Where Charity Begins
Bergen is a county of givers, and many of the organizations they support are home-grown.
Three days a week, Charles Rann drives from his home in Mahwah to the Center for Food Action in Saddle Brook, where he does whatever needs doing: filling cartons with food, working the distribution line, preparing items for the nonprofit’s snack packs. Ten years ago, he says, “I had the good fortune to retire early, and I wanted to find an outlet for my time that I would feel good about.” Besides donating his time to CFA, he volunteers with Healing Meals, a program of the nonprofit HealthBarn Foundation in Ridgewood, delivering prepared meals to local residents undergoing treatment for cancer. He and his wife also donate financially to various Bergen-based entities, including the John Theurer Cancer Center in Hackensack and Bergen CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), which speaks up for children in the foster care system.
“We also give to the American Cancer Society and St. Jude’s,” Rann says, “but most of our charitable giving, in terms of time and money, is local.”
Rann is no outlier. Bergenites, it turns out, are a charitable bunch. When it comes to giving in general, Bergen is the fifth most generous county in New Jersey, which happens to be the country’s fourth most generous state. (The county rankings come from an organization called SmartAsset, which uses Internal Revenue Service data to weigh both total donated amounts per capita and the percentage of citizens who donate.)
And Bergenites don’t just give to local charities. Ridgewood resident Mari Tagliabue, for example, donates to Ridgewood’s Social Services Agency, which supports a local food pantry, but also to the Emmanuel Cancer Foundation in Clark, New Jersey, which helps families deal with the financial hardships incurred when a child is treated for cancer, and Paterson-based Oasis, supporting families living under the poverty line. “Each of the charities we donate to,” she says, “supports children and moms.”
Similarly, Kate Lee of River Edge divides her donations between local and national organizations. She’s an outdoors enthusiast, and her giving habits reflect her passions. “I’m a hiker, so I donate to the New York–New Jersey Trail Conference,” she says. “But I also support national environmental nonprofits such as the Environmental Defense Fund and the Audubon Society, and animal charities like the Humane Society International and the Animal Legal Defense Fund.”
Whether they donate outside the county or not, donors from Bergen remain the financial backbone of local charities. “A very high percentage of our donations come from Bergen County residents,” says Kate Duggan, executive director of Family Promise of Bergen County, which provides support to working families facing housing insecurity. That’s true for most Bergen-based charities, as the accompanying list reveals.
Whatever charities you choose to support, make sure that they’re legitimate and that they’re likely to use most of your money to fulfill their stated mission, rather than spending too much of it on peripheral costs like executive salaries or fundraising. There are several independent charity watchdogs that offer online ratings of a wide range of nonprofits, among them Charity Navigator (charitynavigator.org), headquartered in Saddle Brook, whose ratings we used to help us compile our list of excellent Bergen-based charities, Charity Watch (charitywatch.org) and GuideStar (guidestar.org). If you can’t find a charity on these or other rating sites, you can access its IRS form 990, required for all tax-exempt organizations taking in more than $50,000 a year, at Nonprofit Explorer, a project of the nonprofit journalism organization ProPublica (projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/). The form reveals, among other things, how much money the charity took in and how much it actually spent on charitable programs. Beware of soundalikes, less than reputable charities that try to draw you in with names that sound like those of well-known and well-regarded organizations (for example, the Wounded Warrior Fund, a sham charity that sounds a lot like the legitimate Wounded Warrior Project).
There’s no better time to give than right now—a truism underlined by the fact that inflation has expanded the number of Bergen residents in need of services that fight hunger and homelessness and a nationwide downturn in the number of people giving to charity. The philanthropy research organization Giving USA reported that, overall, charitable giving was down in both 2022 and 2023. This so-called “generosity crisis” is likely fueled by a multiplicity of causes, from an uncertain economy to the decline of organized religion, which tends to emphasize charitable giving. If you want to help fill the giving gap and plan to donate at least some of your money (or time) to local charities, the list that follows should help you get started.
THE CHARITIES: WHO THEY ARE AND HOW THEY HELP
For Bergenites considering a gift to one or more local nonprofits, below are verbal snapshots of some of the highest-rated Bergen-based charities. We turned to Charity Navigator, the world’s largest charity-rating service and itself a Bergen-based nonprofit, to help us compile and vet the list. The organization assesses charities across four areas it calls “beacons”: impact and results, accountability and finance, leadership and adaptability, and culture and community. Charities receive a numerical rating ranging from zero to 100, as well as a zero- to four-star designation, with those receiving three or four stars earning a “give with confidence” classification. (All of the nonprofits on our list received four stars.) For more information on methodology and individual charities, go to charitynavigator.org.
Note: Our list isn’t meant to be exhaustive, and we encourage you to give to any Bergen-based charity of your choice—but make sure to verify it first.
NEW YORK-NEW JERSEY TRAIL CONFERENCE
A volunteer-powered organization that builds, maintains and protects public trails, working to ensure that our region’s trails and other natural areas are sustainable and accessible to all. Headquarters: Mahwah
Rating on Charity Navigator: 100 percent
Share of donations from Bergen County: N/A.
“But,” says Pat Gallagher, director of development, “we can state that 43 percent of our donations come from New Jersey.”
