HEAL HOBOKEN COLLECTIVE: Good Idea Grows Into a New Phase

Hoboken has proven its community spirit again, fostering the growth of the Heal Hoboken Collective, the next iteration of the Heal Hoboken project begun in the spring, when two local business owners Justin Miskowski (Miskowski Design (aka Hoboken Made) and James Runkle (Drummond St. Strategy) decided to launch a local information hub as a response to the chaos of the Covid crisis.

As they juggled new demands from their homes, Justin and James also wanted to support the Hoboken community that gave them both so much, and they wanted to do it in a way that felt true to their talents and interests.

Justin sought a way to put his creative skills to work, and started sketching. What resulted was the symbol that he felt could be used show his support for healthcare and essential workers, local businesses and his community and is now known throughout Hoboken.  James, who has lived in Hoboken for twenty years, saw his fellow small businesses start to close their doors, both physically and digitally. He did what he could to help the community: ordering takeout from local favorites like Leo’s Grandevous, Dark Side of the Moo and Barbés…or contributing to the Hoboken Homeless Shelter and Hoboken Food Pantry.

But even “doing what they could” didn’t feel like enough, until James and Justin had the conversation that evolved into the project that became known as Heal Hoboken, a website that wanted to act as a hub of crucial local information in this Covid era: testing sites, fundraisers, which restaurants were open for business and more.

As their reputation grew, more and more local companies have joined the effort to help Hoboken residents, restaurants and other small businesses and organizations stay afloat by staying safe as we head into winter. This broad support has led Heal Hoboken to change its name to the “Heal Hoboken Collective” to reflect the wide-ranging community support from businesses that are finding ways to pitch in with supplies and a healthy helping of optimism and good cheer. They have even opened a local storefront at 86 River Street where you can pick up supplies such as masks, sanitizers, floor decals and Heal Hoboken gear to stay safe while showing your support around town!

See their list of local partners and join them as we all continue to work toward healing Hoboken and keeping it strong for the future.

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