And as my pain run deep I find it hard to sleep so I twist and turn trying not to peek.
I feel like I’m being hunted by my ancestors. It feels like someone somewhere is trying to give me a message. As my ears rang out like a church bell, I try to listen and respond.
I try to the answer to the issue, a call.
But only when I tried everything seems so unresponsive, making it seems like I’m talking to myself. I feel strongly that they was trying to give me a message. Maybe I wasn’t paying attention. So I twist turn, and I twist and turn. Wondering whether or not I should get up and face my fear. Or should I stay in this dream, or is it a nightmare?
The ones that I claimed I never had were I gets up out of my sleep crawling on my knees in agony.
When I became a parent to my daughter “Nicole,” it was very hard for me trying to raise her by myself.
However, I did not give up on my number one child.
I worked very hard to take care of her and it paid off very well.
Nicole is doing wonderfully. She is in the United States Army and has been there for sixteen years.
I am very proud of her.
When I was raising Nicole I taught her everything she had to know.
One of the important things, when she was young, was making sure for her to know how to spell her name, tell her address and emergency number 9-1-1.
I think that every parent should teach their children how to share love.
With love you will always have a good heart and meet people who will share their love with you.
Sometimes I meet people in the world who do not show me love like I show love to them, but that doesn’t stop my love from my heart. It stays in my heart forever.
Caring is something very special to me. I like caring for many people; it makes me feel good to see people with a big smile on their face.
Caring is very important in being a good parent.
When you teach your children how to care, they grow up to become very special, caring people.
The plight of the homeless and the impoverished in the Mercer County area is an issue that extends far beyond the streets of Trenton. Towns throughout the area are pushing to combat high rates of poverty by stressing the importance of education and by implementing after-school enrichment programs where students can learn the importance of being involved in their community.
Plagued by hunger and other struggles for basic needs, many children living in poverty find themselves stripped of a conventional childhood. When food is scarce and money is tight, prioritizing education, athletics, the arts and other secondary interests becomes difficult.
For families in severe economic hardship, providing a nurturing environment for their children during after-school hours can be both challenging and demanding. Affording a place where students can do homework, explore new interests and learn and develop skills that will give them advantages in the real world is crucial for their development.
Many parents of these children, underprivileged and frequently uneducated, work two or three jobs in order to provide as much as they can for their family. Accordingly, many children are left home with little to no supervision.
To address this concern, HomeFront, a nonprofit organization that addresses homelessness in the Mercer County area, established the Joy, Hopes, and Dreams after school enrichment program over 20 years ago. Each child participating in the program — pre-teens, teens and young adults — comes from a struggling family.
“The best part about my job is the kids … all the wonderful, fabulous, lovable characters,” said Program Director Chris Marchetti. “We don’t want to erase the social skills they’ve already developed and acquired, but rather we want to add on to their arsenal to make them even better people.”
The program teaches students about community service and the importance of giving back. The students develop good habits and learn how to get along better with others.
“Green, Red, Gold Abstract” By Diane Clark
After-school program provides impoverished children with a well structured environment where they can learn to become active members in their community.
From tutoring and basketball to art classes and field trips, HomeFront’s after school enrichment program ensures that its students are using their time outside of school wisely.
For many of the students in Joy, Hopes and Dreams, college is a distant goal. By helping them reach their potential and realize their ability, the program has turned dreams into realities.
The list of success stories goes on and on. From students working in the healthcare field hand-in-hand with Ivy League graduates to students pursuing degrees in architecture, the Joy, Hopes, and Dreams program is constantly empowering children and giving them a voice they never thought could be heard.
“Ultimately, helping the kids is the goal,” said Marchetti. “We want them to become self-sufficient, to be independent, to help their families thrive.”
Through activities like the Discovery Club — where students learn about self-discovery and try to help one another find their interests — students are able to feel more confident about themselves as they pursue their own goals and aspirations. As a result, many students go on to chase after their passions, while making their ambitions realizable.
Positivity, activity and connectivity are all key elements to the Joy, Hopes, and Dreams mission. It stresses the importance of staying positive, staying active and staying a part of both a family and a community. It stresses the importance of lasting relationships, and how creating a safe and strong network of people can be rewarding.
