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When we began the Good People Fund back in 2008 the world was a very different place. Words that strike fear in everyone’s heart today were insignificant… Lehman Brothers was a revered and iconic investment house and Bernie Madoff was practically unknown. It was an idyllic time when the idea of starting this work seemed eminently doable…

Small programs that really made a difference in people’s lives could struggle a little less; individuals facing personal crises might find some relief; new Good People who had a dream to change the world might have their chance.

In but two days we will close out our fiscal year and amazingly have surpassed the $900,000 mark in annual donations; bringing the total since we began to more than $3,500,000 in tzedakah dollars. Who would ever have imagined that this was possible during a time of extraordinary economic distress? It is without question a testament to both our donors and to our unique approach to tzedakah.

We thank everyone who believed in us and in the idea that small actions do have huge impacts.

Just awesome…

It is always the early morning calls that are the most stunning…

It is not quite 8:30 in the morning and Pam Koner, founder of Family to Family has just called. Family to Family directs its work to relieving hunger in some of our country’s poorest and most remote regions. It was Pam who introduced us to McRoberts, Kentucky where we are able to have an impact on this tiny community in the heart of Appalachia.

Pam’s problem this morning involved the Navajo community in Thoreau, New Mexico. Family to Family has been providing food to about twenty families here for several years. Thoreau is rural; mostly unpaved roads with families living in extreme poverty, far apart from each other. There is no local store in which to shop and unemployment exceeds 50% in the region. Pam explained that four social workers who were lifelines to this community had just lost their jobs and now distribution of the monthly food packages was in jeopardy.

The extraordinary distances between homes would require considerable driving to get the packages to the families. $180 in monthly gasoline costs would ensure that 150 people would be fed when they receive their food packages. (a little more than $1 per person.)

Could we help?

Could we not?

Who doesn’t recall with fondness reading great children’s books? Goodnight Moon or even the late Maurice Sendak’s, Where Wild Things Are? The benefits and joy of reading are things that cannot be introduced too early in a child’s life.

Another experience we all know can be transforming is the joy of giving. Pam Koner, founder of Family to Family has just created a new program which we love. Giving Works! is a brilliant idea. Children with "less" who normally receive help from others, actually have the chance to enjoy the feeling of giving back with this program. They are supplied with a drawstring backpack, some new or gently used books and book labels. After they decorate the labels and place them in the books, they visit a local school where kids are also struggling with poverty. Each child is paired with one in the classroom and they read and share the books together. When they are finished, they write the name of the child receiving the books on the label and give the books to them as a gift. What a great way to teach compassion and sharing!

We were excited to be able to pair the 4th grade at Temple Shir Tikva in Wayland, Massachusetts with this great program. The kids studied the mitzvah of Talmud Torah, the study of Torah, all year. They educated people about literacy and collected tons of books which they donated to a nearby school which was in need of additional books. The tzedakah the class collected was sent to the Good People Fund and we have used it to supply more books to the Giving Works! program.

What a great match!

We could not be happier about the recent stories which ran in both the Jewish Standard in Bergen County (NJ)and the New Jersey Jewish News. While the entire African refugee story continues to unfold we can at least feel comfortable knowing the hungry people are being fed. Please check out:

http://tinyurl.com/7fxykr8

Cerebral palsy has kept Avi Ben-Jano confined to a wheelchair for his entire life. Until about 8 eight years ago, Avi never experienced independent living; the freedom to choose what he might eat for dinner, the color of the walls in his room, the simplest choices we all take for granted. When Avi was fortunate enough to join the Shalhevet community in Jerusalem his entire life changed. Begun by Miriam Freier, Shalhevet advocates on behalf of adult disabled people, provides opportunities to travel and socialize and has built a beautiful complex of apartments where several reside in their own individual units.

We have met Avi several times in past years when we used to visit Shalhevet. We knew of his interest in film and had heard that with Shalhevet’s support, he had produced several short films which had been well received.

When we got a call recently asking if we night help Avi we were, of course, interested in hearing the story. Avi’s latest project is a documentary featuring the moving story of Meir who was paralyzed following an accident. The movie tells Meir’s story and how he and the love of his life, Lee, are raising a family. The film shows that while we may not control what happens in life, we do have the tools to cope with what life brings.

While the film, "Through Thick and Thin", is nearly completed, Avi’s most pressing need was for funds to produce a movie trailer for marketing purposes, as well as for submission to a prestigious disabilities conference here in America. Could the Good People Fund help with a modest stipend to make this possible?

We agreed and have just heard that the film has been accepted to the Southwest Conference on Disabilities which will take place this Fall.

Tzedakah invested well…

There are times when we are approached with a situation that almost defies belief. Such was the case when we recently spoke with Liz Gitlin, co-founder with her husband Bruce, of the New York Center for Law and Justice. The Center’s focus is on helping the city’s indigent deaf and hard of hearing population with legal matters.

Liz shared the story of William*, now 52 years old. At the age of three, William was a normal toddler enjoying a day at the park. An accident with a swing resulted in severe head trauma and loss of hearing. Incredibly,William was placed in Willowbrook, then a residential treatment center for children with mental deficiencies. Willowbrook later became infamous for its inhumane treatment of residents and after much public scandal the center closed in 1987. William spent eleven years in Willowbrook.

When Liz met William he had several legal issues that needed resolution, but most pressing was his back rent. William has been a faithful employee of a fast food restaurant for many years and earns $7.65 hourly. And yet, with that and his SSDI he is able to survive, though barely. When he got behind in his rent, eviction became a real possibility.

Now that the Good People Fund has taken care of that crisis, William and Liz are working together on budgeting issues as well as the Social Security case. We have also agreed to cover the cost of equipment he needs in order to be able to communicate with people via telephone.

Our tzedakah investment in William will make a profound difference in what is surely a difficult life.

* a pseudonym