As adjuncts to the Caffé and greenhouse modules of our day habilitation program, and to foster increased community integration for our consumers, Lifestyles has initiated three community outreach projects. The first is our Food for Families project, which provides nourishing meals to needy residents of Staten Island. The second project is called Everyone Loves Flowers or ELF. This is Lifestyles' ongoing effort to beautify our community by growing plants and flowers and distributing them to individuals and groups across Staten Island. The third project allowed Lifestyles became an active partner in a collaborative effort, funded by the Richmond County Savings Foundation, to restore several abandoned cemeteries on Staten Island.
Food For Families
In the Spring of 2002, utilizing the Lifestyles Caffé, we commenced a program to help needy, underfed residents on Staten Island by preparing and delivering meals on a weekly basis. During the current year, thanks to a grant from the SI Bank & Trust Foundation, we are cooking and distributing more than 150 full-course, nourishing meals each week to three senior citizen apartment complexes. We are also providing weekly meals to numerous handicapped residents and their families.
Everyone Loves Flowers (ELF)
During the Autumn of 2002, Lifestyles launched its Everyone Loves Flowers greenhouse program, a joint venture with the Lynn Robbins Steinman Foundation, the Staten Island Developmental Disabilities Service Office (SIDDSO), the College of Staten Island and other community organizations. Under the ELF project, we have begun growing and distributing thousands potted plants, flowers and bulbs to a variety of schools, social, civic and service groups and institutions throughout the borough. Thanks to funding received from the Lynn Robbins Steinman Foundation, the Richmond County Savings Foundation, Goldman Sachs and the Independence Community Foundation, we have been able to make repairs to both
Restoration of Abandoned Cemeteries
Our most recent undertaking is a collaborative effort to restore several historic cemeteries on Staten Island, which have been long abandoned. More than 10 of these burial grounds have been identified so far, having fallen victim to neglect, the forces of nature and vandalism.
Lifestyles, in collaboration with a number of other local organizations, we have begun restoring these cemeteries to respectable condition. With funding from Richmond County Savings Foundation, we were able to purchase earthmoving equipment and have cleared the Staten Island and Fountain Cemeteries located on Richmond Terrace in West Brighton and the Lake Cemetery in Port Richmond Center. These cemeteries house the graves of a number Civil War and WW I veterans, as well as members of many prominent Staten Island families of the 19th century