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Case for Suort

The Power ofBasic NdsIn order to thrive in a modern society, it’s essential that basic needs are met. Yet, we are far from ensuring this happens for the majority of the population, and pockets of poverty scatter the United States. The Bronx, NY, is among the most food insecure regions in the country. A New York state report highlighted that nearly 40% of Bronx adults were concerned about having enough money to buy nutritious meals in the past year, marking the highest percentage among the ve boroughs of New York City. Comparatively, only 12.8% of households were food insecure across the nation.Struggling to afford food impacts the human experience in a variety of ways:• Poor physical health: Food insecurity often goes alongside lack of access to healthy, nutritious options. More affordable food is often less nutritious, or the person’s overall diet is not able to include all necessary nutrients. • Choosing between basic needs: People facing food insecurity are likely nancially insecure overall, meaning they struggle to afford other basic needs. There may often be a choice between paying rent or buying groceries - an impossible choice to make. • Poor mental health: People facing food insecurity also face a 257% higher risk of anxiety and 253% higher risk of depression, according to a CDC study.Food insecurity is particularly concerning in households with children, where the lack of nutrition can have irreversible consequences on the child’s development. Another challenge that contributes to food insecurity, beyond poverty levels, is the accessibility of food. The Bronx has been described as a “food desert,” with a lack of outlets to buy healthy options. Public Health Solutions has been actively x=addressing food insecurity and nutrition in the Bronx through innovative pro-grams, yet the problem is far from solved.These statistics underline the critical need for continued support and innovative solutions to combat food insecurity in the Bronx.

40%of Bronx adults were concerned about having enough money to buy nutritious meals in the past yearNearly

We provide a foundation for stability, allowing individuals and families to focus on psonal growth and future plaing.

CreatingOortunityAt Marley’s Helping Hand, our services aim to address immediate needs while fostering long-term resilience within the communities we serve. By combating food insecurity, we enable families to allocate their resources towards other critical areas of their lives, such as employment, education and healthcare. Our programs offer more than just material aid; they provide a foundation for stability, allowing individuals and families to focus on personal growth and future planning. The impact of our work is measured not only in the relief provided today but in the stronger, more self-sufcient communities of tomorrow.Our VisionTo cultivate hunger-free communities where individuals have the support and resources to pursue a better future. Through our efforts, we aim to transform areas of need into bastions of hope, self-sufciency, and wellness, enabling residents to achieve educational advancement, job skills expansion, and improved health outcomes.Our MissionTo offer tangible support to underprivileged individuals by providing essential goods and services, including food, clothing, and everyday necessities, at no cost. Our goal is to alleviate the immediate pressures of daily life for those we serve, enabling them to focus on long-term personal and community development.

Our The mission of Marley’s Helping Hand is deeply personal to our Founder Donnice Jackson, rooted in a lifetime of lessons learned from remarkable women in her life. Growing up with a single mother who pursued her education while working multiple jobs to provide for her family, Donnice witnessed rsthand the challenges of managing life’s hurdles. Her mother’s determination and resilience greatly inuenced the desire to offer support and relief to those facing similar struggles. From a young age, the act of giving and the power of prayer were instilled as key values of a well-led life, underscoring the importance of our mission to extend a helping hand to those in need.Through all this, the seed for starting a nonprot was planted early in Donnice’s life, nurtured by extensive involvement in charitable activities across various continents. In 2023, Donnice, alongside a dedicated group of Speech-Language Pathologists, organized an event that supported approximately 52 families with essential household goods and groceries. This event was a pivotal moment, solidifying the course to founding Marley’s Helping Hand ofciallyas a nonprot. We established our 501(c)(3) status that very year.“I fondly remember assisting Kendra Williams, a woman I knew as my grandmother, in preparing and distributing grocery baskets to families in our community. Nana Blanche, with her unwavering faith and community service, and Aunt Talitha, whose boundless compassion and kindness were exemplary, have all shaped my understanding of charity. These experiences have not only inspired me to help others but also to pass on the values of love, kindness, and community support to my daughter, Marley.” — Founder Donnice JacksonRts

The Founding BoardVERONICA RUFFIN-ELLISvrufn@marleyshelpinghand.orgDr. Rufn-Ellis, brings over two decades of dedicated nursing experience to our board, serving diverse communities and assisting individuals across a broad spectrum of healthcare needs. She also served in the US Army for six years as a Healthcare Specialist. Her expertise extends beyond clinical practice into the realm of education, where she passionately mentors nursing graduate students, guiding them toward excellence in their medical careers. Dr. Rufn-Ellis’s commitment to service shines through her charity work, including organizing coat drives and collaborating with Calvary Hospital to provide back-to-school supplies for children grieving the loss of parents under the hospital’s care.JAMAR ALLEYNEjalleyne@marleyshelpinghand.orgJamar has a distinguished military career, having completed a tour in Afghanistan in 2021 until the withdrawal of U.S. forces, followed by service in Kuwait and a crucial role in establishing a new team in Jordan. His extensive experience in transitional support and benets education for Soldiers underlines our board’s commitment to comprehensive community support. He currently serves as an Executive Director of Facilities for the largest urban school district in Connecticut, and devoted 28 years to the Army Reserves. Jamar brings invaluable leadership and mentoring skills from his time as an Army Reserve Career Counselor. DONNICE JACKSONdjackson@marleyshelpinghand.orgDonnice is a dedicated Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) with a profound commitment to servicing high-needs communities within the Bronx, New York. As the founder, her 17 years in the Army Reserves as a Healthcare Specialist and commitment to philanthropy lay the foundation for our mission. Her work extends beyond local boundaries; Donnice has traveled globally, supporting organizations in their ght against homelessness and food insecurity, and contributing to educational initiatives across various countries.Inspired by the charitable women in her own life, she strives to instill those same values in her daughter, Marley, who remains at the heart of our mission.

