Livingston Philanthropies, Inc.(LPI) has expanded its “pop-up initiative” program by providing for a needy Newark resident. “Solely thanks to Livingston’s continued generosity, we are able to assist a very large gentleman in need,” noted LPI founder and CEO Jeff Friedman. “Gregory Brown lives below the poverty line and is currently in the hospital recovering from leg surgery, along with other ailments.”
Lisa Cherokee Raine Booker, a “Lady of the Boutique” at Newark’s Willing Heart Community Care Center (WHCCC) and long-time LPI friend told Friedman of Brown’s plight. “He is in great need of size 15 shoes or sneakers with rubber soles so he can get around the hospital,” she said. “Gregory is a well-known local poet, and a kind-hearted person. He is the recipient of multiple awards for his work in New Jersey and New York. And he always greets people with a smile.”
This case, said Friedman, “was a no-brainer ‘pop-up initiative.’ Livingston volunteers immediately shopped online and found two pairs of rubber-soled footwear in size 15. The extreme altruism of our Livingston neighbors made this specialty shopping an easy process. The shoes and sneakers soon arrived at LPI World Headquarters (a.k.a. my garage).”
Booker delivered the shoes to the hospital. Brown, she reported, “loved the footwear, and is always appreciative when people take the time to help him.”
“I just love ‘pop-up-initiatives’ and plan to fulfill many more as they present themselves,” Friedman said. “To learn more, visit LPI’s website at njhomeless.org. If your organization would like to partner with us creating a public service project, send me an email at [email protected].”
Photo: Gregory Brown, a Newark resident living below the poverty line and recovering from leg surgery in the hospital, received new pairs of hard-to-obtain size 15 shoes and sneakers through a “pop-up initiative” of Livingston Philanthropies, Inc.
