Meet Ronald, or RJ as he's known to his friends and colleagues.

Hi! My name is Caroline - I'm the owner of a custom cookie company in Hoboken called For Cup Sakes.

This past holiday season my company had a stall inside Macy's 34th street Herald Square.

RJ interviewed with us to be part of our seasonal sales team.

With the number of applicants we received, when it came to finalizing our team, we were on the fence about his experience, but he was the most polite and engaging applicant, and he brought this energy that we couldn't say no to.

Nick and I thought, 'Let's just give him a couple of shifts when it's not busy and see how it goes.'

RJ turned out to be one of our best employees, receiving multiple compliments from our customers and emails to us about how polite and helpful he is.

Getting to know RJ, we soon learned (surprisingly) that he was living in a shelter in the Bronx.

He came to work suited, on time, and never once commented or complained about anything.

We learned that his family home was destroyed in a 5-alarm fire in 2023 and that in 2024 his mom passed away, leaving him with nothing.

With our help over 10 weeks, we have managed to get RJ out of a shelter and into temporary, state-funded housing in the Bronx.

Our time at Macy's wrapped up last week and whilst we hope that RJ can continue to work for For Cup Sakes at our various pop ups until we secure a permanent retail spot, I'm asking for help to get his life back up and running.

At the moment his life fits into a backpack and his apartment comes unfurnished and without appliances (bar a fridge), so we'd love to help him make a home for himself.

If you are able to donate to RJ, anything will go a long way and be much appreciated!!

Thank you!