CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY
A Salute to Giving Back and Community Service in NJ
Helping those in need is a winning strategy .
By Diane C . Walsh Contributing Editor
Acts of kindness and generosity — many aimed at trying to ease the suffering and anxieties brought on by COVID‐19 — were very needed , and are highlighted in this special section . Donations bought PPE ( personal protective equipment ) for the frontline healthcare workers . Lunches and dinners were delivered to hospitals for these heroes . Indeed , businesses , hospitals and institutions of higher education found innovative ways to help the communities and individuals most affected by the pandemic . Here are their inspirational stories , worthy of recognition and COMMERCE salutes these efforts and outreach .
A . J . Perri . In addition to taking steps to keep its employees , customers and community safe during the onset of the pandemic , including partnering with a local printer to donate more than 1,000 masks to area hospitals , plumbing and HVAC contractor A . J . Perri focused on supporting an important and overlooked group : frontline healthcare workers . In 2020 as part of its A . J . Perri Cares program , which previously honored veterans in need , the company installed no-cost water heaters or HVAC systems for certain eligible healthcare workers in its community . These included a hardworking nurse manager and single mom working
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14 hours a day who caught COVID‐19 from a patient , fully recovered during the quarantine period and went straight back to work . A . J . Perri is continuing this program in 2021 with a renewed focus on deserving veterans in need throughout the community .
AmeriHealth New Jersey . The collaborative spirit among AmeriHealth New Jersey associates extends outward to its members , customers , brokers , providers and community partners . Providing support and resources to people when they need it most is at the core of what AmeriHealth New Jersey does as a company . In 2020 , AmeriHealth New Jersey wanted to do something to show support for the individuals who were providing unwavering care to New Jersey residents during the COVID‐19 pandemic . To express heartfelt thanks for the tireless work of those on the front lines , we offered to have pizza brought in for the Emergency Department staff at each of our network hospitals . Throughout the summer of 2020 , pizza deliveries were made to more than 50 hospitals across the state .
Berkeley College . In collaboration with the Community FoodBank of New Jersey and a $ 10,000 donation from The Berkeley College Foundation , the Food Pantry at the Berkeley College Newark Campus stepped up operations to continue addressing food insecurity among college students throughout the pandemic . According to a study by Feeding America , from
Nurse Carla Biondi ( right ) works 14-hour days at two jobs . A . J . Perri installed a free water heater in recognition of her work as a frontline healthcare worker during the pandemic .
2018 to 2020 , New Jersey became one of five states with the highest increase in the rate of food insecurity . At the time the Berkeley College food pantry opened in 2019 , it was one of 20 colleges offering food pantries on campus in the Garden State . Berkeley College students place their orders confidentially , and pickup of the orders is available at each of the New Jersey campuses , arranged in accordance with all safety guidelines . Based on the success of the Food Pantry at the Newark Campus , an additional Food Pantry at the Berkeley College in Midtown Manhattan was established early in 2021 .
Berkeley College School of Health Studies students and faculty are frontline volunteers administering COVID‐19 vaccines in collaboration with the City of Clifton ’ s Health Department . Since February 24th , students in Berkeley College ’ s Licensed Practical Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program have been administering vaccinations each week under the supervision of nursing faculty at a drive-through site located at Clifton High School . More than 10,000 vaccines have been administered at the site . Students from other programs such as Medical Assisting , Practical Nurse , and Medical Billing and Coding are assisting in other roles .
Charity Realty International . Charity Realty International ’ s mission has , and will always be , to bring awareness and tangible contributions to its clients : cherished charities including the America Lung Association , Essex Morris Mental Health Association , Chatham Borough Fire Department , The Canal Society of NJ and Homes For Our Troops . The firm not only contributes to large-scale causes and even finds opportunities to help individual community members in need . A client of ours reached out , frightened her elderly father could not be placed in an essential senior care facility after recovering from COVID‐19 . Within hours , the firm secured a room for him and the care he needed . Charity Realty International will continue to support the community no matter the scale .
Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC . CSG has many long-standing practices — traditionally taking the shape of bake sales , charity walks and Jeans Days — geared specifically towards raising funds and awareness for well-deserving , local organizations . The CSG family has kept to this commitment despite operating virtually over the past year , raising nearly $ 40,000 in support of three exemplary organizations close
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