Hello everyone. The Star Project is an initiative of local organizations, businesses, and individuals dedicated to overcoming homelessness, food insecurity, mental illness, and substance use disorders.
The model is simple: Local businesses and individuals sponsor a bulletin board. The bulletin boards are then placed in local restaurants, delis, pizza shops, and other eateries who are participating partners in the project. When patrons come in to purchase food at these eateries they are given the option to buy a food item for someone in need. If they purchase a food item, they write a personalized message on a sticky note and post it on the bulletin board. People who are in need can then take the sticky note down, read the message on it, and redeem it for the food item purchased (a slice of pizza or a bagel for example).
In addition to the meal, the staff at the participating eatery also agrees to keep printed materials of local resources that can be of help to the person in need (substance use outreach programs, shelters, warming stations, food pantries, etc...). It costs the restaurant or eatery nothing to participate in The Star Project. Individual members of the community support other members of the community by paying it forward and purchasing a meal, local programs and service organizations play their part simply by providing materials for distribution, and eateries act as a conduit for support. All parties act as a link in the chain of support to reach those members of our community who are most in need.
At IMPACT!, Inc. we need timebankers and volunteers to spread the word about The Star Project and visit eateries in the Newburgh area to ask if they would like to become a partner eatery in the project. If you are interested in getting involved in this initiative, please reach out to us. Any time spent helping with The Star Project can be logged as a reply to this request. We look forward to hearing from you!
- The Team at IMPACT!, Inc.