The Mercy House in need of more backpacks for annual giveaway

The Mercy House gave out over 60 backpacks and over 100 bags of school supplies to children in need at its Jersey City and Newark locations on Monday, Aug. 28 and Tuesday, Aug. 29. About 100 families, however, are now on a waiting list for the backpacks as the family-oriented resource and referral center run by the Archdiocese of Newark ran out within an hour of opening its doors for the annual backpack event.  

In Newark, over 150 people wrapped around the building on Clinton Avenue to get the supplies before school begins next week. Annually, the Respect Life Office of the Archdiocese of Newark distributes dozens of backpacks complete with school supplies to students on its Back-to-School Day held at the end of August.  

“We want to make sure that each child in the community has the supplies they need for a happy and productive school year,” said Cheryl Riley, Director of the Respect Life Office and The Mercy Houses. 

School supplies are getting costlier for families. According to Statista, the average family will spend $890 on school supplies this year, an increase of $25 compared to last year and an increase of $255 in the last decade. 

Families started gathering outside of The Mercy House hours before doors opened at 11 a.m. in both locations on Monday and Tuesday. 

Piles of donations lined the bustling hallways of the Mercy House, including boxes of notebooks, paper, rulers, pencils and pens, crayons, art supplies, calculators and more − all items generously donated by Archdiocesan parishes, schools, individuals, and organizations. At 11:45 a.m. when the backpacks ran out, the young students were given bags of supplies but had to place their names on waitlist for a backpack.  

Riley and her team also helped about a dozen families obtain school uniforms and school shoes, vaccinations, haircuts, and even dermatology referrals.  

Opened in June 2018, The Mercy House in Newark initially served as a center for helping mothers and pregnant women but soon expanded to meet the needs of the community. It now provides nonperishable food, clothes, baby supplies, furniture, and help in finding work and housing. Its services also include support in obtaining government identifications, tax ID numbers, and rental assistance of up to $1,000.    

More recently, The Mercy House is again pivoting to meet the needs of a growing population of refugees and migrants.  

One woman whose family of four moved from Ecuador three weeks ago sought out The Mercy House’s help on Tuesday,  not just for backpacks but also with housing referrals and obtaining school uniforms. 

Riley said that the migrants and refugees found The Mercy House through friends and family who have also used its services.   

Over the last year, the number of people coming through the doors of The Mercy House in Newark has almost doubled. Of the 200 people now seeking help at The Mercy House, about half are migrants, Riley said.  The same applies to the newly opened Mercy House in Jersey City. The Archdiocese expanded to 20 Greenville Ave. last December to meet the needs of the community there. Mercy House provides necessities to families in need, distributing 4,000 bags of food annually and 50 bags of clothing and household items every week. 

The Newark-based charity provided approximately 100 families with elementary through high school students with free supplies for the upcoming school year. But more are needed. Donations can be made at The Mercy House of Newark on Tuesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and The Mercy House in Jersey City Monday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Those interested in donating can also contact Cheryl A. Riley at cheryl.riley@rcan.org. To learn more about The Mercy Houses of Newark and Jersey City, visit www.rcan.org/offices-and-ministries/respect-life.