2026 Blog Posts

We all are aware of the increased costs of everyday items. Gasoline is flirting with $4.50 a gallon in New Jersey with California paying over $6.00 and this is just for regular! The cost of a single first class postage stamp is 82 cents for those of us who still even mail letters and bills. The cost of housing is no different not just in New Jersey but across the country.

Nationally, nearly half of renters paid more than the recommended 30% of their monthly income in 2024 for shelter, according to a 2026 report by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.

From an online article from Punchbowl News, It’s a “socioeconomic crisis,” said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), ranking member of the Financial Services Housing and Insurance Subcommittee. “The current state of housing is traumatic,” Cleaver said. “We have a shortage right now in the country, in the United States, between 3.7 million to almost 6 million homes and rental properties.”

Side note, fun fact – punchbowl is the Secret Service nickname for the U.S Capitol. Picture the Capitol’s dome upside down…get it. Who knew?!

But getting back to the affordability crisis. It is as Rep. Cleaver stated a socioeconomic crisis. Even more so for those with limited or fixed incomes. Our agency is seeing more older adults requiring assistance, sometimes for the first time in their lives. Social security alone can no longer pay the bills in this increasingly demanding economy.

This is why we must come together as a community to help one another, help fill the social gaps when one of us needs help.

Most likely, everyone who reads this headline knows exactly who and what I am speaking of. Dolly Parton was someone who transcended age, race, religion, political beliefs and more. Everybody loved Dolly and no one had anything bad to say about her. In this day and age that says a lot! So, now with Dolly’s passing what better way to honor her but to be more like Dolly.

Yes, Dolly was an award winning singer, songwriter and actress but she was also a generous philanthropist. Even Jeff Bezos, in 2022, gave Dolly Parton $100 million dollars as the recipient of his annual Courage and Civility Award. The recipients of this prestigious award have 10 years to spend the money through charitable donations as they see fit. Bezos trusted and believed in Dolly that much. When Dolly passed Bezos commented in his Instagram, “Dolly spent her whole life showing us what it means to lead with love.”

So, what does that mean? It means guiding, communicating, and making decisions from a place of empathy, respect and genuine care for others rather than from fear, ego, or control. Believe in the best of people, help others who have less than you, love more than hate.

Let us know what you are doing to be more like Dolly.

World Smile Day is observed on the first Friday each October. It’s a day to remind us all to smile and make others smile through acts of kindness.

I remember more than once my mom would inadvertently do something to aggravate someone while trying to maneuver in a parking lot. While the other person was looking over with an angry expression my mom would simply smile…thus diffusing the situation. Even Mother Theresa said, “We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.”

Below are some fun facts about smiles and Smile Day.

· In 1963, Harvey Ball, an artist from Massachusetts, created the smiley face that we are all familiar with. Harvey didn’t want his initial intention of creating happiness to be eclipsed by the commercialization of his happy face design, so he established World Smile Day in 1999.

· It takes about 17 muscles to smile

· Smiling is known to have numerous health benefits such as helping with depression and reducing blood pressure

So, turn that frown upside down and smile!

New Jersey is now the 5th most expensive place to rent in the country, it previously was ranked 7th…thus heading in the wrong direction. This is according to the 2026 Out of Reach data report (published by the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey (the Network). The report also states that, “Full-time workers need to earn $43.89 per hour to afford a modest, two-bedroom home at Fair Market Rent in New Jersey. The average renter in the Garden State earns $24.92 per hour.”

This of course does not include utilities, food, clothing and other basic necessities and we all know those costs have gone up in recent years. That is why we need to stand together as a community to empower those experiencing a housing crisis. It could be any one of us that unexpectedly has an illness, death of a partner, loss of job, or loss of home from fire, flooding or other natural disasters. These unpredictable and unplanned life events often are the reasons people in our community reach out asking for help.

We’ve seen an uptick in people looking for assistance. As quickly as we fill our food shelf with non-perishables and cabinet with basic toiletries like toothpaste and deodorant…it needs to be replenished. I recently placed two stuffed teddy bears in the cabinet within the hour a little girl came in and asked if she could have one…of course she could. It’s a tiny gesture but meant so much to her and was unexpected to her in a good way.

We always gladly accept donations of non-perishable foods and full size toiletries. Won’t you help?

