Eva’s Village, Paterson, NJ Anti-Poverty Charity Announces Second Annual 5K Walk/Run

Posted by Christopher.Skyi on Jul 23, 2010

Eva’s Village, (http://www.EvasVillage.org) a Paterson, NJ Anti-Poverty Charity provides a new way for the community to help beat poverty in New Jersey with their second annual 5K fun walk/run, titled “Journey of Hope”

Paterson, NJ (PRWEB) July 23, 2010

Eva’s Village, Paterson, NJ, provides a new way for the community to help beat poverty in New Jersey with their second annual 5K fun walk/run, titled “Journey of Hope”.

On Saturday, September 25, 2010, Eva’s Village will provide a way for many small donors to get involved in helping the poor of New Jersey by holding their second annual “Journey of Hope”, a community 5K Walk/Run. Registration is just $20 for adults and $10 for children. Eva’s Village is hoping participants will ask family and friends to add more small donations of $20, $50 or more to support their effort.

Sister Gloria Perez, Executive Director of Eva’s Village, says, “$20 will go farther than you can possibly imagine to help the poor!” Consider that at Eva’s Village:

• $20.00 will provide a hot lunch for FOUR hungry people
• $20.00 will provide a winter hat and gloves for TWO very cold homeless people
• $40.00 will provide fruit and vegetables for TWENTY families living in the Hope Residence at Eva’s Village
• $40.00 will provide a week’s worth of diapers for TEN infants living in the Hope Residence
• $60.00 will provide a cup of coffee for more than TWO THOUSAND homeless men and women
• $100.00 will provide 3 days of complete meals for TWENTY homeless women

Dale Calvert, a board member at Eva’s Village, says, “The first Journey of Hope for Eva’s Village, was held last year at Garret Mountain Reservation in Woodland Park, and it was a wonderful day for the entire family — we had over 350 people, which was a tremendous turnout for our first Walk/Run!” Mr. Calvert hopes this year’s event will provide twice the number of participants and donations.

By participating in the Eva’s Village 5K Walk/Run, participants can personally improve the lives of people in their own communities by giving the poor the resources they need to achieve self-sufficiency.

Sister Gloria says, “Poverty is no longer the face of a stranger, but perhaps the face of your neighbor. The numbers of people in need are climbing. This is not some far off, future reality, the need is right now, and in your own community. That’s why I invite you to join us on the Journey of Hope for Eva’s Village.”

To sign up as an individual, join a team or start a team, simply register today at http://www.evasvillage.org/journeyofhope or call Eva’s Village Journey of Hope at: (973)897-1261. Then challenge others to support your effort with their own contributions.

Eva’s Village is a comprehensive New Jersey anti-poverty organization located in Paterson that covers the complete continuum of care for the poor. Their mission is full circle. They feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, treat the addicted and provide medical care to the poor with respect for the human dignity of each individual. Because of the recent recession Eva’s Village has seen an increase in those seeking their help. In November 2009 the unemployment rate was 10.3% in New Jersey, 12.4% in Passaic County where Paterson is located and 17.8% in Paterson. During 2009, a total of 135,314 hot lunches were served at Eva’s Village to the poor. This is a 20% increase from 2007. On 15-20 days each month last year, they served over 400 meals.

Model anti-poverty charities like Eva’s Village don’t shy away from the challenge. They do more, so they need to ask for more help from their donors. Yet, in today’s troubled economy, who hasn’t thought to themselves, “I’m lucky I can spare $20 let alone a big donation to a charity”. That’s why Eva’s Village is offering new ways for small donors to help the poor. Donna Fico, Chief Marketing Officer at Eva’s Village says, “We hold an annual gala and golf outing, and our donors at these events are incredibly generous, but these are expensive events with limited capacity and we have many volunteers who would like to do more for the poor if we will just give them a way to help.”

Register now to walk or run or simply to support the Journey of Hope 5K Walk/Run for Eva’s Village: http://www.evasvillage.org/journeyofhope

For more information, call Eva’s Village Journey of Hope at: (973)897-1261.

Eva’s Village feeds the hungry, shelters the homeless, treats the addicted and provides free medical and dental care for the poor with respect for the human dignity of each individual. Founded in 1982, Eva’s Village is now one of the most comprehensive and respected anti-poverty programs in the state of New Jersey and has helped hundreds of men, women and families find new purpose in life.

This press release has been distributed by SalemGlobal Internet Interactive Public Relations. Based in New York City, SalemGlobal, optimizes websites to increase donations for non profit organizations, increase traffic from search engines, provides lead generation, and improves conversion of site visitors to buyers. Other services include general website marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), ecommerce solutions, content management systems, website hosting, web design and maintenance. For more information, please contact CEO Raphi Salem at 646-217-4733.

