No. 18 Vol. 12
www.mypaperonline.com • 973-809-4784
December 2022
The Art of Upcycling: Denville Woman Helps Those in Need Through Sustainable Practices
May the holiday season fill your home with joy, your heart with love, and your life with laughter -Peggy Lefsky
School supply drive underway with New Jersey Upcycle
F
By Jillian Risberg or Andrea Zeydelis, helping the environment comes down to a mindset and a lifestyle. That’s why she founded New Jersey Upcycle, whose mission is to provide northern New Jersey with a centralized donation and distribution center, while collaborating with area nonprofits to benefit the greater community and get residents the resources they need to succeed. They envision a sustainable future starting with reusable goods being diverted from the landfill. “I live on an acre of land and could have a garden — we could be doing a lot more; everybody could. But it’s the little things,” says Zeydelis. “Looking for something in a thrift or upcycle store before you purchase it new.” Her kids need good, strong clothes that last and if she can give them to the next person that’s going to
increase the longevity of the clothing. “Be mindful of different sustainable practices,” she says. “Give old things new life.” According to the NJ Upcycle founder, it’s not like we think of ‘oh, people need help’ — everybody needs help right now. “We’re talking children’s clothes, toys and things our kids have grown out of. Every time we have this conversation of, ‘wouldn’t it be great if there was a place you could bring your stuff and someone could benefit from it’ or where we could get a bundle of children’s clothes for $20,” says Zeydelis. What’s needed: also children’s books, coats, Halloween costumes, prom dresses. Homeless shelters are always looking for furniture and home goods. The fact she even needed to create something like this because people don’t have the things they
need and are not getting paid the way they should come down to systemic failures. “That’s what we want to be — the warehouse, collection center, so we can partner with all these nonprofits statewide and push the resources as far as we can,” the NJ Upcycle founder says. The biggest obstacle is funding. They are always accepting monetary donations; and will be applying for grants, working with municipalities and state funded programs to get this off the ground. “The great part is the funds go right back into the community,” Zeydelis says Goodwill and the Salvation Army take the money out of the neighborhood. “Habitat for Humanity is only furniture and home goods. We want to do furniture/ home goods/clothing/electronics.” They want to be able to collect continued on page 2
Margaret A. “Peggy” Lefsky Broker/Sales Associate
973-727-0795 Cell 862-345-1963 eFax 973-263-0400 Office www.peggylefsky.com
If you are thinking about selling your home, finding out it’s value is the place to start. Check out my references! Zillow.com, Peggy Lefsky 91 Crane Road Mountain Lakes, NJ 07046
973-263-0400
©2018 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker® is a registered trademark of Coldwell Banker LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Owned and Operted by NRT LLC.