Mission First Supportive Housing: Edison has started the year with a focus on Health and Wellness, one of our five pillars of service. Through our Health and Wellness Program, we promote and improve wellness to give residents the tools for healthy living. Below are a few examples of recent programs we have created to expand this work.

In late November, we hired our former Horticultural Therapy intern, Andrea Dean, as our Food Pantry Program Assistant to expand our on-site Food Pantry program.

Andrea spent the first few months in her new role introducing herself to our partners, connecting with residents to conduct surveys and engaging residents with in-person sessions. She wanted to start with a better understanding of the needs of our residents.

“Food is a basic need of all human beings,” said Andrea. “Our bodies need to obtain adequate calories and nutrition from the food we eat in order to function properly. When people do not have enough food or only have access to poor quality or reduced variety of food, this negatively affects physical as well as mental health. When people feel well, they are better able to perform their daily activities including those related to maintaining housing including working, caring for family members and paying rent and other bills.”

The goal of the program is to plan and deliver nutritional and food safety programming to complement the existing Food Pantry at the properties and help us to ensure successful completion of the Community Development Block Grant CARES Act food security grant outcomes.

“Andrea brings a high level of skill to this position as she is a certified Horticulture Therapist and a Physician’s Assistant with experience working with our population for the last several years in her capacity as an intern,” said Melissa Mascolo, Director of Program Management. “Andrea possesses excellent engagement skills and incorporates the feedback of residents in designing programming. She has built a high level of trust with our community over the last several years.”

While onboarding, Melissa connected Andrea to our partner First Presbyterian Church of Metuchen (FPC), who stocks our pantry, to explain her new role and get their feedback on existing use of the pantry and areas for improvement. FPC will continue their volunteer services with us, but this new position and associated funding for supplies will ensure we are offering convenient hours, expanded options for fresh and nutritious nonperishables, increased client choice/options and complementary skills-based programming. Andrea is also meeting with Replenish Network Warehouse to configure a regular food pick up system, as well as researching new shelving and deep freezers to use at both properties to store the food.

Andrea is also working with Brinda Patel, a senior from Rutgers University studying Business Analytics & Information Technology and Biological Sciences who is applying to medical school after graduation. Brinda is working with Mission First through June 2025 in a volunteer capacity to support our overall Resident Services programming in Edison. As the former chair of Delta Kappa Delta sorority, Brinda got to know the Mission First Supportive Housing: Edison residents through frequent volunteer projects.

“My initial experience with Mission First during the Rutgers University’s Scarlet Day of Service left a lasting impression on me and my work with Mission First has given me firsthand experience in cultivating a supportive environment,” said Brinda. “Whether assisting with the Food Pantry program to promote nutrition or helping plan community events, I have seen the impact of fostering well-being on a personal level. By working with Mission First residents, I’ve developed a greater understanding of what it means to provide compassionate care - something I hope to carry forward as a future physician.”

Andrea and Brinda’s early accomplishments have already made a big difference with our residents and their access to food. From creating healthy recipes to providing residents with access to resources around nutrition, the duo is slowly building the program.

“The overall purpose of the food pantry expansion is to increase the availability fresh, nutritious food for residents as well as promote healthy food choices and behaviors,” said Andrea. “Goals include expanding food pantry days/hours so that residents have increased access to food, increasing the variety and available options for fresh and nutritious food, developing resident programming around nutrition and healthy eating and utilizing the gardens at both sites for hands-on learning opportunities and a means through which residents can work on individual and collective health and wellness goals.”

Mission First Supportive Housing: Edison is working on a new partnership with Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) after a referral from one of last year’s Rutgers University’s Equity in Action Summer Internship Program interns.

Drashya Shah and Hunter Skroczky, co-chairs of the RWJMS Student Vaccination Clinic committee, are working with our residents as part of this commitment to community outreach focused on vaccine education and awareness.

“Student Vaccine Clinic's mission is to deepen our connections within the Piscataway and New Brunswick communities, providing vaccine education to those who are eager to learn more,” said Drashya. “Additionally, we hope to give medical students a meaningful opportunity to give back to their community while gaining valuable insights into the diverse populations they will care for in the future.”

On January 21, Drashya and Hunter hosted a Vaccine Outreach and Community Wellness Day at Imani Park for our residents. Andrea and Brinda, mentioned above, also supported the program with nutrition information and the Jewish Renaissance Foundation offered blood pressure and glucose screenings.

“We aim to empower individuals at Mission First Housing with the knowledge they need about vaccines, helping them make informed decisions about their health and answer any questions they may have about getting their routine vaccines,” said Hunter.

With Drashya and Hunter’s support we plan to host a similar event at Amandla Crossing in the coming months.

“We are pleased to have been introduced to this group,” said Melissa. “We love to see the providers, interns and staff collaborating and we are eager to see where the partnership goes in the future.”

Students of the Distinction in Service to the Community (DISC) program at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School developed a Trauma-Informed Yoga instructional program, Making Yoga Accessible (MYA), for our residents.

MYA is designed as an exercise program specially for women in at our Edison properties. MYA aims to introduce a gentle, long-lasting fitness regimen and make incorporating daily exercise more manageable to improve health.

The program features four workshop sessions conducted over a year at Amandla Crossing. Each workshop will begin with a discussion on the importance of the workout and the overall mind-body relationship. Participants will join in guided yoga, modified as needed for residents with physical limitations, to improve mobility and guided meditation to alleviate anxieties and stress. Residents will also receive a companion manual for each workout to provide additional helpful tips for the program.

The students will also work with the Rutgers University Violence Prevention Committee to conduct a yoga mat drive so free mats can be offered as incentives for our residents to participate in the program.

We are so excited for this new program! The workouts will start in February. We look forward to sharing with you the progress of this program.

We have great things planned for the end of the year holidays as well! Want to keep up-to-date on what's going on at Edison and Mission First's other work? Follow us on social media:

Mission First Supportive Housing: Edison provides permanent supportive housing for homeless individuals and families in Middlesex County. Our on-site support services offer our residents access to the resources they need to increase health, independence and housing stability. When you make a donation to Mission First Supportive Housing: Edison, you are helping to ensure that residents have the supports they need to remain successfully housed, get back on their feet and live as thriving members of the community. Your support means so much! 

Donate online by clicking below or by mail to Melissa Mascolo, Supportive Housing: Edison, c/o Amandla Crossing, 100 Mitch Snyder Drive, Edison, NJ 08837.

Do you want to do more than make a donation?

Here are some other great ways for you to help:

• Help secure a matching gift from your employer.
• Host a fundraising event and donate the proceeds to Mission First Supportive Housing: Edison.
• Host an essential items supply drive.
• Introduce your friends, family and colleagues to Mission First Supportive Housing: Edison and encourage them to give.

Do you have ideas you’d like to discuss? Give us a call! We’d love to work with you. For more information, please contact:

• Melissa Mascolo, Director of Program Management, 609.373.8550, mmascolo@missionfirsthousing.org
• Moira Rooney, Senior Vice President, Fundraising & Communications, 267.269.3331, mrooney@missionfirsthousing.org