For the second consecutive year, The Good People Fund has been named a Four Star Charity by Charity Navigator,  the country’s largest independent evaluator of nonprofit organizations. As we approach our tenth year of operation it is especially heartening to receive this classification as we have always worked tirelessly to project transparency and operate with fiscal responsibility.

In Charity Navigator’s own words, The Good People Fund has received this best possible rating which “indicates that your organization adheres to sector best practices and executes its mission in a financially efficient way. Attaining a 4-star rating verifies that Good People Fund exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in your area of work. Only 28% of the charities we evaluate have received at least 2 consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that Good People Fund outperforms most other charities in America. This exceptional designation from Charity Navigator sets Good People Fund apart from its peers and demonstrates to the public its trustworthiness.”

We could not be prouder!

We have been thanked in many different ways for the grants our generous donors allow us to make in their name. Nothing comes quite close to this shot which just popped up in our email. Pictured is Dana Marlowe, founder of Support the Girls which has spearheaded the collection of  more than 135,000 bras and nearly one million feminine hygiene products in less than two years. Dana’s weight loss served as the impetus for her work. With the shedding of several pounds she found herself with a drawer full of perfectly good bras which no longer fit. A saleswoman suggested they could be used by women in local shelters and that was where Dana headed with her surplus. Today, chapters are popping up all over the US and abroad and we are certain that Dana’s work will grow exponentially.

If you look closely, you will see that Dana took this shot will sitting on the floor in the midst of sorting an almost literal mountain of recently donated bras and tampons. Our matching grant will allow Support the Girls, which already operates on a shoe string, to do even more. We couldn’t be happier.

Thank you soo much for allowing me the opportunity to go to the best place outside of my home. This with be my 7th summer and will be the greatest summer ever. 

You don’t normally think of the necessities that go along with formal cooking classes. Showing up with an apron doesn’t quite do it anymore. With that in mind, we were excited to help Kerry Brodie, founder of Emma’s Torch which trains New York-area refugees in the culinary arts, by offering a matching grant for the purchase of the essentials.

As classes begin, Adwa, a young woman from Saudi Arabia is seen here in her new clogs, uniform and professional knife.

This weekend the new Brooklyn cafe run by Emma’s Torch students will open and we are sure that Adwa and her classmates will get a lot of practice using their newly learned knife skills.

https://vimeo.com/214125341

Did you know that 1 in 7 college students worry about where their next meal may come from? In California, that number is even more dire–1 in 3 struggle with hunger insecurity daily. Pretty sobering facts when you assume that people who can go to college could surely afford proper nutrition.

In 2009, Rachel Sumekh and her friends, all students at UCLA, used their meal cards to purchase sandwiches which they distributed to hungry people along the city’s streets. Eventually, the number of meals purchased with meal points reached 15,000. With so much unused funding left on students’ cards, Rachel and her friends uncovered an enormous resource that could be used to feed hungry people throughout the community and on campus. Swipe Out Hunger is the organization that Rachel now leads, dedicated to empowering students on campuses across the country to end hunger and homelessness.

We were introduced to Rachel a few months ago and learned quite quickly how this inspiring young woman has already brought the program to more than 26 campuses across the country (with more coming on board), as well as having successfully lobbied the California legislature to address the issue of hunger on campus through student meal sharing practices.

Our matching grant helped make possible a record-breaking $76,000 infusion for Swipe Out Hunger so that students like Emily, the focus of this video, will never experience hunger again.

Much as it is here, Independence Day in Israel is all about barbecues, family outings and the beginning of summer.

For the past few years, Avraham Hayon and our friends at S.A.H.I., an organization which focuses on helping troubled youth through a program that teaches compassion and giving, mark Israel’s independence in a poignant way that reminds everyone of the true meaning of the celebration. While barbecues and beaches are fun, S.A.H.I. participants visit thousands of elders, handing out flowers and hugs and thanking them for their role in building the country. This year, even more groups are involved as “the public is urged to add, each in his or her own way, new meaning to the day.”

It is difficult to watch this film and not get a little teary. It reminds us of the kaleidoscope of different cultures that make up Israel, and also how much strength is gained when everyone comes together.

Yom Huledet Sameach, Israel!