Midnight Run provides over 1000 relief missions per year. It has volunteers through churches, synagogues, schools, and other groups to distribute goods to the homeless poor in NYC. Their relief efforts create a bond between the housed and the homeless. It does not aim to be a solution to homelessness but rather to create common ground between the two. Their website states “That human exchange, rather than the exchange of goods, is the essence of the Midnight Run mission.”
Midnight Run was founded in my hometown, Dobbs Ferry, New York. In 1984 homelessness in NYC became widespread. Many were aware of the problem but not much was being done. Members of a church from Dobbs Ferry who volunteered at a soup kitchen in Manhattan took note of this. They noticed that some homeless poor were concerned with those who didn’t have access to goods such as food and clothing. The members invited a woman who was homeless to speak at their church. She argued that their most basic human needs were not being met. The members began to coordinate nights to take the train from Dobbs Ferry into Grand Central Station and distribute goods throughout the area. They distributed food, supplies, clothing, and offered companionship to homeless people. More people started to volunteer from other churches and synagogues in the area. In 1989, Midnight Run established itself as a not-for-profit organization and was able to rent it’s first headquarters.
Donations accepted by Midnight Run can be specific. There are requirements for the kind of food and descriptions of what kind of sandwiches are acceptable. Their website explains that their worry is “charity sandwiches” which would consist of a slice of bologna and two pieces of bread. They hope to avoid this by having these requirements. They want what the people receive to be not only a nutritious meal but also a gesture. Midnight Run understands that some may not have enough money to send a large meal but they would rather send 80 0r 90 generous meals than 150 mediocre ones.
Aside from food, Midnight Run asks for donations of clothing, toiletries, and cash. They accept cash donations in order to pay for office space, vans, staff, and the goods they don’t receive from donations. I believe Midnight Run could be a good charity to donate our money to because a small donation can do a lot for them. Most of what they receive are donations to be given to the homeless so they need cash donations in order to keep operating.
Hi Alexa,
ReplyDeleteWhat I like about the organization you wrote about is the idea that they do not focus on entirely getting rid of homelessness, but rather focus on the helping people out in a terrible situation. They provide people that have no home with life saving supplies that help these people sustain in our society. This is the first step toward fully re-socializing.
By donating to these organizations, we are actually able to make a difference. Buying bread and other essential nutrients does not take thousands of dollars, which means that our class contribution can actually make a difference. In addition to this, I really like the pro active way the organization functions. By going around town and giving people what they need they may even overcome the 'shame' of asking for food.
An interesting organization I came across recently is the Wounded Warrior Project. To help veterans and homeless people, they offer mental healthcare which in my opinion can make all the difference in reducing homelessness. Even though it is extremely hard to get rid of homelessness and we probably never will, it is organizations like these that help bettering the terrible situation these people find themselves in.
Below is a link to their website if you want to do more research
https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/default.aspx?tsid=9730&campaignSource=ONLINE&source=BS18002&gclid=CjwKCAjw4sLVBRAlEiwASblR-z3rIgejN-G_gaUTyAEnFsWU2-nTOOp7C9MeYQ3vy5eZ_yDBY7QErxoCGDwQAvD_BwE
Hey Alexa,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you writing about an organization is an issue area we haven't focused on too deeply in class. We have focused on food insecurity and job development but there are also many charities helping directly to alleviate homelessness. Homelessness in New York City is a serious issue and the organization's humane approach to the issue is great. You spoke about how Midnight Run provides food and clothing. Do they only deal with direct help to homeless people? Do they have any long-term programs, such as job training or long-term housing? If not, how do they see these short-term soultions helping to alleviate poverty and homelessness on a grander scale? I would be interested to learn more about the specific programs of the organization. Great post and organization. I am asked to hear your pitch in class.
Hi Alexa,
ReplyDeleteYour post made me think about something that I have noticed time and again in our discussions. I have been reading several blog posts and comments and together with our discussions in class, it seems as if the majority (at least that is the impression I get) want to support charities that provide long – term guidance or solutions and are rather skeptical towards short – term approaches, such as the one CHOW provides for example. I know that CHOW also offers long – term programs such as CHOW works, but I am talking about the mere distribution of food to individuals. I would also categorize Midnight Run as a charity that provides material goods as short – term solutions such as food, clothing, toiletry, etc.
Yet, in the last charity pitches (where he give away relatively little money in comparison to our final donation) there have been occasions a small, local organization won. One that might provide exactly that short – term assistance that many of us criticize. The question does not only seem to be, where am I giving my money to but rather, how much am I giving in the first place and from there, deciding to which organization to give it to. I wonder where people would draw the line, at what sum would they believe it is reasonable to give it to a large organization. The only problem I see with that is that it could result in a situation in which the small charities remain with little financial resources while the big ones can’t stop the flow. I am aware that this is a highly unrealistic idea but sometimes I feel that it would be interesting to see what happens if one wealthy donor would give a substantial sum to a small, local charity, to see and realize how much “good” even a small charity can do with this sum. However, I guess that money is just too scarce and people’s lives and problems too valuable to try this out.
Hi Alexa,
ReplyDeleteWhile reading your post, I realized that I had in fact heard of Midnight Run before (go Westchester!). I love how efficient and simple yet well thought out the organization seems. I also love the clear guidelines and protocols listed on their website, so people who want to help know the best way to do so. It seems as though MANY people want to get involved with this charity; when looking through their schedule, people in communities around the entire tri-state sign up. Also, run requests are due well in advance before the desired run date.
Midnight Run covers a fair amount of ground in terms of the way it accepts help. They accept monetary donations, food and clothing, people’s volunteer time, and even when they cannot accept something, they provide a list of places people can donate goods not accepted by MIdnight run. Midnight Run also provides a list of other organizations that help the homeless similar to and different from themselves. I would be interested in seeing Midnight Run collaborate with these or other organizations to make their efforts in helping the homeless even more productive. I would also like to see their financial information clearly listed on their website. I could not find it, and when I checked Charity Navigator, there was no rating of it (which is neither a negative or positive thing).
Overall, I enjoyed reading your blog and look forward to hearing you speak about the Westchester-born Midnight Run!
Sincerely,
Hannah
https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.profile&ein=133576702
Midnight run is close to me because it is something i have participated in a few times. Every time there is a midnight run at my synagogue, I do my best to participate in it. I've seen first hand how much these people appreciate it when you give them a solid meal and warm clothes especially in freezing weather during the winter in New York City. Every donation, no matter how small, is significant to this organization. It would be clothes, money or anything really. The first time i signed up, I really didn't want to but my parents signed me up and I had to go and I was in a bad mood but when we got to our first stop and I saw these peoples faces and how appreciative they were when we gave them goods and conversed with them my entire mindset changed. It was really an awesome night.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing information about this organization.