Mission First Supportive Housing: Edison has benefitted from support from Kathy McCrystal and her team since 2019. Kathy first connected with Director of Program Management Melissa Mascolo through a former Amandla Crossing resident who knew of her volunteering and mentorship work at nearby Catholic Charities. Kathy quickly expressed an interest in supporting our communities during the holidays. Each holiday season for the last six years, Kathy’s team, comprised of friends and family, have dedicated time and energy to devising a new gifting project. Together they create a themed wish list for residents, wrap gifts, deliver them and throw a holiday party for the residents at Amandla Crossing and Imani Park.

We spoke with Kathy about her relationship with Mission First and what drives her to give year after year. The former Edison, NJ resident’s compassionate efforts echo across her community. She follows her mother’s example, a woman who raised nine children of her own but always found time to care for others. “She loved to shop” Kathy chuckles, reflecting on her mother, who often returned from shopping trips with items thoughtfully selected for friends and neighbors.

That community spirit remains central to Kathy’s efforts and their impact. Her friend, Elaine, her son and her boyfriend, form the core of her benevolent initiative. She is also supported by her pickleball group as well as a host of friends and community members. “Sometimes people come to me wondering why I haven’t asked them for a donation,” she quips. Yet, it demonstrates her consistency and impact. A chance encounter in 2019 led to her donating pajamas to residents of Imani Park and Amandla Crossing. Over the years she has provided residents with cleaning supplies, blankets, towels, bathroom essentials and personal care items.

“Kathy and friends are focused on making sure no one is forgotten among our residents and each household who wishes to participate receives a gift,” said Melissa. “The gift options are always selected with consideration of our residents’ household needs.” This past holiday season, she and her team took that a step further, working with residents to develop wish lists of small kitchen appliances to gift to each household. Meeting resident needs made those efforts particularly satisfying. “Residents really appreciated the gifts,” explained Kathy, “because they got exactly what they asked for.”

Unsurprisingly, the adage, “You give joy, you get joy,” guides Kathy. She is a cherished long-time partner who exemplifies genuine care, time and dedication for our resident community. For her, the work is about creating joy for all involved. She explained that for her, the best part is spending time with residents, dancing, laughing and hanging out at holiday parties.

We are truly grateful for her committed support to the Mission First Supportive Housing: Edison community.

“I’m just blessed to be able to do this” she said.

This past year, 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 Mission First Supportive Housing: Edison residents.

MYA was designed as an exercise program specifically for women residing at Imani Park and Amandla Crossing. MYA aims to introduce a low-impact, long-lasting fitness regimen that could make incorporating daily exercise more manageable and help create routines that improve holistic health.

The program features four workshop sessions that were conducted over the course of a year’s time at Amandla Crossing. Each workshop begins with a discussion on the importance of the workout and the overall mind-body relationship. Participants join in guided yoga to improve mobility and guided meditation to alleviate anxieties and stress. The practice has been modified as needed for residents with physical limitations, by the use of chairs. Residents also received a companion manual for each workout to provide additional helpful tips for the program. The manual also provides a continuation point for residents looking to continue developing their practice once the program concludes.

The DISC student cohort has also collaborated with the Rutgers University Violence Prevention Committee to conduct a yoga mat drive, offering free mats as an incentive for residents to continue practicing on their own.

The practice of yoga and meditation have been proven beneficial to holistic health and well-being for all individuals. In the case of a resident population like Mission First Supportive Housing: Edison, the embrace of those practices can not only be life-changing, but life-affirming.

Former Mission First Supportive Housing: Edison Artist-In-Residence, Lane Michael Stanley, continues to create work that reverberates positively for some of New Jersey’s most vulnerable individuals and families. Created on behalf of the Middlesex County Continuum of Care, Keep People Housed in Middlesex County, is a toolkit designed to underscore the importance of keeping people housed and the impacts of government funding cuts to those in the county.

Lane’s initial work with our residents in 2023 was a collaborative effort rooted in agency building and mutual benefit. His own experiences with recovery and transitional housing tempered his approach to both the work and community and yielded How to Be Successful in Housing, a groundbreaking piece of work, written, in part, by those in transitional housing for those looking to enter it.

Once again, Lane partnered with illustrator Kennedy Ketcham to create an accessible guide that clearly explains new government funding guidelines; the effects of potential funding cuts; the value of the programs at-risk; and ways to advocate in favor of those programs and those who benefit from them most.

This is powerful work and Mission First is proud to support Lane and the individuals, institutions and systems designed to keep people housed in Middlesex County

Download Keep People Housed in Middlesex County here and share broadly with your networks.

Mission First Supportive Housing: Edison is thankful to the many partners, donors and foundations who have continued to support our housing communities and residents in 2025. Without your kindness, we could not provide the extensive programming and one-on-one support services our residents need to be successful in achieving their goals. Thank you.

• Aetna
• Aetna Better Health
• Alice Ashton
• Amboy Bank
• Central Jersey Family Health Consortium
• Central Jersey Legal Services
• Christopher J. Morrissey Foundation
• Coming Home of Middlesex County
• Coordinated Family Care
• Edison Addictions
• Edison Community Policing
• Edison Fire Department
• Edison Police Department
• Elijah's Promise
• First Baptist Church Missionaries
• First Presbyterian Church of Metuchen
• Friends of Frasier
• Gen Mobile
• Hackensack Meridian
• Tiffany Ho
• Mary Hunter
• Hyacinth AIDS Foundation
• James Madison Intermediate School/Edison Twp. Board Of Ed.
• Jewish Renaissance Foundation
• Life and Health Home Care Agency
• Manasquan Bank

• Kathy McCrystal
• Middlesex College
• Middlesex College Dental Hygiene Program
• Middlesex County Pajama Program
• NAMI
• Ocean First Foundation
• Holly Onaroto
• Brinda Patel
• PennReach
• Reformed Church of Highland Park
• Replenish Network
• Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
• Rutgers University DISC
• Rutgers University EASI
• Rutgers University School of Nursing
• Share My Meals
• South Amboy Adult Day Care
• Spring Creek HealthCare Center
• St. Luke's Church
• Triple C Housing
• Andrew Turner
• Tzu Chi Foundation
• Walmart
• Linda Zeh

And many more!

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.

Accepting Food Pantry Donations

Mission First Supportive Housing: Edison is looking for support from readers in donating food items to its Food Pantry. 100% percent of your food donations will help to feed your neighbors and community members. Our program is looking for the following items for the Food Pantry:

• Fresh produce: vegetables, fruits, nuts.
• Whole grains: bread; low sugar cereals; rice (brown or white); grains such as quinoa, oats, barley; pastas (including gluten-free) crackers; granola bars and popcorn.
• Proteins: canned or vacuum packaged meats, such as chicken, tuna, salmon or sardines.
• Vegetarian and vegan-friendly protein: canned or dried beans; nuts and seeds; as well as nut butters such as peanut, almond, sunflower.
• Canned items; soups, stews or pastas. Note: items with pull-tab cans are preferred when possible.
• Beverages: shelf-stable milk (including plant-based), water, fruit juice, vegetable juice, tea, coffee.
• Other Items: Cooking oils, herb/spices, condiments, broths (such as vegetable, chicken, beef, turkey), sugar, honey, syrup, salad dressing, pasta sauce, vinegar.

Items can be purchased directly from our Mission First Supportive Housing: Edison Amazon Wish List or you can contact Andrea Dean at (856) 634-0611, adean@missionfirsthousing.org or Melissa Mascolo (609) 373-8550, mmascolo@missionfirsthousing.org, to make arrangements to donate.

Thank you for your consideration!

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

We have great things planned for the future 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: