Welcome to New Direction Services
Our History
New Direction Services started operating its programs and services in 1996. Wendy De Shong-Neuhalfen, founder of NDS, responded to the need to address food insecurity for seniors, which is the absence of food available by normal means such as supermarket shopping. As a result, a cooking class was started in one of the senior residences in Port Richmond. At these cooking sessions seniors discussed problems, issues, and concerns about life in general. Out of this cooking class came the realization that every month many of the elderly often went without food after Social Security checks were used up for medications, rent, utilities, and clothing.
Smoke Free Living
Smoke Free Living = Healthy Living from NEW DIRECTION SERVICES
This is a photo of board member, Rev. Ercell Lewis at the Gay Life Expo at the Staten Island Hilton Hotel held on Sunday January 16, 2011.Rev. Lewis was there to promote the Healthy Living programs that New Direction Services provides such as smoke free living, healthy eating with local foods and diabetes awareness. He presented information and personally spoke to many participants who appreciated getting another smoke-free living information package.
Our Mission
At New Direction Services we are now serving 3,600 households a month, 20 percent more than last year. In fact, we are seeing many more faces of hungry families from all over the Island including Mid-Island and South Shore who have lost jobs, become disabled, and have no means of paying rent.
We help direct these families to food resources, government benefit screening, job training, and referrals. We also promote wellness through workshops addressing issues such as cholesterol awareness, heart disease, and women's and men's health. We conduct cooking classes for children and we focus and helping to promote literacy and education through book distribution, storytelling, art exhibits, encouraging kids to attend educational programs such as basic astronomy, reading, writing and math at local institutions. We show families the importance of cultural exposure by conducting art shows and art exhibits at museums and much more.
Here are some facts about New Direction Services:
- We started helping 40 seniors in Bridgeview Senior houses with food baskets in Port Richmond in 1996. We later starting helping others and today assist 574 seniors every month.
- We incorporated became tax-exempt in 2000.
- We are blessed to have the help of 25+ dedicated volunteers
- Many of our clients are disabled or seniors on fixed incomes.
- Clients who are physically handicapped come to us. We have blind, deaf and wheel chaired clients.
- Many of our clients are unemployed due to layoffs, illness or single mothers trying to make ends meet.
- 96 percent of our clients are born in the US and the rest are immigrants from Eastern Europe, South America, Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.
- More than 60% of our clients are working poor but their incomes are not enough to pay rent and buy food.
- 90% of our clients live in the North Shore, 8% from Mid-Island and 2% South Shore.
- We distribute food consisting of perishables and non-perishables such as canned and packaged foods and fresh produce such as apples, potatoes, bananas, zucchini and eggs.
- We believe in helping those that help themselves. We believe that in helping our clients help themselves, they will achieve self-sufficiency more quickly.
We see hope in every child’s smile when they help their parents carry away bags of fresh groceries. Please make the most generous contribution you can afford as your donation will go a long way in helping New Direction Services meet the growing needs of hurting people standing at our doors. And remember that we are an independent organization without any support from other large, Staten Island food programs or from large corporations.
