I want to wish everyone Happy International Day of Friendship. Yes, this is a real celebratory day, which occurs every July 30th, and we should all participate. 

The United Nations designed this day to promote peace, happiness and unity. The essence of the effort is that occasionally we focus too much on our differences rather than our similarities. It should be the other way around.

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The financial pinch for businesses in New Jersey continues during the coronavirus pandemic. Indeed, it has become a tight, seemingly unending squeeze, far more than a pinch. 

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I’ve talked in recent blogs about my efforts to assist our citizens who have felt the lash of the coronavirus – businesses, employees, homeowners, renters, and more. Two groups in particular are also in need of a boost now: our students and our veterans.

College students are generally young, eager for experience, and are preparing to start their career. However, they face obstacles — temporarily, I hope — that we never encountered because of the coronavirus pandemic. College alone can be a boulder. But the pandemic has tipped the boulder downhill. Students are struggling with loans and graduating without the joyful ceremony they earned. Most are facing gloomy employment prospects. And while students confront this dismal job market, they need some help, because the payments and interest on their college loans are not disappearing. The clock keeps ticking on those financial demands. 

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Recently, I sponsored a food distribution event in partnership with my legislative colleagues, Assemblyman Herb Conaway and Assemblywoman Carol Murphy. Even though we practiced social distancing, it provided me with a front-row view of one of the difficult and unintended consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been food insecurity resulting from the closures of schools and staggering unemployment rates.

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Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know that the intrusion of the Coronavirus and the Black Lives Matter movement have been among the most prominent news events this year.

While the coronavirus’ impact is evident to everyone, the Black Lives Matter cause and the basis for its support might be less clear.

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While many businesses and institutions have suffered during this COVID pandemic, two stand out that have been especially hard-hit and are struggling to recover. One is food banks, which by their very nature and stated mission are critical institutions that have seen that mission grow in importance during these times. They spend their resources trying to do their part to eradicate food insecurity by ensuring that no one goes to bed hungry. Is there anyone who hasn't seen on television the long lines of people standing or in cars, waiting for help? It shouldn't go unnoticed that some of those recipients, when interviewed, admit they never before stood in a food line.

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