New Jersey Anti-poverty Charity Announces Team Building Opportunities for Corporate Volunteers to Help Meet Increasing Need.

Posted by Christopher.Skyi on Jul 23, 2010

Eva’s Village (http://www.evasvillage.org), Paterson, NJ, creates “Bond, Boost, and Build” effort for corporate volunteers to help meet demand for anti-poverty services as donations and foundation grants decline.

Paterson, NJ (PRWEB) July 23, 2010

Eva’s Village, the well-known Paterson, NJ anti-poverty nonprofit, describes a “perfect storm” of declining donations during a time of increasing need among the hungry, homeless and poor.

In a survey conducted in March 2009, The Council on Foundations reported that 62 percent of the 430 foundations surveyed, expect to reduce their grant making this year. Eva’s Village has received notification from numerous foundations that they are not distributing funds at this time because they are redirecting interests elsewhere or because funds have been allocated for the year.

Coincidentally, The Center for Non-Profits conducted an online survey of New Jersey Non-Profits in February 2010. Similar to the previous year, they reported that 64% of the responding organizations saw an increase in the demand for their services in 2009 and expect the trend to continue in 2010. Eva’s Village alone experienced a 20% increase in the hungry and homeless coming to Eva’s Kitchen for a hot lunch over the past two years (since 2007). Eva’s Village also reports an increase in the poor and homeless seeking free medical and dental care at the Eva’s Village Primary Care Clinic.

Despite detecting a decline in giving, Eva’s Village is building 50 units of affordable housing, and expanding Eva’s Kitchen and Eva’s Primary Care Clinic to meet the increasing demand.

Sister Gloria Perez, Executive Director of Eva’s Village, notes that the Eva’s Village mission of feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, treating the addicted and providing medical care for the poor has never been driven by donations, but by need. Donna Marie Fico, Chief Marketing Officer at Eva’s Village remains hopeful. She reports that during the current economic downturn, Eva’s Village has been increasingly proactive in employing new fundraising strategies.

Noting that many corporations and foundations were decreasing the funds distributed to charity, Eva’s Village created the “Bond, Boost, and Build” program. This highly successful team building effort for the employees of New Jersey corporations offers tours of Eva’s Village and volunteering in Eva’s Kitchen, a NJ soup kitchen serving a nutritious lunch to more than 350 homeless and working poor individuals daily.

More new efforts at Eva’s Village aim to reach donors and volunteers able to participate at a modest level. A 5K fun walk/run was created last year and deemed a success. Titled the “Journey of Hope”, the second annual walk/run will be held on September 25, 2010 at Garret Mountain Reservation, Woodland Park (West Paterson), NJ. Ms. Fico notes that the event drew participants from a new donor demographic, increased the participation of smaller businesses, and enlisted the help of the youth in the area.

Eva’s Village has also enlisted the help of a Volunteer Coordinator, and is adding another fundraising event titled “Behind the Seams”. This fashion show, featuring the Robert Graham Collection was suggested by two Eva’s Village supporters who are cosponsoring the event; Sal Lauretta for Men, Midland Park, andBottagra Restaurant, Hawthorne. The fashion show will be on June 7, 2010 at Bottagra Restaurant (call 973-523-6220 ext. 235 for more information).

Ms. Fico says, “It is important during this time of economic uncertainty that we put our resources to maximum use and that we be creative and efficient in delivering our programs as well as supporting them.” She reports that as one of the most respected, progressive and effective anti-poverty organizations in the state of New Jersey, Eva’s Village receives high marks for efficiency, including its third consecutive Four-Star rating by Charity Navigator indicating that Eva’s Village “Exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in its Cause” (Charity Navigator).

For more information on Eva’s Village and any of its upcoming events, email Donna Fico, Chief Marketing Officer at Donna.Fico@evasvillage.org or call (973) 523-6220 Ext. 230.

Originally a New Jersey soup kitchen, Eva’s Village was founded in 1982 by Msgr. Vincent E. Puma in response to the increasing incidence of homelessness in his Paterson, NJ parish. But Msgr. Puma soon realized that a soup kitchen was not enough. With the generous support of thousands of donors and private and government grants, Eva’s has grown into the most respected anti-poverty program in New Jersey.

For more information about the Eva’s Village “Bond, Boost, and Build” team building effort for corporations, the “Journey of Hope” 5k fun walk/run, “Behind the Seams” fashion show, and other events at Eva’s Village, please go to http://www.evasvillage.org/ call 973.523.6220 or write to: Donna Fico, Chief Marketing Officer, Eva’s Village, 393 Main Street, Paterson, NJ, 07501.

