSH’s support and are thrilled to have the entire house properly decorated for the Christmas holiday.”
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