No, we can’t believe it either – we are nearing the end of 2021! As we enter the final few months of the year, we are excited to announce this year’s Partnership Campaign. It has been a year of milestones and firsts, including Neighborhood House serving more people than ever before and expanding multiple programs.

To reach even more milestones in the coming year, we have set an ambitious Partnership Campaign goal of raising $500,000 by January 31 – our largest goal ever. As our neighbors face the ongoing impacts of the pandemic and existing economic disparity, we must be prepared to support more people in growing ways. We hope our neighbors can count on you this year. 

Looking for another reason to give this year? Thanks to the CARES Act:

  • For cash contributions made in 2021, you can elect to deduct up to 100 percent of your adjusted gross income (formerly 60 percent prior to the CARES Act).
  • The CARES Act allowed for an additional, “above-the-line” deduction for charitable gifts made in cash of up to $300. This provision is extended into 2021 for taxpayers filing single/separately.
  • New in 2021 is an additional “above-the-line” deduction for those married filing jointly. Joint filers (who aren’t itemizing) will be allowed to take an above-the-line deduction of up to $600 in cash contributions to charity this year.

We envision a future where all our neighbors have the community and support they need to thrive. Help us make that vision a reality.

Eager to support your neighbors? Give early!

I want to give early!

I started using the Free Food Market. I learned about more programs that could help us. But the biggest change wasn’t the services themselves.

It was how I was treated. 

For the first time in my entire life, I was met with dignity. 

I wasn’t talked down to. I wasn’t made to feel ashamed for needing help. I wasn’t forced to “prove” I deserved to survive. At Neighborhood House, people spoke to me with genuine respect, something I have so often not been given, simply due to my circumstances. That changed everything. Even now, it still brings tears to my eyes. 

When you’re disabled, when you’re parenting alone, when you’re just trying to get through the day without falling apart…asking for help is hard. Being treated with kindness backed by action? It’s life-changing. 

That kindness empowered me. 
I joined the Head Start Policy Council. 
I became involved in statewide advocacy work. 
And eventually, when someone asked if I would consider joining the Neighborhood House Board, I said yes. 

Being on the board fills a need I’ve carried my whole life: the deep need to give back. There is so little any one person can do alone. But when we connect, when we come together as a community, everything becomes possible. 

People sometimes ask me why services like Neighborhood House still matter. 

My answer is simple: 

Because income inequality is growing. 
Because our systems do not prioritize people in poverty. 
Because without places like Neighborhood House, people really would go hungry. Children would go without resources necessary to thrive. Housing insecure families would be turned out into the streets. 
And that is simply not acceptable.

Until we change the systems that create these conditions in the first place, we need community-based organizations that keep people alive, keep families housed, and treat every neighbor with dignity.

And there’s one more thing I want you to know:

No one chooses this. 

Everyone is doing the best they can. 
Sometimes people just need a little boost.

When you donate or volunteer at Neighborhood House, it is truly life changing. You may never meet every person you help—but please know there are so many of us who feel overwhelmed with gratitude because these services exist.

I am one of them.

So today, as we close out the year, I’m asking you to help more neighbors like me.

Here’s how you can help right now: 

  • Make a gift today — your support goes directly to families who need it most.
  • Start a food dr​ive — our Food Security Program is a lifeline and always needs support. 
  • Share my letter with a friend who believes in a more just and caring community.

Thank you for believing in this work.

Thank you for believing in people like me. 

With gratitude,

Love 
Board Member & Program Participant 
Neighborhood House 

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