King's Things

King’s Things was founded in 1983 by five churches in Swedesboro: St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church (now St. Clare of Assisi Parish), Trinity Old Swedes Episcopal Church, First Baptist Church of Swedesboro, First Presbyterian Church of Swedesboro and Bethesda United Methodist Church of Swedesboro. King’s Things is a 501( C ) 3 not for profit organization. We strive to serve every person who demonstrates need and hope to have adequate resources to fund all requests for help. Every dollar from the sales of the stores and the donations to the Benevolence Project are spent on our community. The King’s Things Benevolence Project mainly serves individuals or families who reside in the Kingsway Regional School District. This includes 5 towns: Swedesboro, Woolwich Township, Logan, East Greenwich and South Harrison. Our mission statement is "Feed and Clothe the Needy." The Food Pantry and the Benevolence Project are outreach projects which aid members of our community who may be in financial need. Benevolence has helped in emergencies with aid for the following: water, electric, fuel oil, natural gas, rent, food and food vouchers and even funeral expenses and prom tickets. In November 2024 the food pantry served 45 households, 86 adults, 22 seniors, 45 children and 15 Lore Dr. residents. Thanksgiving: King’s Things has given away free turkey dinners consisting of frozen turkeys, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. Thanks to Acme and Total Turf we service up to 75 families. Christmas: Families who applied were provided a full turkey dinner, a week’s worth of groceries including fresh fruit, gifts for children 18 and under and for seniors 65 and older. These families included over 400 children and 36 senior citizens. Many of our clients are referred to us by county agencies, the participating townships and local churches. King’s Things has been contacted for assistance after a client has called 211, a special telephone number created to provide those in need information and referrals to health and human services or other social assistance programs. Other clients contact King’s Things directly, having heard of us by word of mouth. Note that King’s Things never asks for racial or gender identity or religious affiliation when a client applies for assistance. Every person in need is welcome to apply. Amazon link to King’s Things Pantry: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3W03VF8S9YWSH?ref_=wl_share Instagram: friendsofkingsthings12

One of King’s Things many projects is the Benevolence Project. Here is a brief description Project Description The Benevolence Project is an outreach project which aids members of our community who may be in financial need. Benevolence has helped in emergencies with aid for the following: water, electric, fuel oil, natural gas, rent, food and food vouchers and even funeral expenses. In 2019 King’s Things paid almost $40,000 to help defray costs for these items. In 2020 the corona virus took its toll on our community. Our food pantry was as busy as ever but, thankfully, due to the eviction moratoriums fewer families lost their homes. The majority of our funding each year comes from store sales. Corporate donations are usually food items. The King’s Things Benevolence Project mainly serves individuals or families who reside in the Kingsway Regional School District. This includes 5 towns: Swedesboro, Woolwich Township, Logan, East Greenwich and South Harrison. Our mission statement is "Feed and Clothe the Needy." In 2019 alone we provided 6 families with housing, supplying a security deposit including the first and last months' rent. Many of our clients are referred to us by county agencies, the participating townships and local churches. King’s Things has been contacted for assistance after a client has called 211, a special telephone number created to provide those in need information and referrals to health and human services or other social assistance programs. Many other clients contact King’s Things directly having heard of us by word of mouth. As an example, one client was a single, working mother with 3 children who had just moved into low-income housing but could afford no furniture. King’s Things furnished 3 rooms, including beds for her and her children. She was referred by a teacher who became aware of the need of her student. Note that King’s Things never asks for racial or gender identity or religious affiliation when a client applies for assistance. Every person in need is welcome to apply. Current Programs and activities, Major achievements As stated above the Benevolence Project is an annual community outreach project which aims to help our community members who are experiencing financial need. Its main focus is to help with utility bills for those who have fallen behind in their payments and may be facing a shutoff. Normally King’s Things pays an amount sufficient to stop the cessation of the utility and often helps negotiate an affordable payment plan for the client. A typical payment would be $300. This past year we helped approximately 240 families. Benevolence clients are encouraged to visit the food pantry. Money that does not need to be spent on groceries can be reallocated to utility bills. In addition to Benevolence, King’s Things operates a food pantry. This pantry maintains inventories of food staples either donated or purchased. Local food drives also supply the pantry. Boy and Girl Scout troops, several local schools, churches, even the Swedesboro Post Office spearhead these drives. King’s Things joined the South Jersey Food Bank in 2012 and participates in several state and federal programs and also purchases food when available from the South Jersey Food Bank as needed. Our volunteers pick up donations weekly from a local grocery store and a major retail chain. In season, Fruit Valley Farms donates locally grown produce. Additionally we supplement the donated food with a voucher, worth on average $55, redeemable at Botto’s Market, a local small grocer, to enable clients to receive eggs, bread, milk, cheese, meats and butter. In November King’s Things operates a Thanksgiving Turkey Drive Through Program. In the past, King’s Things also ordered and distributed 55 Thanksgiving dinners from Acme Food Markets. For Christmas King’s Things, aided by the community and local churches, presents over 200 families, including 400+ adults and 300+ children with either a turkey or a roasting chicken. Supplies for Christmas dinner and food for a week are included. Each child receives a minimum of 3 wrapped gifts and Seniors, 65 and up, also receive a gift. Our Thrift and Furniture stores are open 6 days per week offering affordable clothes and household items. King’s Things sells only donated items and, if the need is great, offers these items free to clients. The corner Thrift store offers an end of season Clearance Bag Sale. A grocery bag of clothes is just $5 and a large kitchen bag of clothes is $10. This can amount to about 25 cents per item if the bag is packed tightly. Our volunteers are excellent packers! The Furniture store offers periodic sales on specific items. And always, a bag of books is just $5 and we supply the bag. We are all volunteers. The only compensation is that we do this for the greater good and hopefully have a positive impact on someone’s life.