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Cooking With Your Child Challenge!

Dear Linden Residents,

Has staying home tested the limits of your cooking skills? Limit yourself no more and join Mayor Armstead in the cooking with your child challenge! No bars held; the kitchen holds no limitations. Expand your imagination with your child and create history in the kitchen.

There’s no time like bonding time. So why not join the fun? You’ve been challenged!

Submission Deadline: Friday, March 19, 2021

Cooking With Your Child Challenge

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    Free Tax Help!

    The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to people who generally make $57,000 or less, persons with disabilities and limited English speaking taxpayers who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns. IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals. The AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program offers free tax preparation to anyone, with a special focus on taxpayers who are 50 or older or who have low to moderate income.

    The IRS provides a Find a Location for Free Tax Help page. The NJ 2-1-1 Partnership maintains a NJ Free Tax Assistance Locations page. South Jersey residents in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May and Cumberland Counties, as well as residents in Philadelphia and Montgomery County, can get tax preparation help from the non-profit Campaign for Working Families. Due to COVID-19, many tax preparation sites may be closed for an undetermined period.

    Non-profits, advocacy groups and government agencies can participate in outreach efforts by promoting the NJ EITC Page and the NJ EITC Marketing Toolkit. Groups interested in conducting an outreach campaign or promoting EITC on social media should also visit the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ Tax Credit Outreach Kit.

    Employers are encouraged to distribute copies of “Have You Told Your Employees About the Earned Income Credit (EIC)?”, IRS Notice 1015. New Jersey employers must give written notice to employees. The New Jersey Division of Taxation also publishes a statement for employees.

    Smartphone users can download IRS2Go, an official IRS mobile app. You can use it to check your tax refund status, find free tax preparation services, or even send a payment to Uncle Sam.

    Earned Income Tax Credit – A Tax Break for Working People

    The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a refundable tax credit for families and individuals who have income from employment. It increases the amount refunded to a taxpayer or reduces the amount of tax owed.

    As of December 2020, about 25 million eligible workers and families received about $62 billion in EITC. The average amount of EITC received nationwide was almost $2500. However, the non-participation rate ranges from 17% (Vermont) to 27% (California), according to the latest available IRS statisticsYou must file a tax return to claim your EITC. Twenty-nine states, including New Jersey, maintain their own EITC program. New Jersey expanded their program for the 2020 tax year by lowering the minimum age requirement from 25 years to 21. An estimated 58,000 young wage earners could now receive the EITC credit.

    Income Limits and Maximum EITC Credits

    Number of Qualifying ChildrenSingle/Head of Household or Widow(er), Income Must be Less ThanMarried Filing Jointly, Income Must be Less ThanMaximum Federal CreditMaximum NJ State Credit
    No Child$15,820$21,710$538$215
    One Child$41,756$47,646$3,584$1,434
    Two Children$47,440$53,330$5,920$2,368
    Three or More Children$50,954$56,844$6,660$2,664

    EITC Assistant is an online tool to estimate if an individual or family may qualify by answering a number of questions. The IRS also publishes a one page fact sheet, IRS Notice 797 and a more detailed booklet, IRS Publication 596.

    Free assistance to prepare and file your federal income tax return is available from a number of organizations and programs. United Way and H&R Block partner to offer MyFreeTaxes. All income levels are eligible to file both federal and state returns for free by using MyFreeTaxes.com.

    Also available is Free File. Taxpayers whose adjusted gross income (AGI) is $72,000 or less qualify for any IRS Free File partners offer. To use Free File you must start by going to Free File. If you go to a company’s website first, you may be charged a fee.

    Emergency Food Distribution Event – Thursday, February 23rd @ 10am

    The Union County Board of County Commissioners, the Village Super Market of Springfield Township, and Gargiulo Produce are providing a walk-up food distribution event to all Union County residents affected by COVID-19 on Thursday, February 23rd. Click here or text “FindFood” for English, or text “Comida” for Spanish to 908 224 7776 to find helpful information quickly.

    Location

    Event Details

    • First 300 people will receive shelf-safe food and fresh produce on a first come, first served basis.
    • One food distribution per household, while supplies last.
    • Bring a cart for the walk-up.
    • Refrigerate any perishable items shortly after distribution.
    • Bring one (1) proof of NJ residency, such as a utility bill, driver’s license, ID card, etc.
    • Event will take place rain or shine.

    Click here to view and/or download the event flyer in English and Spanish. With any questions, or for more information, please email the DHS Action Line or call them at 908 558 2288.

    COVID-19 Food Distribution Event on Saturday, February 20th @ 9am

    The County of Union is hosting a drive-thru emergency food distribution on Saturday, February 20th.

    The Union County Board of County Commissioners, the Village Super Market of Springfield Township, New Jersey and Gargiulo Produce are providing a drive through only food distribution event to all Union County residents affected by COVID-19 on Saturday, February 20th. Click here or text “FindFood” for English, or text “Comida” for Spanish to 908 224 7776 to find helpful information quickly.

    Event Details

    • First 1,000 vehicles will receive boxes of produce, dairy and shelf-stable food on a first come first served basis.
    • One food distribution per vehicle, while supplies last.
    • Please make sure to clear out the vehicle’s trunk prior to arrival to make room for food bags.
    • Refrigerate any perishable items shortly after distribution.
    • Bring one (1) proof of NJ residency, such as a utility bill, driver’s license, ID card, etc.
    • Event will take place rain or shine.
    • Click here to view and/or download the original event flyer in English and Spanish.
    • With any questions, or for more information, please email the DHS Action Line or call them at 908 558 2288.

    African American Women Achievements – ZOOM Presentation

    The City Of Linden Department of Parks & Recreation would like you to come and join us for an interactive Zoom presentation about the achievements of African American Women. We invite your family to come celebrate achievements made by African American Women on Thursday, February 25 at 7pm or Sunday, February 28 at 3pmPlease register online using your community pass account or by calling (908) 474-8627 / (908) 474-8600 Monday through Friday from 9am until 4pm. Please note an email address is required in order to use Zoom.