This press release has been distributed by SalemGlobal Internet Interactive Public Relations. Based in New York City, SalemGlobal, optimizes websites to increase donations for non profit organizations, increase traffic from search engines, provides lead generation, and improves conversion of site visitors to buyers. Other services include general website marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), ecommerce solutions, content management systems, website hosting, web design and maintenance. For more information, please contact CEO Raphi Salem at 646-217-4733.

Donated Food Becomes Cash for the Hungry: $1 Million Giveaway Helps Fight Hunger in America

Posted by Salem Global on Mar 22, 2010

Eva’s Kitchen (http://www.EvasVillage.org), the soup kitchen at Eva’s Village, makes an urgent March/April appeal for the Feinstein Foundation matching donation challenge

Paterson, NJ (PRWEB) March 16, 2010 — Eva’s Kitchen (NJ soup kitchen at Eva’s Village, makes an urgent March/April appeal for the Feinstein Foundation matching donation challenge.

Eva’s Village, a highly respected New Jersey anti-poverty organization, has announced their participation in the 2010 Feinstein Foundation13th Annual $1 million giveaway to fight hunger in America, created and funded by Alan Shawn Feinstein of Rhode Island.

Food and funds donated from March 1, 2010 through April 30, 2010 for Eva’s Kitchen may be matched up to $40,000 by Alan Feinstein. The purpose of the Feinsten Challenge is to encourage additional donations to participating anti-hunger charities, so food items, cash and checks donated during March and April through this challenge will help Eva’s in its mission to feed the hungry.

The need has grown so fast, and so dramatically, because of the economic crisis

Sister Gloria Perez, Executive Director, points out that the Feinstein Challenge matching grant program makes March and April the perfect time for “grass-roots” efforts by any individual, family, church, organization or business to collect food and monetary donations for Eva’s Kitchen.

Food items will be valued at $1.00 per item or pound — items that will help to increase total donations fast and are needed most by the cooks at Eva’s Kitchen include sugar, tuna, rice, soups, olive oil and canned ravioli. To arrange a drop-off of collected food items, call 973-523-6220 x234 and ask for the “Feinstein Challenge”.

Monetary donations are encouraged online at EvasVillage.org or when mailing checks to Eva’s Village, 393 Main Street, Paterson, NJ 07501, reference “The Feinstein Challenge”.

In 2008, Eva’s Kitchen, the New Jersey soup kitchen at Eva’s Village, was seating 240 hungry people at noon for a hot meal. Today, just two years later, this bright, cheerful dining hall is far over capacity, doing double seatings and serving up to 350 people every day of the year.

Sister Gloria Perez, Executive Director of Eva’s Village says, “The need has grown so fast, and so dramatically, because of the economic crisis.” Sister Gloria notes that as the economy worsened, more and more of the “working poor” joined the homeless at Eva’s Kitchen. “We know that our kitchen must be expanded and we are discussing plans and funding opportunities to allow us to meet the growing demand for feeding the hungry”, she continued.

The Feinstein Challenge is a unique opportunity to gain the maximum benefit from volunteer efforts. Since 1981, hundreds of people have donated their time and hard work to feed the hungry at Eva’s Kitchen — some for more than twenty years. Others have devised their own creative and highly successful donation programs. Fred Puso and Jim O’Rourke, two members of the Knights of Columbus, St. Catherine of Bologna Council #6212 in Ringwood, have collected and donated 4 tons of coffee over the past 18 years (or 256,000 cups of brewed coffee).

Donors will be pleased to know that Eva’s Village holds a third consecutive 4-star rating from Charity Navigator (CharityNavigator.org/). Ken Berger, President & Chief Executive Officer, Charity Navigator says, “Only 13% of the charities we rate have received at least 3 consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that Eva’s Village consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way, and outperforms most other charities in America. This “exceptional” designation from Charity Navigator differentiates Eva’s Village from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust.”

For more information on the programs at Eva’s Village, a comprehensive New Jersey anti-poverty charity, email Donna Fico, Chief Marketing Officer at Donna.Fico(at)evasvillage(dot)org or call (973) 523-6220 Ext. 230.

About Eva’s Village:
Founded by Msgr. Vincent E. Puma in 1982 as a response to the poor and homeless in Paterson, NJ, Eva’s Village is a non-profit comprehensive social service organization. Our mission is to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, treat the addicted and provide medical care to the poor with respect for the human dignity of each individual. Through almost three decades of service, Eva’s Village has established a unique record in facing community challenges and changing the lives of the hungry, homeless and addicted. Our organization has grown from a simple soup kitchen to become the most respected anti-poverty program in New Jersey. It now includes twelve integrated programs housed in numerous buildings spanning several city blocks in downtown Paterson. For more information, call 973-823-6220. To make special arrangements for funding, ask for the Development Department. To volunteer, ask to speak with our Volunteer Coordinator.