RISE Monthly Newsletter

We appreciate our amazing Rise volunteers every day, but April is National Volunteer Month and during this time, we like to do a little extra to show our appreciation for the dedicated people who show up all year long to help us achieve our mission.  Without all of you, we would never be able to meet the growing needs of our community in times of struggle.  Each and every one of our volunteers makes a difference in the lives of their neighbors, and during the week of April 17th through 23rd, we have big plans for showing our thanks!  Keep an eye on our social media pages and on the Volunteer Hub where we'll be announcing special events and programs just for volunteers!

We are approaching the one year anniversary of the launch of our uRise Powered by PenFed platform!  The available content has grown steadily as new creators come on board and new members are added, and we are excited to announce a whole new lineup of courses being added to the uRise platform in the coming months!  Featured classes include dance classes for youth, nutrition/cooking classes, English Language Learning (ELL) and more!  These classes are a mix of virtual and in-person and will have limited availability, but if you are a registered member of uRise, you will begin receiving our newsletters and be the first to know when registration opens!  Be in the know and don't miss out on these exciting opportunities!  Register here today!

Every day, our mission is to help our neighbors in whatever way we can.  In March, we had 1,568 clients visit the food pantry.  We distributed 16,652 bags of food to local families, and handed out 76 bags of pet food.  554 bags of baby supplies for new parents were given to those in need.  Our Rise volunteers donated 1,575 hours of their time.  These efforts are made possible by donations that we receive and by our amazing volunteers.  We want you to know that you are making a huge difference in the lives of people around you who may be struggling, and lifting up your entire community.  If you want to help us make these numbers grow, you can donate to Rise at https://njrise.org/donate. Want to make even more of an impact? Become a Rise Good Neighbor and pledge to make a recurring monthly contribution that helps us better manage our budget and know that we are ready to take action when needs arise outside of our normal fundraising schedule, which has become our reality in recent years.