Corporate Partners & Supporters Help Change Lives
Summit, NJ – 2020 was a transformative year for Family Promise. Facing a myriad of challenges presented by an unprecedented global pandemic, Family Promise Affiliates across the country adapted to the new landscape, continuing to engage volunteers, and serving more families and children than ever before.
“The pandemic rendered our core communal shelter program nearly impossible, and we increased prevention, diversion, and stabilization services to keep families housed and avoid shelter,” said Claas Ehlers, Family Promise CEO. “Our corporate partners and supporters played a critical role, enabling us to introduce several impactful programs to address the immediate and long-term needs of the families and children we serve.”
So many families lost jobs and were at risk of losing their homes. Family Promise Affiliates increased their work in prevention and shelter diversion. New, innovative programming like A Future Begins at Home, an initiative that helps families in crisis avoid the trauma of homelessness through comprehensive support, and Innovation Grants, which supported the expansion of prevention services helped Affiliates deliver critical services to families during the pandemic, keeping them housed and safe.
The Annual Impact Report showcases Family Promise’s work during the past year. Overall, in 2020, Family Promise Affiliates served 177,474 family members in all programs. By increasing prevention, diversion, and stabilization services, half of Family Promise’s 200 Affiliates doubled the number of individuals served and 28,398 episodes of homelessness were avoided or shortened.
This work was made possible with the help of our corporate partners and supporters including:
- Beiersdorf: “One of Beiersdorf’s core values is care and we are committed to care beyond skin, beyond our core business. In 2020 we all needed more care than ever before,” said Alvaro Alonso, General Manager Beiersdorf Inc. “As part of Beiersdorf’s COVID relief efforts we were able to give a donation to Family Promise. We’re so pleased to be able to help so many when there’s such a large need, particularly this past year. This is how we live up our purpose CARE BEYOND SKIN.”
- Belk: “Since our founding over 130 years ago, Belk has had a long legacy of supporting our community,” said Nir Patel, CEO of Belk. “With so many people who were impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic over this last year, we knew that we wanted to continue helping as many families as we could. Our partnership with Family Promise has allowed us to help countless families get the support they needed during these trying times so that everyone can have access to a safe place to call home.”
- Clayton: “We are proud to partner with Family Promise to create innovative homelessness prevention programs that help families achieve housing stability,” said Kevin Clayton, CEO of Clayton. “This partnership supports Clayton’s vision to develop housing innovations that improve lives and build a better tomorrow.”
- Ikea U.S.: “IKEA believes that home is the most important place in the world. We recognize that now more than ever, many families are in crisis as the pandemic has exacerbated issues facing at-risk and already homeless populations,” said Jennifer Keesson, IKEA U.S. Country Sustainability Manager. “We are honored to work with Family Promise and are happy to see that the monetary and in-kind support we’re providing is helping local communities across the country, particularly in the areas that our stores serve.”
- KIA America, Inc.: “Giving back in meaningful ways is a key component of Kia’s corporate culture and we are humbled to be able to provide assistance to organizations that serve families and children experiencing or at risk for homelessness,” said Russell Wager, vice president, marketing, Kia America, Inc. “The support provided by Family Promise – especially on the health, social, and emotional levels – is critical, and we are grateful for their dedication to these issues.”
- Kiddie Academy: “Safe and stable environments are essential to nurturing a healthy childhood. We are incredibly energized by Family Promise’s critical work and humbled to support a solution that can help children reach their full potential,” shared Kiddie Academy President Joshua Frick.
- Saks OFF 5TH: “At Saks OFF 5TH we have committed to establishing ongoing, long-term charitable partnerships with organizations that directly benefit and impact the communities we serve,” said Paige Thomas, President & CEO, Saks OFF 5TH. “We’re proud to have supported Family Promise through several customer-facing programs in 2020, including much-needed coat and mask donations, and have continued our important work together in 2021.
- Woodforest National Bank: “We are honored to have such a long-standing relationship with Family Promise and its Affiliates to support their mission to keep families housed and avoid shelters. We started our friendship with an awarding-winning program ‘New Beginnings’, our financial education curriculum which gives thousands of people greater financial capability and trusted guidance. We are also excited to develop micro-entrepreneurship resources and tools to help guests achieve greater financial freedom,” said Doug Schaeffer, EVP, CRA Executive Director, Woodforest National Bank.
“We are most grateful for these partners’ extraordinary support,” said Cara Bradshaw, Family Promise Chief Impact Officer. “In addition to helping more families and children remain sustainably housed, our partnerships help to ensure that every child has access to a brighter future.
ABOUT FAMILY PROMISE
Family Promise envisions a nation in which every family has a home, a livelihood, and the chance to build a better future. What began as a local initiative in Summit, NJ, has become a national movement that involves 200,000 volunteers and served 177,000 family members in 2020. Family Promise will change the future for 1 million children by 2030.
Currently, Family Promise is working in over 200 communities in 43 states to ensure that families experiencing homelessness have a safe place to call home. To get involved, visit FamilyPromise.org.
