Hopatcong Woman’s Club continues to support Lyons VA Medical Center

Our Club has been donating items to the Lyons VA Hospital for many years and we continue to collect items to help the men and women who served our country that now make the medical center their home or take advantage of their programs and services. A list of currently needed items can be found at the end of this article, but we thought first it might be nice to have a refresher on the history of the organization and its roots in the community.

The facility, located in Bernards Township in Somerset County, was originally designed in the 1920’s as a neuropsychiatric hospital, capable of treating 400 Veterans. With a few hundred residents, a formal dedication ceremony was held on August 2, 1931, after the 272-acre parcel of land was acquired from the Estate of Walter E. Reynolds (locally known as Knollcroft). After World War II, the Lyons, NJ campus was expanded to accommodate more than 2,500 Veterans as the property expanded to 864 acres. 

The Lyons Campus rapidly expanded to become one of the largest hospitals in the VA system during the 1950s and 1960s. It was widely recognized as a treatment and teaching center in the field of psychiatry and mental health.

In the 1970s and 1980s more changes occurred, including the expansion of outpatient and ambulatory care programs as the surgical services moved to a centralized location in East Orange. A domiciliary program was established at Lyons to assist Veterans who were homeless and needed reintegration into the community after treatment. A 240-bed community living center was completed in 1988. 

Finally in the 1990s and beyond, the Lyons facility, along with the East Orange sister facility, consolidated under a single leadership and became the VA New Jersey Healthcare System. It continues to this day serving a vital role in meeting the health care needs of our Veterans. Many of us in the Club have heard personal stories of just how much the Lyons facility means to them and their family members. We hope that you will consider donating to this worthy cause.

Donations can be made at the Community Resource and Wellness Center, 47 Hopatchung Rd. (Walgreens Shopping Center), weekdays between 9am and 1pm.

Items that are needed and collected year-round include: ***All clothing items must be new with tags***

• Toiletries (body wash, deodorant, men’s razors, shaving cream, toothpaste, toothbrushes, lotion, shampoo)

• Undergarments (men’s and women’s T-shirts, tank tops, socks, sports bras, etc.) 

• Season/weather appropriate clothing for men and women: pajamas, shirts, pants, shorts, sweatpants, sweatshirts, jackets, hats, coats, gloves. All sizes S to 5XL.

• Slipper socks for men and women. All sizes.

• Shoes/sneakers (with and without Velcro) Men sizes 8-14, Women sizes 7-12.

• Men’s work boots sizes 8-14

• Art Supplies (scrapbook items, paints, paintbrushes, canvas pads, adult coloring books, crayons, markers, color pencils, etc.)

• Keurig/K-cup coffee pods and canned coffee

• Snacks (commercially packaged/individually packaged to include pudding for Veterans who suffer from dysphagia

The Hopatcong Woman’s Club meets on the third Wednesday of each month (from October to April) at the Elba Point Beach Club building located at 30 Ithanell Rd, Hopatcong, at 10:30am. September and May luncheon meetings are usually held at local restaurants. There is no fee for attending a regular meeting and all are welcome. Follow us on Facebook or check out our Club’s Website www.HopatcongWomans.Club. 

To learn more about contributing to any of our causes or joining us as a club member, please contact our Member Chairperson Annette Grieco at973.896.9775 or e-mail: HopatcongWomansClub@gmail.com.

To learn more about the NJSFWC (New Jersey State Federation of Women's Clubs), visit the Federation website at NJSFWC.org and to learn more about the GFWC (General Federation of Women's Clubs), visit GFWC.org. Our website: HopatcongWC.webs.com.