■ Philanthropy
■ Philanthropy
Continued From Page 20 Village is a “ safe haven ” and a place that gave him the resources , guidance and hope he needed to turn his life around .
GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc .
While GZA has completed varied community service projects in the last two years , the firm ’ s commitment to feeding the hungry has been a focus . In 2022 , volunteers from three different GZA offices ( Fairfield and South Bound Brook , New Jersey and Philadelphia , Pennsylvania ) worked with America ’ s Grow-a-Row to harvest 12,000 pounds of corn – which translates to more than 48,000 servings for those struggling with food insecurity . This non-profit farm brings together volunteers to plant , pick and deliver fresh produce distributed through local food pantries . Additionally , the firm made a sizable monetary donation to Grow-a-Row . GZA has also held food drives in the office to benefit the Community FoodBank of New Jersey ( CFBNJ ) and has made CFBNJ one of the non-profits to which employee donations are matched .
Jersey City Medical Center
The Green Apple Rx Food FARMacy program run by Jersey City Medical Center is an exceptional initiative serving the Hudson County community since its inception in 2021 . The program has successfully addressed food insecurity and provided nutritional counseling to those living with chronic diseases such as diabetes , obesity , and hypertension . The program has screened over 1,200 primary care patients for food insecurity , distributed over 3,000 food bags to community members , and provided nutritional counseling to nearly 200 clients . The program is free of charge , and participants are eligible for free food through its partnership with various community organizations and donors . Moreover , the program has successfully reached out to community organizations such as the Anti-Violence Coalition of Jersey City and the Children ’ s Specialized Hospital . We are proud to nominate the Green Apple Rx Food FARMacy program for its exceptional contributions to the well-being of the Hudson County community .
Pandemic Relief
Altice
For over three years , Optimum has partnered with the Coalition to Back Black Businesses ( CBBB ), a multi-year initiative supporting Black-owned small businesses as they recover from the COVID‐19 pandemic and chart a path forward . Since becoming a partner with the CBBB in 2020 , Optimum has supported 50 black-owned businesses in New Jersey through $ 300,000 in funding to provide needed resources to the Black business community . These businesses include The Mind and Body Movement , 2 For Care Early Childhood Learning Center LLC , Elite HomeCare LLC , StraightPath Consulting LLC , and more . Following these grants , Optimum employees had the opportunity to provide mentorship to these business owners by volunteering their time to help in areas including human resources , business development , and marketing . Optimum ’ s initiative with the CBBB has had a real and lasting impact for New Jersey businesses at a time when it is needed most .
Bergen New Bridge Medical Center
Since March 2020 , Bergen New Bridge Medical Center has been on the front lines of the COVID‐19 pandemic leading the way with healthcare , testing , vaccinations , and education . With support by the U . S . Army Corps of Engineers , two alternate care facilities were built in 2020 to expand access to therapeutic services which are still in use , providing bivalent booster shots and more .
In 2022 , our Community Health Team recorded 18,505 COVID‐19 vaccinations and 3,867 bivalent boosters . Our mobile COVID‐19 testing unit completed 31,324 COVID‐19 tests in communities around the county . Several universities needed a testing partner to allow them to open their doors and we provided testing programs for Bergen Community College , The College of New Jersey , Drew University , NJIT , Stevens Institute of Technology , William Paterson University and more .
In the last year , we have distributed more than 3,000 at home test kits . Our team provided 400 of these test kits to veterans , 300 to seniors , 500 to families attending the Earth Day Celebration at Van Saun County Park , and 450 in partnership with the NAACP .
The Medical Center ’ s efforts were recognized by the Bergen County NAACP , iLearn Schools , Felician University , the NJHA , and other community organizations .
Gibbons P . C .
Gibbons P . C ., led by the Gibbons Diversity Initiative and Gibbons Cares pro bono program , launched three pro bono efforts to assist small , minority- or women-owned businesses throughout New Jersey that typically face hurdles in financing and sustaining their operations and have limited access to services and resources . These efforts have provided free legal counsel and advice , among other assistance , to help such businesses overcome challenges posed by the COVID‐19 pandemic . Small Businesses Need Us , an initiative of the Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership in which Gibbons is a partner , helps women- and minority-owned small-business owners specifically impacted by the pandemic ; the Equitable Small Business Initiative , a joint venture structured by Gibbons for longtime clients , New Jersey Community Capital and the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey ( AACCNJ ), addresses the business needs of Black business enterprises ; and the AACCNJ Pro Bono Alliance , a Gibbons-AACCNJ partnership , directly supports AACCNJ member companies .
Guardian Data Destruction
The past two years have been challenging , but the Guardian Data Destruction Team rose to the occasion to improve lives by volunteering and feeding front-line workers and supporting the local community .
The Steve Rich Group and GDD ’ s employees coordinated and executed two events : Tankque , Unsung Heroes and Taco Fest where they cooked and fed over 2,000 COVID‐19 essential workers . To pull this off , a tremendous effort was put forth to solicit food donations , coordinate supplies and volunteers to cook and deliver meals . As part of the events , Guardian supplied seventeen pallets of donated food to the Tri- Boro Food Pantry and an additional truckload to Toni ’ s Kitchen , a non-profit serving 27,000 pandemic meals a week .
Guardian employees donated their time and hundreds of laptops to Laptop Upcycle , a not-for-profit organization for low-income students . Additionally , $ 7,500.00 was raised and donated to Tackle Kids Cancer , a pediatric cancer research charity . Another day of cooking and meals was provided for the Meadowland 9-11 children ’ s fundraiser , and , most recently , employees sent virtual Valentines to the Boston Children ’ s Hospital patients .
Dr . Avinash Gupta
Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus cardiologist Dr . Avinash Gupta serves his community , both in Ocean County and in his native India , with selfless dedication for more than 40 years . Through his role with the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin , Dr . Gupta organized a team of over 50 physicians , pharmacists , nurses , and non-clinical volunteers during the COVID‐19 pandemic to partner with the Ocean County Health Department on their testing and vaccination drives . Weekly , he and wife and fellow physician Geeta , led this volunteer team to administer thousands of vaccines to his local community . Simultaneously , as the healthcare system in India surpassed its breaking point , they launched a growing coalition of Indian- American doctors in the U . S . using telemedicine to treat patients . The two would follow a 10- hour hospital shift with a different kind of shift at home , selflessly triaging and treating more than 500 COVID‐19 patients in India via Zoom .
Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County
During the pandemic of 2020 , Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County was seeking a way to reach out to the Bergen County communities to make a difference . In a response to the overwhelming amount of requests for student desks at the Habitat ReStore , Habitat Bergen created what is called the “ Desks 4 Homes ” program . Habitat Bergen , in conjunction with volunteers and local corporations , built desks for students in need . These desks were then donated to students in need who were learning virtually
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