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The First Presbyterian Church at Caldwell
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First Presbyterian Church at Caldwell
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Mission Outreach

The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did
for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
— Matthew 25:40  

Mission Partners

The First Presbyterian Church at Caldwell actively supports missions locally, throughout the United States, and around the world.  We provide annual funding to many mission partners, and run various mission programs including scheduled mission trips and workcamps.
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7th Street Bistro

The vision and mission of the 7th Street Bistro is to provide nutritious meals, gently used clothing, personal hygiene supplies and other social services to the homeless and other persons in need in the City of Newark, NJ. The Bistro started with serving hot lunches on two Saturdays a month. Today, with support of their “sister church partners,” they serve lunch every week of the year. They also maintain a “Clothes Closet” of gently used and donated apparel, household goods, toys, books, shoes, etc., which are ‘shopped for’ weekly, and, on a frequent basis, when supplies are available, they distribute individual packets of personal health care items for their guests to take.

African Dream Academy, Inc.

The shared mission of the African Dream Academy, Inc. (ADA) and the African Dream Academy Foundation (ADAF) is to reduce African poverty and foster sustainable development by “empowering African children through education.” ADA is a tuition-free independent school in outer Monrovia, Liberia (one of the poorest countries in the world) with over 1500 students from Nursery to 12th grade. The school also provides a free hot lunch, uniforms and transportation. Every year, First Presbyterian Church participates in a holiday drive to fill red bags with schools supplies, toiletries and toys for each child. These are the only gifts these children receive all year. Individual Church members fill the bags but the Church pays for the shipping.

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Caldwell Food Pantry

Caldwell Food Pantry

The Caldwell Food Pantry first began as a large closet located in the local community center and as time passed and more families learned about the program, they moved in July 2009 to a permanent home at 14 Park Ave. in the borough of Caldwell. Their mission over the years has been simple- Neighbors helping Neighbors. The Food Pantry relies on donations of food from the local community which is sorted by volunteers and placed on the shelves for registered families to come in and shop once a week and fill up a bag of items they need. Before Covid-19, approximately 80 families relied on the program each week but now as a result of the pandemic, there has been a 75 % increase in the number of food bags distributed each week from the Food Pantry.
In addition to providing non-perishable food items, the Caldwell Food Pantry also provides Thanksgiving Dinners along with holiday gifts to local children and families struggling to make ends meet. The Caldwell Food Pantry is a resource for local families who otherwise might not have anywhere to turn to for assistance. They are a resource to families for diapers and baby items, back to school supplies and emergency assistance for families that have experienced hardships as a result of fire, eviction, etc. They are constantly working to bring new information and resources to their clients about a multitude of programs and social services that they might benefit from and help improve their quality of life.

Community Foodbank of New Jersey

The Community Food Bank of NJ fights hunger and poverty in New Jersey by assisting those in need and seeking long-term solutions. They engage, educate and empower all sectors of society in the battle. They fill the emptiness caused by hunger with Food, Help and Hope. They provide grants to local food pantries for equipment, transportation and more.
Community Foodbank
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Neighbor Brigade

The First Presbyterian Church at Caldwell participates in Neighbor Brigade, an organization where neighbors help neighbors. People going through a temporary crisis (illness, cancer, surgery, death in the family, house fire) that is not financial, contact Neighbor Brigade for assistance. Volunteers with Neighbor Brigade help out with activities like preparing and/or delivering a meal, walking a dog, yard work, providing rides, and running light errands for people who are unable to do these activities themselves. Each chapter contributes to the national chapter to pay for insurance, background checks of volunteers, access to the organization’s computer system, and training.

Oasis, A Haven for Women & Children

Founded in 1997, Oasis started as a soup kitchen for women and children in Paterson, NJ. Over the years, the organization has expanded to offer a plethora of services to women and children in the Paterson area, from programs supporting basic needs, to social service provision, to an array of educational and enrichment programs. Now located at 59 Mill Street in Paterson, Oasis programming helps support and empower hundreds of women and children each year. Oasis operates a soup kitchen and provides emergency food, clothing, and social support to city residents in need. The mission of Oasis is to change the lives of women and children by breaking the cycle of poverty through compassionate programs designed to feed, clothe, educate, and empower women and children in need.

Our Lady of the Valley Soup Kitchen

Our Lady of the Valley, a Roman Catholic Church in Orange, NJ operates a soup kitchen Monday through Saturday for the food insecure in the Orange area. First Pres provides and serves food every Thursday as well as the fourth and fifth (when applicable) Saturdays of the month. Three rotating crews from First Pres go down to serve food that has been prepared by Church members. Financial support from First Pres supplements the donations and provides needed supplies. For more information about preparing a meal or volunteering to serve, visit www.firstprescaldwell.org/soup-kitchen.

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Saint John’s Soup Kitchen

St. John’s Soup Kitchen has one mission and that is feeding the hungry. For over 40 years they have been providing food to those who have none in the Newark area. Anyone who is hungry is welcome to share a meal at their table. They welcome struggling families, seniors on a fixed income, the working poor, veterans, people with disabilities, those who are homeless, and anyone who wants a good hot meal and some friendly conversation.

Once a month, First Pres hosts a Sandwich night where 400 to 450 bagged lunches are prepared by volunteers. The cost runs between $1000 and $1100 a night. First Pres pays for what is not donated by volunteers.

Visit https://www.firstprescaldwell.org/our-events to see a list of upcoming dates for Sandwich Night. 

Social Justice Group

The First Presbyterian Church at Caldwell’s Social Justice Group has three guiding principles:

  1. To educate ourselves as to how racism plays out in our society
  2. To do our part in creating a more just and equitable community and society
  3. To be guided in this work by the ministry of Jesus Christ

The Social Justice Group hosts discussions and studies throughout the year. Additionally, each January, our group sponsors a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service food drive to benefit 7th Street Bistro.

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Urban Promise

The East Camden-based nonprofit hosts a number of programs, including Christian elementary and high schools, summer camps and after-school programs, Street Leader program for teens, UrbanTrekkers and BoatWorks programs. .Through a myriad of neighborhood-based programs, UrbanPromise educates and empowers approximately 700 Camden children and teens each year. The children and teens are encouraged to focus on their studies and achieve academically. Of their high school grads, 89% transition to higher learning: college 82% or a vocational training program (7%).

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