While our nonprot was formally established in 2023, the concept had been in formation for a lifetime and we already have an impactful timeline of projects making a difference in our community.JANUARY 2021: BUILDING LITERACY AND LANGUAGE SKILLS AND CHARACTER $539 raisedThis project was instrumental in enhancing foundational educational skills among Donnice’s students, incorporating resources like the Listen Learn Phonemic Awareness Activity Program and various guided reading collections to bolster reading and language comprehension.AUGUST 2023: FOOD, BARE NECESSITIES, LOVE AND WARMTH$919 raisedCampaign appealing for contributions to provide our students with the essential support they need to prosper. This initiative enabled us to supply snacks, basic essentials and additional resources necessary for creating a supportive environment that allows students to concentrate on their studies.NOVEMBER 2023: $600 worth of groceries and household goods raised.A collaborative effort that provided 52 families within School District 7 of the South Bronx, NY, each with a bag of groceries and a bag of household goods, further supporting our community’s well-being and educational focus.NOVEMBER 2023:$2,078 raisedA highly successful popcorn fundraiser, which remarkably raised its funds in just 72 hours. The funds raised were earmarked to support the annual summit for high school students at Opportunity High School, located in School District 7 of the South Bronx, NY. This event is designed to empower and provide valuable opportunities for the students in this community.Impacttimeline

Marley’s Helping Hand takes a holistic approach to community support. We aim not only to provide immediate assistance through item distribution but also to educate and empower communities to foster a culture of mutual aid, protection, and love. Further, our aim is to collaborate with like-minded companies and organizations to extend our reach and impact on families in need.Our focus remains on supporting vulnerable groups, including single-parent households, individuals with disabilities, low-income families, those caring for children with special needs, families of Soldiers deployed, and so on. We currently rely on self-assessment for service eligibility via a trust-based system, with no specic eligibility requirements for our services. We believe in the innate honesty of those seeking assistance and are committed to providing aid to anyone who comes to us in need. We are exploring future strategies to ensure our resources reach those most in need. Inspired by models like that of POTS, we’re considering implementing a registration system to streamline distribution and better identify qualifying individuals. This system may include income verication and other criteria to tailor our support effectively.OurPrograms

Prenatal Care EducationRecognizing the importance of early healthcare, we aim to educate expecting families about prenatal care, ensuring healthier outcomes for both mothers and babies.Early Intervention ServicesBy providing resources and support for early intervention, we can assist parents of children with diverse abilities, enabling them to secure the services their children need for optimal development. Our aim is to also include education for parents on what to expect for their developmental milestones ages 1-3, and if further evaluation for services is needed to support the child’s growth and development to have a network of partners to connect the family with. Food Insecurity ProgramsFood Insecurity Programs: Continuing our ght against food insecurity, we will expand our services to reach more families, ensuring that no one in our community goes hungry.Community Resource NetworkingCommunity Resource Networking: We plan to connect families with a wide range of programs, organizations, and resources, empowering them to improve their lives and well-being. Additionally, we’ll encourage active participation in local community meetings, fostering a well-informed and engaged community that can advocate for its needs and interests.Basic Education SupportWe support children in their academic journey by providing basic educational supplies through our Back to School Bonanza to alleviate nancial pressures on low income families. During this fair, we also connect families with other organizations providing information on local resources, educational programs, and community service. This program has the potential to expand to include tutoring for reading, writing and other skills such as public speaking.Our services include:

Currently centered on initiatives in the Bronx, our nonprot is dedicated to nurturing programs that profoundly impact families in need. Our vision encompasses broadening our reach to additional communities where our services can foster signicant benets. We are specically looking at areas such as Yonkers as the next phase in our expansion, aiming to replicate and tailor our Bronx-based models to meet the unique needs of families in other communities. This strategic growth will allow us to extend our support network, ensuring that more individuals have access to the essential resources and programs they require to thrive.Our goal is to eventually nd a space where we can host our services, especially for a food pantry. We aim to have established innovative programs that not only provide immediate assistance but also empower individuals and families to achieve long-term stability and health. Our goal is that our organization will be recognized for its commitment to community engagement, with strong partnerships across sectors amplifying impact to those in need.Our advocacy efforts will have contributed to meaningful policy changes, making nutritious food more accessible and affordable for underserved communities. Internally, our team will have grown, bringing in diverse skills and perspectives that enrich our work. Financially, we will be on stable footing, with a mix of funding sources supporting your expanded portfolio of programs.By focusing on these strategic areas, our organization can signicantly contribute to systemic change, ensuring that your mission to provide goods and services to underprivileged individuals aligns closely with a broader vision of a healthy, equitable, and food-secure future.Our Growth

To support individuals struggling with low income, and provide a foundation for stability and a positive future, consider a gift that enables our programs to reach these individuals in need. Find more about gift sizes and current community needs at paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/5112148Can HelpSponsor a child’s basic educational suppliesProvide food for a family of four for a week Sponsor to educate expecting families about prenatal care, ensuring healthier outcomes for both mothers and babies.Support community resource networking to connect families with a wide range of programs, organizations, and resources, empowering them to improve their livesand well-being.Provide a child (and their family) access to early intervention services from age 1-3 to ensure they are getting the support the child’s needs to be healthy.$25$50$75$100$250You

marleyshelpinghand.org(404) 734-5981