A New Jersey Charity Defies the Odds in an Economic Recession

Eva's Village, of Paterson, New Jersey, expands assistance to the homeless, addicted and working poor in troubled economic times. Eva's Village is actively seeking support for expanding poverty programs during the current economic recession.

Paterson, NJ (PRWEB) December 23, 2008 -- Eva's Village, Paterson, NJ, expandsanti-poverty programs despite hard economic times.

Eva's Kitchen serves 300-400 daily

Programs for the poor simply must expand to meet the needs of the poorest among us, despite any concerns about funding.

…there was a renewed dedication to expand programs for the poor as an act of faith -- not just religious faith, but faith in our thousands of generous donors and volunteers to do more, faith in ourselves to work that much harder, and faith in more of our fellow citizens to come to the aid of the poor despite this recession.

It is not only important to ask for increased help, but to let donors know that Eva's Village acts responsibly so their money makes a significant difference in the lives of the poor

Exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in its Cause

…this is a uniquely comprehensive social service program that treats even the most unfortunate with dignity and provides hope for people society prefers to overlook.

Nothing could have made my holiday any better than that

…doesn't that make anyone want to do even more?

Sister Gloria Perez, Executive Director of Eva's Village, believes that even more must be done. She says, "Programs for the poor simply must expand to meet the needs of the poorest among us, despite any concerns about funding." Sister Gloria cites numerous examples of new donors over the past year even as daily reports on the news tell us that the sky is falling. She says that in a recent Eva's Village board meeting, "…there was a renewed dedication to expand programs for the poor as an act of faith -- not just religious faith, but faith in our thousands of generous donors and volunteers to do more, faith in ourselves to work that much harder, and faith in more of our fellow citizens to come to the aid of the poor despite this recession."

Donna Marie Fico, Chief Marketing Office at Eva's Village, cites the support of private charitable foundations, government grants, New Jersey businesses and thousands of dedicated private donors as encouragement. She notes that one well-known family foundation temporarily changed their mission specifically to help the poor in hard economic times and is making a significant grant to Eva's Village.

Ms. Fico says, "It is not only important to ask for increased help, but to let donors know that Eva's Village acts responsibly so their money makes a significant difference in the lives of the poor". She reports that as one of the most respected, progressive and effective anti-poverty organizations in the state of New Jersey, Eva's Village receives high marks for efficiency, including a Four-Star rating by Charity Navigator indicating that Eva's Village "Exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in its Cause" (Charity Navigator). Ms. Fico also points out that holidays at Eva's Kitchen are regularly attended by high-profile volunteers, such as New Jersey Governor John Corzine and other state and local officials eager to show support to anti-poverty programs.

And Eva's Village does continue to expand help for the poor, including the meals required daily by Eva's Kitchen, Eva's Village shelter residents, and residential addiction treatment clients; the new Hope Residence of St. Frances for Women and Children that opened in November, '08 to accommodate the desperate need of homeless and addicted mothers more commonly required to give up their children to foster care; expansion of other facilities, including Eva's Kitchen, Eva's Medical and Dental Clinic, and Eva's Job Readiness Center; and the recent approval of fifty units of affordable housing to further the mission of Eva's Village to improving the lives of the homeless, addicted and working poor.

One board member says, "…this is a uniquely comprehensive social service program that treats even the most unfortunate with dignity and provides hope for people society prefers to overlook." He relates that a former resident of Eva's Village recently recognized him on the street, wished him a "Merry Christmas", and expressed her gratitude to Eva's Village for her "new life", including a full-time job, enrollment in a local community college, good schools for her children and Eva's Village subsidized housing. "Nothing could have made my holiday any better than that", he says, adding "…doesn't that make anyone want to do even more?"

Originally a New Jersey soup kitchen, Eva's Village was founded in 1982 by Msgr. Vincent E. Puma in response to the increasing incidence of homeless in his Paterson, NJ parish. But Msgr. Puma soon realized that a soup kitchen was not enough. With the generous support of thousands of donors and private and government grants, Eva's has grown into the most respected anti-poverty program in New Jersey, with a four-star rating (maximum) rating by Charity Navigator, an independent non-profit monitor.

To donate to Eva's Village NJ Charity or for more information, go to http://www.evasvillage.org, call Donna Fico at 973.523.6220 Ext. 230, email Donna.Fico@evasvillage.org or write to: Donna Fico, Chief Marketing Officer, Eva's Village, 393 Main Street, Paterson, NJ, 07501.

This press release has been distributed by SalemGlobal Internet Interactive Public Relations. Based in New York City, SalemGlobal, optimizes websites to increase donations for non profit organizations, increase traffic from search engines, provides lead generation, and improves conversion of site visitors to buyers. Other services include general website marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), ecommerce solutions, content management systems, website hosting, web design and maintenance. For more information, please contact CEO Raphi Salem at 212-993-5828.

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