During our three-year Children’s Best Interest community project, culminating in 2009, JLOSH partnered with key organizations to improve the lives of some of New Jersey's most under-served children and teens. At the Maplewood office of the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) we constructed an emergency closet of clothing, food and toiletries for infants and children removed from homes on very short notice, and we renovated three rooms designated for supervised meetings between fostered children and their family members. The League has provided over 300 foster children with backpacks filled with school supplies.  We have supplied food and gifts at DYFS's annual holiday party for foster children and donated Thanksgiving turkeys to needy families.  In addition, we sponsored trips to Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange and local theatre shows for foster children, their parents and guardians. Towards the end of the project, JLOSH helped mentor a group of teenage women who grew up in the foster system and introduced them to activities including pottery, cooking, women’s college sports, poetry slams, and restaurant dining.