Family-to-Family

Share Your Bounty

Fully-Sponsored

As went American industry in the 1970s and 80s, so went Braddock, Pennsylvania. As with so much of the “Rust Belt,” the town of 2,100 in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh has seen jobs largely dry up, and despite the spirited and sustained efforts of local workers to revitalize the local economy, its population remains a fraction of its peak in the early 20th century. Poverty today is rampant. 

  • 37% of Braddock residents lived below the federal poverty line
  • Half of those live in extreme poverty — below 50% of the poverty line. 

Poverty in Braddock reaches across racial and ethnic boundaries, affecting the town’s African American, Caucasian, Latino and mixed residents. In particular, children in Braddock experience poverty — around 50% of kids there live in poverty, almost triple the statewide average. 

Our community partner in Braddock is the nonprofit For Good PGH, an organization whose programs stress inclusivity in order to “create positive experiences for underserved populations” in greater Pittsburgh. Their convictions that “giving is much easier than we realize” and that “the impact is profound” are ones that Family-to-Family shares. We are proud to support their work.

Community Partner:

Kristen Michaels
For Good PGH
910 Braddock Avenue
Braddock, PA 15104

Data Sources:

Named for the Catholic patron saint of soldiers, the city of San Elizario lies on the banks of the Rio Grande in far western Texas, directly on the Mexican border. It’s an old town — first visited in 1598 by Spanish explorers, and permanently settled since 1789. The town changed hands often throughout its history — first belonging to colonial Spain, then Mexico, and finally an American town in 1848.

Its border town status shows in the town’s demographics. Roughly 35% of residents are foreign born, and over 98% identify as Latino. San Elizario experiences poverty at a startling rate: 

  • 35% of all residents live below the federal poverty line
  • the average household earns $36,203 before taxes 
  • only 11% of residents over the age of 25 have a college degree

Our community partner organization in San Elizario is Familias Triunfadoras, Inc. a women-led nonprofit founded in 2006 by a group of local community activists aiming to improve quality of life along the US/Texas border. Their mission is to empower women and families in this underserved region through programs emphasizing family strengthening, community unity, asset building, community development and economic self-sufficiency. 

Community Contact
Maria Ortiz
Familias Triunfadoras
PO Box 1352
San Elizario, TX 79849

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!

Data Sources:

https://cityofsanelizario.com/about/
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/sanelizariocitytexas
https://datausa.io/profile/geo/san-elizario-tx#about

Nestled amidst the largest metropolitan area in the U.S., Jersey City is one of the country’s most densely populated cities. A port city located on the Hudson River and New York Bay just across from Manhattan, it’s a landing place for a steady stream of immigrants, including significant communities from Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Many of these immigrants struggle to find housing and employment, and the city’s poverty levels are well above the national average.

According to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey on Jersey City:

  • Jersey City is diverse: 35.4% of the population is White, 28.8% Hispanic, 25.4% Asian and 24% African-American.
  • 18.7% of the city’s population lives below the poverty level, with significant racial disparities. 
  • 25.3% of the African-American population and 23.5% of the Hispanic population live in poverty.

Family-to-Family works with the immigrant aid organization Church World Service (CWS) in Jersey City, with CWS recommending refugee families in need to our refugee sponsorship program. The organization focuses on welcoming refugees and asylees to northern New Jersey and enabling them to become self-sufficient members of the community. Last year CWS Jersey City served more than 200 refugees and asylees with everything from home and community orientation, application assistance for public benefits and healthcare, job preparation, job placement, and basic needs support.

Jersey City refugee families sponsored through Family-to-Family receive a monthly grocery store gift card to a store near their home.

Community Contact:
Courtney Madsen
 Church World Service
26 Journal Square, Suite 600
Jersey City, N.J. 07036

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a refugee family!

Located on the shores of the Long Island Sound in New York’s Westchester County is the picturesque town of Mamaroneck. Typified by historic buildings and grassy lawns (the town’s Winged Foot Golf Course hosted the U.S. Open in 2020), it’s not a place one would expect to find poverty or food insecurity. Mamaroneck’s median household income is close to $100,000. 

