At the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), we believe that our mission to improve the lives of those in the State of New Jersey extends further than building and maintaining our roads and bridges. As an agency, I feel we have a calling to do our part to help those less fortunate than us. This task is bigger than the DOT. It’s something that anyone with an opportunity to help those in need can embrace.
The holidays are a time to join together in unity to promote peace and goodwill. I am proud of our employees who joined arms this holiday season with local charities to help communities in need.
This month, we completed our 6th Annual Season of Service Food Drive. All three of our regions (North, Central and South) as well as our main Ewing Headquarters collected non-perishable food items throughout the months of November and December—totaling 3,907 items.
At Ewing Headquarters, 1,757 donated food items were delivered to Arm in Arm Food Bank in Trenton. Arm in Arm is a community-focused organization with a mission to achieve food, housing and employment stability for their neighbors in need.
Our South Region collected 762 donated items for the Food Bank of South Jersey, North Region collected 248 items for Market Street Mission in Morristown, and Central Region collected 1,140 items and delivered them to Fulfill Food Bank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties.
In addition, last month our staff generously donated 254 winter clothing items during our annual Winter Clothes Drive. Most of the items were delivered to HomeFront in Ewing—a non-profit organization in Lawrenceville dedicated to ending homelessness in Central Jersey. The residents at HomeFront received the coats just before the first winter storm of the season.
NJDOT is full of generous individuals—always going above and beyond to help when there is a need. I hope, at this point, that everyone knows Commitment to Communities is our mission–but those words only become meaningful when action supports them. NJDOT staff put meaning to the Commitment to Communities message through hard work in their day-to-day responsibilities and dedication to their local communities.
Thank you so much to everyone who donated and to the organizations that serve their communities every day. I hope you all had a joy-filled holiday season and have a prosperous New Year.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and please feel free to share it with your colleagues. If you have any questions about any of the information in the newsletter please feel free to contact NJDOT’s Office of Community Relations at 609-963-1982.