Madison Neighbor-to-Neighbor Fund
Foundation “Neighbor-to-Neighbor Fund” Serves
Amid the deep recession of 2007-2010, Madison social services agencies have been overwhelmed by the increase in requests for help. Residents facing foreclosure may need legal advice they cannot afford. Seniors may need minor home repairs for their safety, or help with household chores. Families need assistance with fuel costs, food, and with personal care items they can’t get at the Food Bank. And each week, about 65 local families rely on the Madison Community Services Food Bank, with hundreds of different households using the Food Bank in the last year.
Many of us are asking, “How can I help neighbors right here in Madison?”
Now there is an answer! In June 2009, a few concerned residents and Foundation board members established a new “Neighbor-to-Neighbor Fund” within The Madison Foundation as a focus for our giving. Now the Food Pantry Program is up and running, with the fund founders and a band of loyal volunteers making regular purchases to help stock the shelves at the Pantry with personal items that would not otherwise be available.
Because of the generous response of Madison residents to this initiative, N2N has been able to add an emergency heating fuel program to our support to the Food Bank. Directed by Wendy Larson, the Social Services Director for the Town of Madison, N2N purchases fuel which is then delivered to families whose need Ms. Larson has pre-qualified.
Going a step further, we are now offering help with minimum payments for gas and electric service. With this assistance, we help ensure that our struggling neighbors don’t have their service interrupted.
Want to help? The founders’ initial donation of $3700 was the seed money to start the Fund, which has already raised over $50,000 through community contributions! And as you can see here, as contributions grow, we can do more to help. Please make a donation—large or small—to The Madison Foundation Neighbor-to-Neighbor Fund.
We also encourage student groups to organize innovative programs that raise awareness and support for neighbors who are in need. And we invite other community organizations to join us—especially those whose primary charitable missions could be an essential part of this Neighbor-to-Neighbor effort. By coordinating our efforts, we can multiply our impact.
N2N – neighbors helping neighbors through challenging times.
Contact The Madison Foundation through our website to offer your support, or direct your check to:
The Madison Foundation
Attn: Neighbor-to-Neighbor Fund
P.O. Box 446
Madison, CT 06443.
One more thing! As you make your donation to the immediate needs of your neighbors, please also consider a contribution to our unrestricted fund, which helps us support the many other non-profit efforts that have been enriching Madison’s educational, environmental, cultural, recreational and social life for over a decade. Thanks!