Our House dedicates dining hall in honor of Jovita Moore

ATLANTA — For years you welcomed our friend and colleague Jovita Moore into your home. But did you know it was another house that was her passion?

Jovita was passionate about telling stories and passionate about her work in the community.

One of the main organizations she championed was Our House, a nonprofit whose goal is to provide families who are experiencing homelessness the resources and skills needed to end that cycle.

Jovita’s now 18-year-old son, Josh Griffith, who remembers volunteering with his mom, spoke to Channel 2′s Lori Wilson on Thursday while standing in the newly named “Jovita Moore Dining Hall.”

“She was here a lot, helping the kids and stuff, and me and my sister were here a lot too,” Griffith said. “She would definitely be happy. She would probably shed a couple of tears and then she would go straight to social media.”

“It was really important to her to give back to the community in so many ways, and we’re grateful that Our House was one of the places she chose to give her time,” Our House CEO Tyese Lawyer said.

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Also honored Thursday, was the man who started a shelter in his temple that would become part of Our House -- Rabbi Alvin Sugarman.

For Sugarman, the mission of meeting the needs of mothers and their children is personal.

“For 5-and-a-half years I had a mother, and I guess that’s part of my interest, is making sure that mamas and their babies can be together as long as possible,” Sugarman said.

A beautiful painting of Jovita now hangs in the hall and everyone who comes to the heart of the building will know her heart for the community.

“It’s just exciting. It just feels good knowing that that’s my mom. I have something to live for at the end of the day. It’s just motivation,” Griffith said.

Our House serves more than 3,000 women a year.

Jovita would arrange make-over pamper parties for the women, giving them a much-needed moment to focus on themselves.

Lawyer said those makeovers happened in the dining hall.

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