Four: Arm in Arm Goes Hand in Hand with Philanthropy

Anyone here from New Jersey? What a great program you have with Arm in Arm. I chose Arm in Arm as I was looking through Charity Navigator's nonprofits with a perfect 100 score. I like the connotations behind being arm in arm and being in this together - it reflects the whole feeling behind this initiative: bringing people and organizations together with hope and inspiration.
Arm in Arm "connects people in need of food, housing and job support with people who want to help." With 15 staff member and hundreds of volunteers, Arm in Arm, in a community based approach, supports three areas: food, housing, and job support. Through their "client choice" style pantries, clients "shop" according to family size and up to date nutritional guidelines, which I find more empowering than some systems. The stories clients and volunteers share inspire me and describe more of their activities. In one, we see a volunteer helping a family to manage their utility debt by acting as mediator between the family and the company. This proactive assistance can mean so much to someone struggling and overwhelmed by making things manageable. It is both an answer to a problem and a means to achieving more. I've always felt solution oriented when it comes to problems, so I admire programs that do more than just solve a current issue, which is what Arm in Arm does with job support. By offering training, experience, education and more, Arm in Arm's clients can build resumes with actual experience then transition back to the workplace:

Trainees build stronger resumes and make themselves marketable in several ways: 

• Working and gaining experience in customer service, inventory, and food handling in our Client Choice pantries
• Occasional office assistance
• Increased comfort and computer literacy with online learning platforms, job applications, and correspondence
• Pursuit of career-related education through online certificate courses in safe food handling (ServSafe) and retail/customer service (International Grocer’s Association/Coca-Cola Institute)
• Discussions of interview skills and job search success with representatives form area businesses such as Starbucks
• Workshops led by partner agencies such as Dress for Success (job search techniques and support) and Family Guidance Center (financial literacy and credit counseling)
• Individualized guidance in online job applications, interview skills, and work habits

(http://arminarm.org/finding-work-and-financial-stability/) 

I have some experience and endless appreciation for nonprofits who are truly comment based, so  thank you Arm in Arm for being an amazing resource for your community.