Who We Are
Pennies for Poverty: 2 Cents 4 Change, Inc. was founded with the belief that if everyone in the community does a little to help those in need, we can substantially reduce poverty and improve the well being of all members of the community. We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit run by volunteer members of the community. With no paid staff or related expenses, we direct the full amount of your tax-deductible donation to fill the most urgent and important needs. We make every penny count.
Please click here to be added to our email list to receive our newsletter. The newsletter provides information on events held by local social service agencies as well as Pennies and offers updates on local issues that we address.
Mission: Our mission is to ease the impact of poverty on the people of Greater Newburyport by endorsing models of assistance that promote dignity, supporting allied organizations both financially and collaboratively, increasing community awareness of poverty through citizen education, and inspiring and encouraging volunteerism. We accomplish this by:
- Raising funds to address urgent needs at local anti-poverty agencies. We raise money in ways that the agencies we serve do not or cannot undertake, including community events and donation boxes in local stores.
- Increasing awareness and educating about poverty in Greater Newburyport. We do this through newsletter and social media postings of recent research and relevant articles as well as public forums on key topics. Our focus in 2019 is on Invisible Neighbors, with sessions on food security, local poverty, and affordable housing.
- Helping people in need to find ways of getting help through our mobile-friendly, searchable, online Resources Directory. We do regular updates and additions to the directory. It is used by social service providers as well as people in need of services.
- Promoting volunteerism by advocating the use of VolunteerMatch.org by local non-profits to publish their volunteer needs and publicizing its availability to the community and recruiting volunteers for other non-profits as needed. We also coordinate several volunteer groups including delivery of bread 6 days a week to people in to public housing, councils on aging, etc and transportation to a local food pantry.
- Publicizing food drives, fundraisers and other activities of local social service agencies. We aim to energize the community, encouraging more volunteerism and financial support to local agencies.
Guiding Principles: Pennies holds itself to the highest moral and ethical standards; promotes and fosters understanding and awareness of poverty and related issues; keeps the goal of ending poverty forefront in making decisions and policies; works to create an atmosphere of cooperation and collaboration within the Board as well as with the community at large; is open to new ideas and new initiatives that lift people out of poverty; is conscious not to initiate programs or events that could reduce funding or volunteering for the agencies who directly serve those in need.
Please consider joining our efforts to end poverty in Newburyport and surrounding towns. We need your ideas, your time and your efforts to make this program work. For more information or if you would like to be involved, email us at pennies@penniesforpoverty.org.
Grant Applications
If you are an organization seeking funding, please download our Grant Application Form and submit to pennies@penniesforpoverty.org. Thank you.