16-year-Old Bayonne High School student Maiya Williams vowed to give back to the community but wanted her contribution to affect the homeless population in Newark.
Williams, the daughter of a Newark pastor, was made aware of an effort by officials at the PSE&G Harmon Cove Collections Department, where they began a blanket drive and offered Williams to personally deliver to the items to the homeless in New Jersey's largest city.
Overwhelmed by joy and excited by the gesture of generosity, Williams's PSE&G Supervisor of Collections Mr. Eric Scott and Senior/Vice President of UWUA Local 601 Mr. Mike Garcia immediately placed the plan into play.
"Together, we put the plan together. We had roughly twenty Field Collectors come together to donate money, new and used blankets," read a joint statement by Supervisor Scott and Union Vice President Mike Garcia.
The group collected a total of about 50 blankets, coats, boots, and sweaters that Williams personally delivered to the homeless at Penn Station in Newark.
"We truly take pride in the things that we do and could not have accomplished any of this without the support and generosity of our fellow workers and Williams," Scott said in the statement.
"The PSEG Harmon Cove Collections Dept. understands that Williams and all of our youth are the future. We have formed a bond to become a close family collectively and have been doing things for the community for years," officials said.
"A lot of our collectors donate their time by giving out water during the summer to children as well as free Karate lessons, clothing drives, food donations, and -our latest act of kindness- the blanket and toy drives."
Raised in The Pentecostal Church of God with locations around the United States, Williams attends the Newark house of worship that's located at 60 19th Avenue, where her parents celebrated her kind act of delivering the items and PSE&G gracious efforts.
"It captured our hearts and we know this is something Jesus Christ would have done," Pastor Thomas Williams and First Lady Latrease Wiliams said.
She plans to attend Howard University or Montclair State University and major in Psychology.
According to Union Vice President Mike Garcia, in his continued efforts to bring joy to the community, he announced a Toy Drive this Saturday, December 21, at the Bethune Center 140 Martin Luther King Drive in Jersey City, from 12:00-1:00 pm. PSE&G Supervisor of Collections Mr. Eric Scott is planning to volunteer for the toy drive.
"There will also be plenty of pizza and goodies for the children to enjoy as they receive their toys," Supervisor Scott and Union Vice President Mike Garcia said.