Volunteer opportunities: “If you’re passionate about the outdoors and looking to get involved,” Communications Specialist Matthew Thompson says, “we offer a variety of ways to volunteer— from group trail maintenance workshops and stewardship opportunities to becoming a future leader in conservation by joining the Trail Conference Conservation Corps.”
Impacts on Bergen: One of the organization’s standout efforts, says Thompson, “is our work at Ramapo Valley County Reservation, where the Trail Conference has played a key role in maintaining and improving popular hiking routes, such as the Vista Loop Trail, to ensure safety and sustainability. And the Conference’s habitat restoration projects, such as invasive species removal efforts in the Ramapo Mountains, have been critical in protecting native ecosystems in Bergen County.”
Donate/learn more: nynjtc.org
TABLE TO TABLE
New Jersey’s first food rescue program collects fresh food, otherwise slated to be discarded, from 380 donor partners such as restaurants, supermarkets and food distributors and delivers it the same day to 250 area community organizations.
Headquarters: Saddle Brook
Rating on Charity Navigator: 98 percent
Share of donations from Bergen County: N/A.
But Marketing Director Maria Sinopoli notes that “Table to Table got its start in Bergen County 25 years ago, and we have a strong following here of loyal volunteers, donors and supporters.”
Volunteer opportunities: People can rescue food using the organization’s app or host a food drive.
Impacts on Bergen: “Since 1999,” says Sinopoli, “Table to Table has helped nourish hundreds of thousands of our Bergen County neighbors. We believe that good food belongs on the table, not in a landfill, and we’ve created a solution to bridge that gap by rescuing and delivering fresh nutritious food to those who need it most and, in the process, reducing food waste.”
Donate/learn more: tabletotable.org
HACKENSACK RIVERKEEPER
This 27-year-old nonprofit works to return the Hackensack River and its watershed to as close to its original state as possible while providing sustainable resources and recreation to residents.
Headquarters: Hackensack
Rating on Charity Navigator: 96 percent
Share of donations from Bergen County: 73 percent
Volunteer opportunities: Pitch in with river cleanup, water quality sampling, environmental education, office/computer tasks, photography/social media and community engagement events.
Impacts on Bergen: “We have a very active program agenda, mostly based in Bergen County, including our paddle centers, our middle school environmental series, watershed cleanups and the Eco-Cruise programs,” says Mike Panos, head of donor relations.
Donate/learn more: hackensackriverkeeper.org
BERGEN VOLUNTEER MEDICAL INITIATIVE
This volunteer-dependent nonprofit provides free, high-quality healthcare to qualifying low-income adults without health insurance in Bergen County.
Headquarters: Hackensack Rating on
Charity Navigator: 95 percent
Share of donations from Bergen County: About 65 percent
Volunteer opportunities: “BVMI runs on volunteers,” says Joanne Murad, manager of grants and external affairs. “Our volunteers include physicians, nurses, specialists, interpreters and those who help with administrative projects in the office.” At this writing, the organization was looking for primary-care physicians, nurses or nurse practitioners and Spanish-speaking interpreters (no clinical experience needed).
Impacts on Bergen: “Over the past 15 years,” says Murad, “BVMI has transformed the quality of life for thousands of patients and saved many lives in the process. In 2025, BVMI will open a second clinic in Garfield at Unity Health, a new, one-stop wellness center.”
Donate/learn more: bvmi.org
CENTER FOR FOOD ACTION
For residents in need in Bergen and upper Passaic counties, CFA provides emergency food, weekend “snack packs” and assistance in preventing homelessness in the form of help with rent and utilities.
Headquarters: Englewood, with food distribution sites in Hackensack, Mahwah, Ringwood and Saddle Brook and on the campus of Bergen Community College in Paramus
Rating on Charity Navigator: 95 percent
Share of donations from Bergen County: 85 percent
Volunteer opportunities: “Positions include outdoor food distribution, packing emergency food boxes, working in the organic garden, general warehouse work and administrative tasks,” says Nicole Davis, executive director. “We welcome corporate and interfaith groups as well as individuals and small groups.”
Impacts on Bergen: “By the end of 2024,” Davis says, “Center for Food Action will have assisted 175,000 families and individuals who are facing food insecurity, as well as 650 neighbors facing eviction or needing assistance with their utilities.”
Donate/learn more: cfanj.org
FAMILY PROMISE OF BERGEN COUNTY
This charity provides temporary housing, followed by personalized support, to working families facing housing insecurity, helping them set specific goals to guide them toward financial independence. and also addresses food insecurity in the community.
Headquarters: Ridgewood
Rating on Charity Navigator: 90 percent
Percentage of donations from Bergen County: N/A.
But, says Executive Director Kate Duggan, “It’s a very high percentage, since all of our clients are from Bergen County.”
Volunteer opportunities: “Our walk-in dinner program, serving 250 people every night, is our biggest volunteer opportunity,” notes Duggan.
Impacts on Bergen: “Family Promise assists working families with children who have lost their housing or who are at imminent risk, providing the tools and support families need as they strive to become self-sufficient,” says Duggan.
Donate/learn more: bergenfamilypromise.org
