“You never stop learning.”
Those are the words of an older adult who recently went on one of the Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center’s museum trips. But they also apply to the center itself—which has kept growing and changing to serve the community ever since it opened in 1964.
This past summer the Center finalized its merger with Goddard Riverside, a nonprofit on the Upper West Side. The move brings together two highly respected social service agencies.
“We each had strengths in youth programming, and we each had holes that the other organization could fill. Now we’re offering young people multiple pathways to adulthood,” said Goddard Riverside President Rod Jones, who oversees the combined organization. “We’ve also built on our shared experience in food services to expand Meals on Wheels—a program the Isaacs Center pioneered back in the Sixties.”
The Isaacs Center’s programs start at school age and go through Older Adulthood. You can learn more on their website or by stopping by their headquarters at 415 East 93rd Street. Their offerings include:
- An Older Adult Center with exercise and crafts classes, nutritious lunches, and outings, plus social workers and other supportive services.
- An Education and Workforce program that provides free training in Culinary Arts, Information Technology and Healthcare, as well as GED classes. These trainings include paid internships and lead to highly marketable certifications such Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and Cybersecurity Analyst Certification (CySA+). Students receive help with job placement.
- Beacon Programs at PS 198 and MS 224. Beacons turn public schools into mini-community centers in the afternoons and evenings, offering After School programs and recreational activities.
- The Jack August After School, which exclusively serves children from the Holmes/Isaacs public housing development.
- Meals on Wheels, which brings nutritious meals to local residents who are unable to cook for themselves.
- Soup’s Up, an innovative program that delivers meals kits to local residents—fighting hunger while providing jobs for young people.
- The Nutrition Outreach and Education Program, which helps families apply for and maintain SNAP benefits (aka food stamps).
- A weekly food pantry.
