My Nonprofit Reviews
annkosco
Review for Homefront Inc, Lawrenceville, NJ, USA
I first got involved with HomeFront over 20 years ago when they needed help with the first Christmas party. Since that time I have volunteered serving food at the motels, helping out at the annual Christmas party which for several years included picking up and driving a family there, sorting clothes at the free store and then as a board member for 14 years during which I was the secretary for first five years. Currently I am a board member of HomeFront TLC Inc, a separate entity that buys and manages the buildings that provide emergency, temporary and permanent housing for our clients and their families. Over the last 20 years HomeFront has grown from an all volunteer army of a few to an organization with over 100 employees and 4000 volunteers. It is a very unique and special organization that has made a huge difference in the lives of thousands of homeless and working poor people in Mercer County. When I first got involved with HomeFront I was living in Middlesex county and working in Morris county. However I grew up in Lawrenceville and after living there for 23 years, HomeFront was the perfect organization that allowed me to give something back to the community. I still live in Middlesex County and have continued my involvement with HomeFront because I have found no other organization that has the breadth of programming, talent, resources and the constant mission to eliminate homelessness to make a permanent difference by getting families off of welfare enabling them to be contributing members of the community and society.
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I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
I have seen young women come to HomeFront with nothing but the clothes on their back. Through the GED program offered at the Family Preservation center they get their high school degree and a job through Work FIrst. I have seen some kids I used to take care of at events years ago go to college, the first in their family to do so. I have also seen in particular one woman who came in as a client with 3 children who know is an employee supervising one of our childrens programs.
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
As an ex-board member of HomeFront Inc, there needs to be a way to keep folks like me aware of all the events and programs that are being held without having to look at Facebook. There is a quarterly newsletter, a great website and I do get occasional emails announcing specific events but I would like to see a more regular method of communication and/or maybe a group specifically targeted to ex-board members.
