ACI CommUnity Market Grand Opening

The Alliance Center for Independence (ACI) is happy to announce the grand opening of its reimagined food pantry, the ACI CommUnity Market!

Join Edison Mayor, Sam Joshi, members of the Edison Township Council, and other supporters on Thursday, April 7th for the ribbon cutting ceremony! This in-person event will take place at 629 Amboy Ave (S & P Building) Suite 110, Edison, NJ 08837 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM.

Since 2016, ACI’s food pantry has assisted hundreds of low-income individuals with disabilities and their families. Demand for our food pantry increased tremendously throughout the COVID-19 crisis. “During the pandemic, we shut down the office and staff worked at home, but we kept our food pantry doors open,” said Carole Tonks, Executive Director of ACI. “There was a need in the community and it was important for us to meet that need.”

The CommUnity Market concept will feature consumer choice and customer service while expanding our assistance to disabled individuals and their families facing food insecurity. Staff will also help individuals apply for SNAP and make referrals to social service organizations and other food pantries in the area. The CommUnity Market will also offer training to individuals with disabilities interested in working in the retail business.

The ACI CommUnity Market is 501(c)(3) not-for-profit serving Middlesex, Somerset, and Union counties and is supported by PSE&G, Unity Bank, REPLENISH of Middlesex County, Guarantee Rate, and individual donors.

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Posted on April 6, 2022 by Brian Mazzarella and filed under Press Release.

Access Checklist for Vaccination Sites in New Jersey - Ensuring Vaccine Sites are Accessible to New Jerseyans with Disabilities

The Alliance Center for Independence (ACI) and the NJ Statewide Independent Living Council (NJSILC) recently released the “Access Checklist for Vaccination in New Jersey” to give vaccine sites a tool to ensure sites are physically accessible for people with all types of disabilities.

“The checklist is very comprehensive and will make a big impact on the smaller vaccination sites,” said Carole Tonks, Executive Director of ACI.

“Since the roll-out of the vaccines, it has been obvious that the accessibility needs of people with disabilities at vaccine distribution sites were not being anticipated - specially at smaller sites,” said Norman A. Smith, Chair of the NJSILC.

The checklist was developed in collaboration with the Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies (The Partnership) to ensure that vaccination sites in New Jersey are accessible to people with disabilities.

Posted on April 19, 2021 by Brian Mazzarella and filed under Emergency Preparedness, Advocacy, Press Release.

Bloomin’ 4 Good: ACI Selected to Benefit in Brand New Stop & Shop Floral Program Designed to Fight Hunger in Local Communities

Brighten up your spring with a bouquet of flowers that fights hunger in the local community! The Alliance Center for Independence (ACI) has been selected by Stop & Shop in Edison as the benefiting hunger organization in the brand-new Bloomin' 4 Good Program for the month of May!

The Stop & Shop Bloomin' 4 Good Program, which launched in February 2021, is an easy way for shoppers to give back as part of the regular shopping routine. Every $9.99 Bloomin' 4 Good Bouquet with the red circle sticker sold supports a hunger organization local to the Stop & Shop in which it was purchased. According to Feeding America, every $1 donation to a local hunger organization can provide 10 or more meals to someone in need.

As part of this ongoing program, every month at every Stop & Shop location, a different local organization is selected to benefit from the sale of the Bloomin’ 4 Good Bouquet. ACI was selected as the May beneficiary by local store leadership at the Stop & Shop located at 1083 Inman Ave, Edison, NJ. ACI will receive a $1 donation for every $9.99 Bloomin' 4 Good Bouquet purchased at this Stop & Shop location throughout the month of May.

“Flowers can make someone's day, brighten up a room or spread a smile,” said Carole Tonks, Executive Director of ACI. “Now they can fight hunger too! We are thrilled to be chosen to benefit from this unique and impactful Stop & Shop Program, as the demands of those in need are higher than ever this year.”

For more information about the Stop & Shop Bloomin' 4 Good Program, please visit stopandshop.bloomin4good.com.

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Posted on April 6, 2021 by Brian Mazzarella and filed under Press Release.

Alliance Center for Independence Responds to the Coronavirus Crisis

As many businesses, schools and organizations throughout the state and the country have temporarily closed because of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus), the Alliance Center for Independence (ACI) is staying open as long as it can to respond to the needs of our disabled community.

“We are taking all the necessary precautions to keep our staff safe, while assisting our constituents during these difficult times,” said Carole Tonks, Executive Director of ACI. “We have suspended our programs and activities, and told our volunteers to stay home, but we haven’t stopped helping as many as we can.”

Staff at ACI have been calling every person on their mailing to ask if they are ok, to offer assistance, and provide a much needed reassuring voice. “People really appreciate that we are calling them and that we are thinking about them,” says Rachel Gabrilowitz, Employment Coordinator. “Many people are isolated in their homes and are fearful.” Since Tuesday, ACI has called 382 people.

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Brian Mazzarella and filed under Press Release, Advocacy.

Insights into the Experience of U.S. Voters with Disabilities: National Poll

The following is a press release from Southpaw Insights and Smartmatic.

NEW NATIONAL POLL: Voters with Disabilities Face Multiple Voting Challenges
Improvements in Privacy, Independence and Election Technology Are Top Priorities

BOCA RATON, FL – More than half of voters with disabilities have experienced challenges casting their votes in person, according to a new national poll prepared for Smartmatic by Southpaw Insights. Of those experiencing challenges, voting machines were cited as problematic by 28 percent, and of those, 45 percent say that problems with voting machines have kept them home on Election Day.

“We found that voters with disabilities place tremendous value on being able to vote independently, privately and in the same way as everyone else,” said Jessica Broome, Ph.D., Southpaw Insights founder and CEO. “Improvements in the accessibility and usability of voting machines would provide a real opportunity to make the election experience better for voters with physical and cognitive disabilities.”

Voters with disabilities make up a significant voting block. Roughly one in six eligible voters in America has a disability. According to recent research from Rutgers University, turnout for voters with disabilities in the 2018 mid-terms was approximately 14.3 million people, surpassing the number of Hispanic/Latino voters (11.7 million) and nearing African-American turnout (15.2 million).

Posted on October 3, 2019 by Brian Mazzarella and filed under Voting, Press Release.

The 8th Annual NJ Disability Pride Parade & Celebration Set for October 5th in Trenton, NJ

More than 800 people with disabilities, supporters, friends and organizations representing a wide variety of services throughout NJ will converge on West Lafayette Street in downtown Trenton for the 8th Annual NJ Disability Pride Parade and Celebration.

The free event is a grassroots effort organized and hosted by the Alliance Center for Independence (ACI). ACI is a 501(c)(3) Center for Independent Living, a community-based, grassroots organization that supports and promotes independent living for people with disabilities in Middlesex, Union and Somerset counties.

"This is the one event in New Jersey that the disabled community can get together and have a day to celebrate pride in each other," says Carole Tonks, Executive Director of the Alliance Center for Independence, and chief organizer of the event.

Posted on October 3, 2018 by Brian Mazzarella and filed under Press Release, NJDPP.

ACI and REV UP NJ to Host US Senate Candidates Forum on Friday, September 14th 2018

On September 14th, New Jersey residents with disabilities and their families will have an opportunity to meet the candidates for US Senate.

“Every midterm election is important and this year’s is no exception,” says Carole Tonks, Executive Director of the Alliance Center for Independence, a non-profit organization that assists people with disabilities in Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties and chief organizer of the forum. “The next congress will take up many issues, and this event is our attempt to ensure that the priorities of 56 million disabled people are sufficiently addressed.”

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Brian Mazzarella and filed under Voting, Press Release.