PFTP 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
People for the Poor, a 501c-3 charity that directs all of its proceeds to homeless shelters and soup kitchens in South Jersey, is celebrating its 10th Anniversary this October!
On October 3, 2004, People for the Poor was officially founded and granted 501c-3 non profit status. Its founders, Mike Scott and Caroline Scherrer, are both still leading the organization as it embarks on its second decade serving the less fortunate. Over the past decade, Mike and Caroline have recruited a diverse group of Board Members who actively help them to shoulder the considerable load. Mike and Caroline have also been the engine behind the growth of several signature events that provide the fundraising foundation for our cause.
Every September, we hold a Golf Outing at Wedgwood Country Club in Turnersville that draws nearly 100 golfers, more than 50 sponsors, and a great dinner banquet crowd. In March, we hold a St. Paddy’s Day Beef and Beer at Our Lady of Hope Parish in Blackwood, which we fill to near capacity with more than 250 guests, and nearly 100 donated prize baskets, food and a deejay. In the past other events have included Charity Walks and Comedy Nights. Moving forward we are hosting a Designer Bag Bingo event on November 8, 2014 at the Brooklawn American Legion Hall. And, this past May, we celebrated our Inaugural Bluegrass Festival Concert as part of the Batsto Antique Car Show.
No matter the fundraiser, People for the Poor has never strayed from its core mission of fundraising for homeless shelters and soup kitchens in our native South Jersey.
To date, we are proud to announce that People for the Poor has donated more $300,000 to homeless shelters and soup kitchens in South Jersey!
While we are proud of our accomplishments, we realize that more help is still needed to serve those in need. Please consider that South Jersey has more then 4,000 homeless people living among us and that 15% of South Jersey’s population is “food insecure”, which means that nearly 1 in 6 men, women and children among us either don’t have enough to eat, or are at great risk of not having enough to eat. Indeed, People for the Poor is looking forward to continuing on in our mission of making a difference, and helping those less fortunate and sometimes forgotten.
So please, as you and your family gathers this October to rake leaves, or to adjust wardrobes for the season, or to plan Halloween parades, costumes and trick-or-treating, or to cheer on marching bands and high school football teams, or to plan a vacation during the annual teachers conference next month, please take a moment to be thankful for all we have, and then contact us to volunteer and/or signup for our newsletter and event reminders!
Thank you!