But in spite of the prosperity experienced by most in the village, a significant number of families struggle against high costs of living — the median apartment rent is over $2,700 per month — and low wages. These issues pose tremendous challenges for the 8.1% of residents living below the poverty line, many of whom are recent immigrants from Latin America.

Our community partner on the ground is the Washingtonville Housing Alliance, a nonprofit that works to provide affordable housing to low income families and individuals within Mamaroneck and the surrounding area. To date, they have constructed or rehabilitated 115 apartments for those in need. Mamaroneck families sponsored through our program receive monthly grocery store gift cards, distributed by Bertha Gallo at Washington Housing Alliance.

Community Partner:
Bertha Gallo
Washingtonville Housing Alliance
136 Library Lane
Mamaroneck, N.Y. 10543  

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!

One of the five boroughs of New York City, Staten Island is a mix of well kept suburban houses and low income housing complexes. Poverty rates have risen steadily here over the last 20 years: in 1989 the U.S. Census Bureau found 6.5% of residents lived under the poverty level; in 2000, 8.9%, in 2010, 11%.

According to the 2007-2011 American Community Survey, in Staten Island:

  • 17.9% of households have an annual income of less than $25,000
  • 34.9% of single mothers and single women with children live in poverty

Family-to-Family’s contact and partner on Staten Island is the Christian Pentecostal Church (CPC) and its pastor, John Rocco Carlo. The church operates a food pantry in addition to offering shelter, housing resources and counseling to those in need.

When Super storm Sandy hit the Northeast in October 2012, Staten Island suffered incredible devastation. Homes and businesses were destroyed, leaving thousands displaced – including many of the CPC’s parishioners. Two days after the storm Pastor Carlo started a massive grass roots relief effort.

Along with 3 other area churches, the CPC organized a makeshift disaster relief depot of sorts – enabling community organizers across Staten Island to pick up and distribute basic necessities (food, blankets, warm clothing, etc.) to those displaced by Sandy. These early efforts quickly grew into a major resource hub for Staten Island residents who were only beginning to realize just how arduous the process of recovery would be.

According to the Pastor, the most common issue is the challenging question of how to rebuild. The cost of flood insurance has skyrocketed in the post-Sandy months, making the dream of rebuilding businesses and restoring jobs seem unattainable. Many in this community were left both homeless and jobless in Sandy’s wake and must make difficult decisions about how best to move forward.

This is a community of resilient and hardworking people – many of whom were struggling even before their homes and workplaces were damaged or destroyed. Family-to-Family’s efforts to support Staten Island residents include both one-to-one family hunger relief sponsorships and one-to-one hurricane adoptions.

In Staten Island, Family-to-Family partners with The Food Bank of New York to provide groceries for our sponsored families.

Community Partner:
Rev. John Rocco Carlo
Christian Pentecostal Church
900 Richmond Rd.
Staten Island, N.Y. 10304

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!

Formerly known as East Las Vegas, the town of Whitney is just a 20 minute drive from the Las Vegas Strip.  Not long ago, the area boasted a robust economy thanks to abundant jobs in Las Vegas, but during the recent economic downturn the tourism industry was hit hard and those jobs dried up.  Especially for the 18.4% of adults without high school diplomas, making a living has never been harder.  Since the early 2000’s, Whitney has seen its poverty rate climb by nearly 50%, while its population has more than doubled.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, in Whitney:

  • 19.6% of households have an annual income of less than $25,000
  • 21% of families with children live below the poverty line
  • 18.4% of people over 25 never finished high school
  • 81.2% of people over 25 don’t have a college degree

Family-to-Family’s community partner here is the Whitney Elementary School, where school officials witness the poverty their students face every day.  An administrator tells us, “Most families have limited or no income at all. They live in government housing and 80% of the children are receiving free lunches. At our school, we try to provide clothes, shoes, and food to help the kids feel good about themselves, so they can learn.”

In Whitney, Family-to-Family partners with Albertson’s grocery store to provide groceries for our sponsored families.

Community Contact:
Sherrie Gahn
5005 Keenan Avenue
LasVegas, NV 89122-7461

Click here to watch a CBS News piece about how families at Whitney Elementary School are struggling to overcome poverty.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2008-2012

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!