NEWARK, N.J. (PIX11) -- With Easter Sunday just days away, the Archdiocese of Newark’s Mercy House is spreading joy by giving Easter baskets to families facing hardships.
“The first day I entered here, they welcomed you very good,” said Sandra Darkwaa from Ghana.
She is a mother of two girls and expecting two more, a set of twins in four months.
PIX11 also met Ruth Topacsi, a mother of three.
“Por la frontera,” she told PIX11 in Spanish. She is from Ecuador and arrived last year after crossing the southern border.
She added that she’s grateful to have found Mercy House. Her four-month-old daughter needed more than just a basket for easter. They gave her shoes and clothes.
Others received diapers, toys, or a much-needed stroller.
“I am never going to say no to someone that comes here and doesn’t have a jacket for their child,” said the Director of Mercy House Archdiocese of Newark, Cheryl Riley.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, almost a quarter of Newark’s population is living In poverty. Riley stated that the influx in migration has caused a spike in the number of people they help.
“Yes, absolutely, tremendous amount. But again, we are just here to help them. They are waiting to get basic needs, food, clothing, and baby items, and that is what we are about,” said Riley.
The Mercy House has been giving out Ester baskets for eight years. They had a similar event yesterday in Jersey City and will have another one on Wednesday in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
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