logo
    • Magazine
    • Membership
    • Donate
  • Racial Justice
  • Economic Justice
    • Collections
  • Climate Justice
  • Health Justice
  • Leadership
  • CONTENT TYPES
  • Subscribe
  • Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Complimentary Webinars
    • Premium On-Demand Webinars
  • Membership
  • Submissions

Helping Hand Needs a Helping Hand

Bruce S Trachtenberg
November 10, 2010
Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print

November 8, 2010; Source: Seattle PI | One of the cruel ironies of the continuing economic slump is that even an organization called Helping Hand—which provides emergency assistance to people in dire straits—needs someone to rescue it. According to Rosemary Martin, executive director of the South Whidbey, Wash., organization, “We’re out of money.”

As a result, since late October, Helping Hand has been turning away clients. The group typically helps by paying a month’s rent or taking care of an electric bill or home or car repairs. So far in 2010, the group assisted some 276 people. Most of its clients are women, and they include single mothers as well as grandmothers caring for their grandchildren. “We’re a temporary stopgap. Anything to keep people warm and a roof over their heads.”

Sign up for our free newsletters

Subscribe to NPQ's newsletters to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

Since there are still many people out there who need that help, Martin says, “It keeps me awake at night, worrying about cold weather, and what these people are going to do.” Maybe it goes hand in hand with this kind of work, Martin is an optimist and not ready to call it quits. She says the group’s annual appeal letter goes out later this month and she’s certain people will respond so Helping Hand can get back on its feet. “I believe that the money will come, and the community will step up when it knows the need.”—Bruce Trachtenberg

Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print

Become a member

Support independent journalism and knowledge creation for civil society. Become a member of Nonprofit Quarterly.

Members receive unlimited access to our archived and upcoming digital content. NPQ is the leading journal in the nonprofit sector written by social change experts. Gain access to our exclusive library of online courses led by thought leaders and educators providing contextualized information to help nonprofit practitioners make sense of changing conditions and improve infra-structure in their organizations.

Join Today
logo logo logo logo logo
See comments

NPQ_Winter_2022Subscribe Today
You might also like
Remaking the Economy: Caring for the Care Economy
Steve Dubb, Adria Powell and Jenn Stowe
Race, Class, and Climate: Organizing for a Better Future in Pueblo, Colorado
Jamie Valdez
Faith as a Pathway to Climate Action
Anmol Irfan
Countering Authoritarianism: Forging a Progressive Response to Fragmentation
john a. powell and Sara Grossman
America’s Broken Safety Net—and How to Address It: An Interview with Alissa Quart
Steve Dubb and Alissa Quart
New York Brings Power to the People
Johanna Bozuwa

NPQ Webinars

April 27th, 2 pm ET

Liberatory Decision-Making

How to Facilitate and Engage in Healthy Decision-making Processes

Register Now
You might also like
AOC’s “Tax the Rich” Dress Dazzles Met Gala, while...
Anastasia Reesa Tomkin
Foundation Giving Numbers for 2020 Show 15 Percent Increase
Steve Dubb
Strike MoMA Imagines Art Museums without Billionaires
Tessa Crisman

Like what you see?

Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

See our newsletters

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

Independent & in your mailbox.

Subscribe today and get a full year of NPQ for just $59.

subscribe
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Copyright
  • Careers

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

 

Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.