Recently, I was reading the Manager’s Blog on the Newton, NJ website. I noticed a pattern of Town Manager, Tom Russo, talking about Morris Lake and how many inches it is below the top of the spillway?! Why is Morris Lake so important, he doesn’t mention any other lake. Is it at risk of flooding? So, I searched Morris Lake and discovered that it is the Newton Reservoir…who knew.

The lake is located about 10 miles away off of Glen Road in Sparta, NJ. It has served as the primary drinking water source for the Town of Newton since 1895! I’m always amazed to think how the water travels all the way from the reservoir to the municipality(ies) it serves. I was remembering how the reservoir on the border of Parsippany and Boonton supplies Jersey City and even parts of Hoboken. You can see the dam on Route 46 in Parsippany.

While on my “reservoir online search” it prompted me for, “what is the largest reservoir in New Jersey”. Well, of course I was interested and the largest reservoir is Round Valley in Hunterdon County. At capacity it can hold 55 billion gallons of water! With that much water Round Valley is the water source for millions of residents in Central New Jersey.

I also learned that some say Round Valley is cursed…which I’ll save for another day and another blog. Stay tuned and who knew…

I was recently on a webinar about donor cultivation and when the subject of how to communicate with different segments of the population came up one of the moderators said, “Gen X is the forgotten generation.” Say what?! As a Gen X myself and admittingly I quickly searched the ages for Gen X…because I too, momentarily forgot that I was Gen X!

Gen X is defined as being born between 1965-1980, sandwiched between the Baby Boomers and Millennials…whose populations are greater…thus forgotten. Often advertisers and the media when discussing trends will focus on Baby Boomers and Millennials – skipping over the “middle child” generation.

Others have a different take on the forgotten generation. Speaking directly to Gen Xers from an online site called Upworthy.

1. “You are the most independent and self-sufficient generation…there is literally nothing I can teach you.” Well, we are also known as the “latch-key” kids, who had to figure “stuff out”, entertain ourselves without social media, etc. Cell phones didn’t even exist!

2. “Even if I did have something to tell you, you wouldn’t care.” Also, known as the “whatever” generation. Well, I care now but as a child my mom bought me a collection of books with one being about a little boy Pierre who said I don’t care about everything…until he got eaten by a lion!

3. “The rest of us are all terrified of you if the apocalypse ever happens…some how you’ll know what to do.” True that!

Now that I got your attention, let me explain. You know how many sellers use the term previously owned vs. used cars…it just sounds nicer. Well pre-loved is another way to say clothes that someone else has owned. While I’ve been an avid thrifter for decades, retailers are now getting into the game. In addition to selling new merchandise, they are also selling pre-loved clothing. Major retailers like H&M, Banana Republic, Nordstrom and Patagonia to name a few.

Unlike traditional retail, the secondhand market is booming. According to an NBC News post, transactions are up 22% over last year adding that secondhand apparel in the U.S. has grown into an approximately $56 billion market, doubling from 2020 to 2025!

Why? You may ask…well it appears to be a win-win-win proposition.

· It’s better for the environment, it cuts down on carbon emissions and landfill waste

· It offers better value and variety to consumers

· It helps drive the much coveted (for their potential longevity) younger customers who have embraced the thrifting trend

So if you have not already…go out and get some pre-loved!

Oftentimes you are asked whether you are a morning or a night person. I usually comment that I am a 2-3 in the afternoon kind of person as I don’t like waking up early or staying up late into the night. Recently the idea of permanent daylight savings time has entered our national conversation. It’s not the first time it has come up and in fact in the 1970’s it was unsuccessfully trialed as a way to save energy.

The House recently passed the Sunshine Protection Act to make daylight savings time permanent. The legislation would still need Senate approval to become law and currently Hawaii and Arizona don’t change their clocks twice a year anyway! Proponents of the act say that the extension of daylight after school would benefit outdoor activities and businesses while others have concerns with children going to school in utter darkness. As someone who left for work in the dark and came home in the dark – it was not fun.

Others say if you are going to make such a drastic change then make standard time permanent. There is increasing evidence that being exposed to daylight first thing in the morning is very beneficial to your physical and mental wellbeing.

So, where do you stand on this issue? Let us know in the comments section below.