Mercy House showers mothers with love and gifts

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (PIX11) — Mandy Farmer, a mother of three and a grandmother of five says she couldn’t be the prouder mom this Mother’s Day.

“After God, my family is everything,” said Farmer.

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She lives at Mercy House in Jersey City, a residence that offers a home and a better life, something she didn’t have when she decided to move to North Carolina.

“We had a lot of hardships that forced us into living out of cars and trucks,” said Farmer. “We didn’t have any safe place to go.”

There’s never a ‘thank you’ adequate enough for moms who’ve seen tough times, but Mercy House took time to celebrate them with a Mother’s Day gift giveaway; jewelry, beauty products, and many other donated gifts wrapped by the hands of the Felician Sisters of Lodi.

“It makes you feel -at least makes me feel- just that there’s somebody who appreciates what we’ve been through and the struggles that mothers face,” said Farmer.

“We see a lot of women, a lot of moms, come through the doors of Mercy House, always only wanting stuff, items, for their children, always making sure their children have food and clothing, never really asking anything for themselves,” said Cheryl Riley, director of the Jersey City Mercy House. “We want to make sure they have something for themself.”

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“I met Cheryl and she kind of saved my life, more or less,” said Lynn Pech, another Mercy House resident and mother who exemplifies the resilience only a mother could show. She survived abuse and is now battling cancer.

“My son -I only have one son- he’s in the Army,” said Pech.

She’s had to live far away from her son, who’s currently stationed in South Korea. But he’s due to return home next week – a Mother’s Day gift that’s truly priceless.

“Couldn’t ask for a better kid,” said Pech. “It’s good being a mother.”

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