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Community Corner

Seniors Stitch for Local Non-Profits

When Mary Jo Jacobs, a candidate for Westchester County Legislature representing the 10th District, visited the Ludington Adult Day Services Center in early August she came away with some homework: “The seniors I met there are engaged and looking for ways to be useful,” says Jacobs, “but they needed some help. They told me that they no longer had materials for sewing, and that had been one of their favorite pastimes.” explained Jacobs. Drawing on her experience working with local non-profits, Jacobs was able to connect them with Noel Dallacco at Operation Prom and Deborah Blatt at The Sharing Shelf, two non-profit organizations that collect new and used clothing for those in need. Both organizations were delighted to partner with Ludington Adult Day Services Center: Now clothes donated to Operation Prom and Sharing Shelf are being repurposed into shirts, dresses and skirts by the seniors, who will also be mending donated clothing for redistribution through the Sharing Shelf.

     “Our seniors are such an a wonderful resource, and an important part of the fabric of our community” says Jacobs. “Putting them together with local non-profits made sense: The seniors get to make a real contribution, and the non-profits are able to help more people. Everybody wins, and it didn’t cost a penny!”

     Doris Barrett, who has been creating beautiful skirts, quilts, purses, and hats with her friends at Ludington, says “It’s wonderful that we all came together so that we can care for others.”  Quilts have been donated to the HOPE soup kitchen, neo-natal hats have been knitted for the babies at Sound Shore Medical Center, and skirts are being distributed to those that need them at Ludington.

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     Ludington Adult Day Services Center is a medically supervised program for fragile seniors, the chronically ill, and those with disabilities.  It combines traditional healthcare and social services in an environment of supervised social interaction and stimulating activities, including art therapy – designed to keep registrants actively engaged in the world around them.     

To learn more about the Ludington Adult Day Services Center at SSMC, please contact Pearl Hacker, LCSW, Director, at 914-365-4220. 

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     Established in 2005, Operation PROM provides resources, opportunity and mentoring to students in need. Services are available to children in financial need, those who are homeless, sick, or disabled. School supplies and scholarships are available in addition to our regular donations of prom dresses and tuxedos. To date, Operation PROM has helped thousands of students across the U.S. attend their Prom at little or no cost. For more information visit www.OperationPROM.org.

     The Sharing Shelf , a program of Family Services of Westchester, collects new and gently used children’s clothing for ages 0-18 and distributes it to children in need through social service agencies, teachers and others at no cost. The Sharing Shelf also seeks donations of other basic supplies including gently used or new shoes, books, strollers, pack-n-plays and new school supplies. They will gladly accept overstock or slightly irregular clothing from companies as well as hand-me-downs from families. For more information contact Deborah Blatt, Program Coordinator, at 914-305-5950 or visit thesharingshelf@fsw.org.

     Mary Jo Jacobs is currently a candidate for County Legislator in District 10 covering Eastchester, New Rochelle & Tuckahoe. An experienced leader with a background in business as a director in human resources and facilities, Jacobs has also been active in the community, serving as President of New Rochelle’s SEPTA, PTA Council, and Daniel Webster PTA. For more information visit her website at www.maryjojacobs.com.

 

 





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