How You Can Help NJ Charities During COVID-19

Let’s face it—the COVID-19 crisis has everyone experiencing hard times. But that’s especially true for local charities that have had to cancel fundraising events and put a pause on their steady supply of donations and volunteers. With quarantine mandates and social distancing, it’s easy to feel helpless when you’re also trying to navigate what’s right for your own family. So while we know there’s so much uncertainty right now, any small monetary donation to these charities can make a difference—and make you feel like you’re doing good, even if you’re just clicking send on your laptop.

HERE ARE THE NJ CHARITIES YOU CAN DONATE TO ONLINE

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Community FoodBank of New Jersey
There are one million people in New Jersey that face hunger every day and nearly 300,000 of them are children. The Community FoodBank of New Jersey, the state’s largest anti-hunger and anti-poverty organization, works with food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters to help feed our food-insecure neighbors. During this crisis, they are putting together emergency meal kits for food-insecure families and every dollar you donate goes towards helping families now.

HomeFront
HomeFront has worked for over 25 years to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness in Central Jersey. HomeFront works with clients to ensure adequate incomes and affordable housing and helps homeless families advocate for themselves individually and collectively. Each year, more than 1,200 HomeFront volunteers work to provide families with food, goods, and services, so a donation now can help them later.

Center for Food Action
The Center for Food Action (CFA) provides food, housing, utility, and heating assistance, and offers counseling and advocacy services to northern New Jersey’s most vulnerable residents. Your online donation will help families and individuals keep food on their tables and a roof over their heads.

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Moms Helping Moms
The Moms Helping Moms Foundation is a baby supply and diaper bank that provides low-income families in New Jersey with the basics so babies can have a safe, happy and healthy start. While they are not accepting clothing or supplies donations right now, they are looking for monetary ones—$20 will supply a family with a week supply of diapers; an $80 donation will supply one month’s worth of diapers.

Interfaith Hospitality Network
Interfaith Hospitality Network is a nonprofit organization that provides shelter, professional support services, and housing assistance so homeless families can find and sustain a new home. The organization works via a network of volunteers, donors and other partners throughout the community. Donations can be made online.

Elijah’s Promise
The organization works to end hunger by serving food at its community soup kitchen, delivering meals, providing education and jobs in the food industry through its Promise Culinary School, and encouraging neighborhood agriculture with its community garden. During this crisis, they want to keep providing meals to those who are most vulnerable, so any amount will help them.

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United Way of Greater Union County
The UWGUC has established a COVID19 Emergency Fund to assist struggling Union County residents financially impacted by the outbreak. The fund will assist families who are out of work or, who are working fewer hours due to government-mandated closures of businesses and schools; did not have benefits or resources to weather the crisis; incurred other debt related to COVID19 (i.e. childcare expenses because schools are closed); are low-income, hourly wage earners, individuals without employer benefits such as paid time off. To donate to the fund, go online.

Good Grief
For 12 consecutive years, Good Grief has expanded to fulfill its commitment to grieving children and families to ensure that no child ever has to grieve alone. The organization provides unlimited and free support to children, teens, young adults and families after the death of a mother, father, sister or brother through peer support programs, education and advocacy.

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Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey
Did you know that there are over 70 endangered and threatened species in New Jersey? As you start to do more nature hikes, consider supporting New Jersey’s wildlife species with a donation to the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, dedicated to protecting these species and their habitats.

Food Bank Network of Somerset County
The mission of The Food Bank Network is to “distribute food and to provide other basic human needs to those less fortunate in the community in a manner which recognizes and advances self-worth and human dignity.” They are continuing to distribute food through this crisis, and a monetary donation would be greatly appreciated to help stock three food pantries, located in Somerville, Bound Brook, and North Plainfield, and a warehouse in Bridgewater.