But most of all, Joy, Hopes, and Dreams enables voices, letting children find their own voice by allowing them to be heard.
Since its original introduction in 1972, the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program has come a long way. Its mission is to help pregnant or nursing women, infants and children up to five-years-old who are at nutritional risk.
There are currently over 10,000 WIC locations across the nation. There are, however, three that can be found here, in Mercer County — the Trenton WIC office, the Children’s Home Society of New Jersey and the Children’s Home Society of New Jersey’s Mercer County WIC Program.
Eligibility is determined by family size, household income and proof of residency. Individuals need to also be able to provide evidence of nutrition or medical health-related risks.
Also, as the agency coordinator of Children’s Home Society of NJ’s Mercer County WIC Program, Jennifer Nagy said, “The Mercer County WIC Program will make every effort to help eligible families receive WIC services.” Not many people are turned down, and for those who do not meet one of the eligibility requirements, WIC offers referrals to other programs that can help.
WIC does a lot of things right. The program provides guidance, assistance, and ensures healthy children as well as confident parents. It helps educate mothers, provides them with health care as well as food benefits and gives them the tools to raise their children to be happy and healthy.
The program not only teaches mothers how to shop, cook and eat nutritiously, but it also offers breastfeeding support through telephone hotlines, peer counselors and mommy groups.
There are many local organizations that cooperate with WIC to help provide these food and healthcare benefits. The Mercer County Board of Social Services offers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Mercer Street Friends has a food bank and the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) serves free meals to those who need it. A local company to the east coast that has chosen to be a part of WIC is ShopRite.
The company has chosen to cooperate with the program because as Customer Service Manager of Zallie’s ShopRite in Clementon, N.J., Deby Doughtery said, “I believe we provide a service to our community by accepting WIC checks in our stores. Most participants are having financial difficulties and being able to use their benefits at ShopRite gives them one less challenge.”
Doughtery also pointed out the convenience this collaboration creates for participants because now they are able to purchase their WIC items in the same grocery store where they do their weekly shopping.
Although WIC has made great strides over the years, there are still challenges to overcome. As a Front End Supervisor, Doughtery said, “The biggest challenge I see is the participants are unsure of what they should be purchasing, so training the participants would be the one thing I think WIC could do better.”
“Woman with Flowers” By Dolores Frails
ShopRite carries an array of WIC-approved items, as is their responsibility. And although this is the case, the company does not have to carry every version of certain food categories, which can be frustrating for patrons.
Nonetheless, ShopRite makes sure that the approved items they are carrying are in stock. If something they are carrying, like formula, is out of stock, ShopRite will get it in as soon as possible. Otherwise they will contact the WIC state office and work out a solution.
As for Nagy, she said, “I would like to see an even greater focus on breastfeeding education and support services through WIC as increased breastfeeding translates into healthier moms and babies.”
Nagy also acknowledges that the program currently provides a food package containing fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low fat milk and enhanced food packages to women who are breastfeeding. Nagy hopes, however, that more whole fresh food items will be added to these packages.
With the world becoming more technologically advanced, Nagy had one more suggestion for WIC to help make it an even better program.
“I would also like to see technology enhancements, such as an online application or pre-screening process and mobile apps to make shopping easier for WIC participants,” Nagy said.
Overall, WIC is a wonderful program that supports mothers and families who are enduring hard times. Its goal is to see children with full bellies, smiling faces and families who can breathe a little bit easier.
For Nagy, she enjoys working for a public health program that helps to nourish families.
“To me, empowering pregnant women and families with young children with the knowledge and understanding of the value of breastfeeding, healthy foods and regular health care has been the most valuable aspect of working for the WIC program,” Nagy said.
Trenton Division of Health 222 E State St Trenton, N.J. 08608 Phone: (609) 989-3636 Must call for a WIC appointment.
The Children’s Home Society of New Jersey 635 S. Clinton Ave Trenton, N.J. 08611 Phone: (609) 695-6274 Must call for a WIC appointment.
Mercer County WIC Program 416 Bellevue Avenue Trenton, N.J. 08618 Phone: (609) 498-7755 Must call for a WIC appointment.
Written with and for individuals experiencing homelessness in the Trenton, New Jersey area.
