Friends of the Lifers Earth Box Farmers Market is Now Open!
Located on Kearny Avenue (between MLK & Ocean) in Jersey City, NJ, our Farmers Market has opened a month earlier than expected due to tremendous and quick growth of our produce! We have zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, collard greens, cabbage, watermelon, herbs and a lot more! Our hours are Monday to Friday 11am - 3pm, now until the end of September.
Stop by to purchase fresh produce and support our mission!
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Friends of the Lifers Greenhouse Project Has Been Planted
Funded by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDLWD) and the Hudson County Department of Family Services, Friends of the Lifers has initiated an urban farming project that is developing employment skills and laying the groundwork for employment opportunities for reentry clients. The program provides meaningful opportunities for individuals 18 years of age and older and teaches them how to grow, harvest, package and market organically grown produce
in their communities. This project has the ability to create jobs or entrepreneurial opportunities.
Thanks to the use of a lot owned by Jersey City Redevelopment, our first Earth Box farm project is
up and running. Located on Kearny Ave, in Jersey City, NJ (between MLK & Ocean), we are growing produce that will be available by the first week of September, if not earlier! We will have zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, collard greens, cabbage, watermelon, herbs and a lot more! Please visit our website for updates on our farmers market coming in August 2011. Once open, support our mission and come down to purchase fresh produce Monday - Friday 9am - 3pm.
Summer Program Set to Launch in Jersey City This July
Friends of the Lifers Youth Corp.(FOLYC) will be engaging Hudson County At-Risk Youth in Jersey City’s rich history and create community awareness by helping to facilitate the [murmur] project—a summer-long program that will challenge them to think about the community they live in and the processes that work to determine the overall conditions of city neighborhoods.
By helping to create an Oral Documentary Tour of key areas in Jersey City, FOLYC hopes to expose youth to the nuances of urban planning, economic restructuring, zoning, and politics—all while gaining research skills, improving written and presentation skills, media and technology skills, and how to work on a team in a deadline oriented environment. Once completed, the project will live on in the form of “relevant location plaques” with phone numbers
and access codes inviting pedestrians to call and listen to a story about the spot they are standing in front of — told through the voices of local youth and city residents.
The [murmur] project is expected to run from July 1st, 2011 through September 30th, 2011. If you would like to
learn more about other successful murmur projects please visit murmurorange.com or murmurtoronto.ca.
You can be a part of bringing [murmur] to Jersey City by providing a donation or contacting Brooke Hansson, Administrative Coordinator at bhansson@friendsofthelifers.org. Whatever you can give would help bring [murmur] to Jersey City and would
be greatly appreciated.
This program funded by the New Jersey Governor's Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Committee. Administered by the Juvenile Justice Commission.
Friends of the Lifers 18-Month Residential Program Graduation was Huge Success!
On April 28th, The Friends of the Lifers, together with elected officials, service providers and representatives from state parole, celebrated the graduation of Anthony Thomas, Daryl Dixson, and Darryl Salters. These three outstanding individuals have successfully completed the terms of their probation and reentry program; they have maintained a clean lifestyle, have remained gainfully employed, and have secured stable and permanent housing. These individuals are role models for our reentry population and are examples of what can be accomplished when the right supports are made available.
Guest speakers included New Jersey Senator Sandra B. Cunningham, Jersey City Councilwoman Viola Richardson, Freeholder Jeffrey Dublin, Jersey City Board of Education member Sterling Waterman and James Plousis and Robert Kantor from the New Jersey State Parole Board.
For pictures from the graduation event, CLICK HERE.
