A Not-for-profit Organization
Proudly serving The counties of Morris, Union, Essex and hudson
Mark and Joi Smith founded Joi's Angels in 2005 as a loving shelter for the homeless and disadvantaged, a place where a person of any background who needed help could "get their wings". It has since become a multifaceted charitable non-profit agency that provides basic needs to disadvantaged persons across Essex, Hudson, Morris and Union counties in NJ.
Headquartered in Angel House—the original shelter in East Orange, New Jersey--Mark, Joi, and an army of angels:
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feed needy and homeless individuals and families throughout northern New Jersey;
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provide shelter and homeless relief: food and supportive services to men with disabilities, and emergency housing to men in crisis referred by partner agencies;
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supply life essentials to men, women, and children for the restoration and/or maintenance of dignity and public health;
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safeguard inner-city teens and young adults by offering a safe space and the opportunity to practice civic engagement through volunteerism and community service; and
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operate ANGEL SPOT, a 2100 square foot warehouse stocked with donated home furnishings, available to the community at little or no cost.
Food for Thought
Governor Murphy’s Executive Order 107 (March 21, 2020) ostensibly closed the State of New Jersey; it mandated: residents “shall remain home” unless 1) obtaining goods or services from essential businesses, 2) obtaining takeout food, 3) seeking medical attention, 4) visiting family members as a caretaker or romantic partner, 5) reporting to or performing their job, 6) engaging in outdoor activities (social distance permitting), 6) leaving home for an educational, religious, or political reason, and 7) at the direction of law enforcement or a government agency.
Simultaneously, the Order rendered Joi’s Angels an “essential business”.
So, we went to work.
Five days after the governor signed Executive Order 107, Joi’s Angels held its first COVID-19 Food Pantry. We didn’t care about anything else but preparing as many bags as possible. Remember, this was the same time that the supply chain revealed its vulnerabilities. There was serious talk about meat and produce shortages.
Joi’s Angels sponsored weekly COVID-19 Food Pantries from March 26, 2020 through July 30, 2020 to address local food insecurity. Interestingly, we saw a lot of new people, persons that you would not think visited food pantries. But we never judged.
Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise. Now our Army of Angels are considered front-line heroes. We already knew that. Now the world does.
ANGEL
IMPACTS
We extrapolated the food and diaper statistics from our monthly reports to the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development
THE 2020
jOI'S aNGELS INFORMATION KIT
(Printable PDF)
MAKE YOUR
IMPACT
2020 PANTRIES & programs
COMMUNITY PARTNERS & GOOD NEIGHBORS
NEWS
A Profound "thank you"
to our community partners, Essex County College and our Army of Angels: our 2019 Holiday Carnival would not have been a success without you. We are extraordinarily grateful for your support, which ensured LOVE IN ACTION.
Click on the image below to read about one of our critical Holiday Carnival partnerships (THANK YOU Assemblywoman Speight).
Not really a news item, but we need your brain power. We're resolved that 2020 is about proudly maintaining our community-building efforts while securing the resources to do more; thus, if you know of a funding or grant opportunity, please drop us a line. Together, let's take Joi's Angels to the next level.
Joi's Angels wins
Volunteer Award from
NJ Clean Communities!
Click icon to view
Joi's Angels:
GUIDESTAR APPROVED!
MAYOR
TED GREEN
& THE EAST ORANGE CITY COUNCIL PROCLAMATION
