Working with long serving community partners and trusted non-profits, Montclair Helps delivers emergency relief to the most vulnerable within our community.
Support Montclair community members with fast relief at critical moments for long-term impact.
OUR MISSION
WHO WE SERVE
Employed and Vulnerable.
Many members of the Montclair community are fully employed yet economically vulnerable: they are one unexpected expense away from devastation. These are teacher aides, grocery store clerks, janitors, and home healthcare workers. One unforeseen expense such as a car breaking down can lead to not being able to drive to work, losing a job, and housing and food insecurity.
WHAT WE DO
Fast Relief in Critical Moments.
Government programs don’t always provide support to everyone in our community and nonprofits are often unable to fulfill all requests. As a result, these smaller emergency requests are often the most challenging to fulfill. Yet small emergencies are the first in a chain of events that lead to big ones. In close consultation with our nonprofit partners, Montclair Helps wants to do what is difficult for our partners to do: act quickly with little bureaucracy to solve a small problem that would otherwise cascade into big problems.
GIVING AND RECEIVING
Giving is Empowering.
In addition to swift assistance, Montclair Helps disburses a tandem $50 donation that the client gifts to someone they know is struggling. Montclair Helps believes that giving is an empowering act: those in crisis deserve the blessing of support as well as the power inherent in giving it. This trust and power is shared with the client, encouraging the cycle of giving and receiving.
OUR PARTNERS
The Frontline Experts.
Montclair Helps humbly acknowledges that Montclair’s nonprofits are the frontline experts on the needs of the community: they are the eyes and ears on the ground. Our mission is to enhance and strengthen the nonprofits’ impact through rapid response to emergency needs that fall outside the scope of their programs. When a nonprofit partner identifies, vets, and validates an emergency need, it will send a direct request to Montclair Helps who has committed to a financial response within 12-48 hours. Grants are within the $500-$2,000 range and are one-time only. Donations are made anonymously unless the client requests disclosure.
“When there's a moment that might cause a family to slip, Montclair Helps steps up to help them maintain stability. You and your team are a community treasure. Thank you for being there.”
- Anne Mernin Tony’s Kitchen
“Montclair Helps is such a valuable resource for people living on the edge. I’m so thankful you are there to support our community.”
- Rev Ann Rogosky, First Congregational Church
“In a short amount of time, Montclair Helps has become an invaluable partner to many Montclair organizations who are supporting families facing the most challenging circumstances.”
- Masiel Rodriguez- MFEE / Navegadores Escolares
“Having the support and partnership of Montclair Helps means so much to FPE and the families we serve.”
- Tia Avery, Family Promise of Essex County
Montclair Helps has formalized partnerships with local non-profits:
Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence
Navegadores Escolares
(973) 509-4021
100 Chestnut Street
Montclair, NJ 07042
Montclair Neighborhood Development Corporation
(973) 744-9094
228 Bloomfield Avenue
Montclair, NJ 07042
Reaching Out Montclair
(862) 485-8470
Reachingoutmontclair@gmail.com
Human Needs Pantry
(973) 746-4669
9 Label Street
Montclair, NJ 07042
OUR STORY
Friends and Neighbors.
Montclair Helps is a registered 501 (c) (3) organization established by eight friends who share a deep commitment to Montclair and the surrounding communities. In 2021, as they witnessed COVID’S disruptive and lingering impact, they asked how they might collectively pool their resources, energy and talents to support those in need. They reached out to non-profits who were working hard to protect the most vulnerable, to learn how they could help fill the cracks in the communal safety net, and prevent people from sliding into crisis.
Our Principles.
Our nonprofit partners are the experts: We rely on them to be our eyes and ears to needs in the community.
Swift response times, minimal bureaucracy: Once MH is alerted to a need, we will disburse a grant within 12-48 hours.
Stop-gap emergency funding: We target needs while they are manageable, so they don’t cascade into crises.
Giving is empowering: We provide an additional $50 grant to the client to donate to someone they know is struggling.
DONATE NOW
Montclair Helps is an all-volunteer organization. 100% of your contributions go to support people facing emergencies.
In less than three years, we've distributed over $75,000 to 60+ families. But the need is so much greater.
How we’ve helped:
A single mother who was the victim of domestic violence had her car severely damaged in retaliation for seeking an order of protection. Montclair Helps paid the portion of the car repairs not covered by insurance so she would not lose the two jobs she was working to support her family.
A family of 6 was forced to leave their rental home when mold and asbestos were discovered. Montclair Helps paid their hotel for a week while they lined up a place to stay with support of a local non-profit.
A family lost all of their possessions in a fire in their rental building. Within 2 days, Montclair Helps provided money for the security deposit so they could get a new place to live as the former landlord was not returning their money.
A single mother with several kids lost her job during the pandemic and has been working several jobs, but continued to slip behind her rent payments, and faced eviction. Montclair Helps covered enough of her outstanding rent to give her breathing room to catch up.
When a man suffered a terrible stroke, his husband was forced to take a leave of absence from work to help care for him and their child. The medical leave support funds were delayed, causing them to max out their credit cards, which could have cascaded into even bigger debt. Montclair Helps paid outstanding utility bills so they could pay down the card and keep the lights on.
Montclair Helps is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization and all donations are 100% tax deductible