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New thrift store at Church of Eleven22
The Church of Eleven22 will host the grand opening of Hope’s Closet Thrift Store at 9:30 a.m. Friday.
The thrift store is located in the shopping center at the southwest corner of Beach Boulevard and San Pablo Road, near Hobby Lobby and the church.
Hope’s Closet is part of the first phase of Eleven22’s Community Transformation Center. The 15,000-square-foot retail store will offer gently used clothing and home goods as well as new merchandise from Eleven22’s ministry partners Okoa Refuge, Rethreaded, McKenzie Noelle Wilson Foundation, The Carry Cross and Alfies Clothing.
Store hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday.
Visit coe22.com/hopescloset for more information.
Senior Life Foundation receives Quality Senior Living Award
The winner of the 2015 Quality Senior Living Award for Public Service is The Senior Life Foundation of Jacksonville.
The Public Service Award is given by Florida Power & Light to a volunteer or organization whose area of services involves seniors in service to seniors, youth in service to seniors, or seniors in service to youth.
Senior Life Foundation Emergency Help Line was created to help meet the urgent needs of low-income seniors in Duval County, generally within 24-48 hours, and to help them live independently and with dignity. Since 2000, Senior Life Foundation has helped more than 5,000 low-income seniors and paid out over $1,000,000 in direct assistance. The Senior Life Foundation Inc. is a nationally recognized nonprofit, staffed by eight volunteer board members and six volunteer customer specialists, with 12 volunteer advisory council members. The budget has grown from less than $25,000 to more than $216,000 and up to 98 percent of income is paid out as assistance to seniors.
Office Depot donates sackpacks
The Office Depot Foundation donated 2,000 new sackpacks, containing school supplies to nonprofit organizations, schools and agencies in the Jacksonville area.
The foundation celebrated the 15th year of its National Backpack Program by donating 200,000 sackpacks to children in all 50 states and internationally in 2015.
Over the course of the 15-year program, the foundation has donated 3.7 million sackpacks to children across the country.
During the past two years, about 4,000 Jacksonville-area children have received tools they need to succeed in school through the program.
Berkshire Hathaway Realtors collect and donate school supplies
The real estate professionals at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Network Realty collected 733 backpacks filled with school supplies during its annual backpack challenge.
The backpacks were donated to students via The Bridge of Northeast Florida, Community Connections of Jacksonville, Operation New Hope, Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministry in Jacksonville Beach, R.B. Hunt Elementary School and the Webster School in St. Augustine and S. Bryan Jennings Elementary School in Orange Park.
Backpacks and school supplies were collected at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Network Realty offices in Northeast Florida. The backpacks were filled with school supplies such as pens, pencils, paper and notebooks. Volunteers, including students from area high schools, assisted in assembling the backpacks.
Wolfson helps Daniel Kids get ready for school
Wolfson Children’s Hospital used its mobile intensive care unit to deliver school supplies to Daniel Kids, Florida’s oldest child-service nonprofit. The donation was organized by the hospital’s employees.
Jason Henika, donor relations associate of Daniel Kids, said Wolfson often helps the abused, neglected and emotionally troubled children during the holiday season, but it was hospital’s first time to participate in the back-to-school drive.
Daniel Kids collected nearly $20,000 worth of supplies this year. For more information, visit danielkids.org.
Dignity U Wear helps veterans; gets help from Stein fund
Dignity U Wear gave out nearly $19,000 in new clothing Saturday during the 2015 City of Jacksonville Homeless Veterans Stand Down.
The more than 2,000 pieces of clothing, included underwear, socks, undershirts and light jackets.
Also, The Jay and Deanie Stein Fund at the Community Foundation for Northeast Florida gave Dignity U Wear $26,000 to repair storm-related damage at the organization’s warehouse along Myrtle Avenue.
On July 22, strong winds caused several exterior wall panels to become dislodged, resulting in an exposed portion of the warehouse.
“We could not continue our mission, without an operational warehouse,” said Parker McCrary, president of the board of directors, adding “we are so grateful for the contribution of $26,000, given so quickly in our time of need.”
Dignity U Wear is a national nonprofit based in Jacksonville that receives new clothing from more than 200 apparel industry partners. Last year, the nonprofit distributed $10.5 million in new clothing to 218,000 people.
For more information, visit dignityuwear.org or www.facebook.com/dignityuwear.org.