Pennies for Poverty - Newburyport

Pennies for Poverty is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate about local poverty, encourage volunteerism and to support allied organizations financially and collaboratively. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to educate about local poverty, encourage volunteerism and fundraise to support local anti-poverty organizations. And that is what Pennies for Poverty doe

s." (Letter from 2014 grant recipient)

At Pennies, we raise money to address urgent needs and support under-funded programs at local anti-poverty agencies. We also:
• Present a monthly speaker series, to educate the community about poverty in the Greater Newburyport area.
• Promote volunteerism and organize food drives to help stock the shelves at local food pantries.
• Improve the quality of food given to those in need by providing agencies with gift cards to local farms and fish stores. Although we have made great strides in our efforts to raise awareness and financial support for those in the Greater Newburyport Area who are struggling with poverty, there is still much to be done. The United States Census Bureau’s American Community Survey found that over 16% of people in the Greater Newburyport Area, about 9500 of our neighbors, lived in poverty from 2008-2012. We all have a role in making our community stronger. Learn more at www.penniesforpoverty.org. was founded with the belief that if everyone in the community does a little to help those in need, we can substantially reduce poverty and improve the well being of all members of the community. We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit run by volunteer members of the community. With no paid staff or related expenses, we direct the full amount of your tax-deductible donation to fill the most urgent and important needs. We make very penny count. Mission: Our mission is to reduce poverty and alleviate its devastating impact on individuals and families in the Greater Newburyport Area. We accomplish this by:

--Increasing awareness and educating about poverty in Greater Newburyport through our Local Poverty Matters lecture series held monthly during the winter.

-- Helping people in need find ways of getting help through our mobile-friendly searchable online Resources Directory (resources.penniesforpoverty.org) launched in 2015 as an update to and improvement of our hard-copy directory published in 2011.

-- Facilitating the finding of volunteer opportunities by posting a Volunteer Directory online and, when possible, publicizing needs through our newsletter.

-- Organizing food drives to help stock the shelves of local food pantries.

-- Supporting local businesses by buying gift cards which we donate to local anti-poverty organizations.

-- Improving the quality of food provided to those in need by involving farms, fresh fish and natural food stores in our gift card program and distributing the majority of our gift cards during the growing season. Please consider joining our efforts to end poverty in Newburyport and surrounding towns. We need your ideas, your time and your efforts to make this program work. For more information or if you would like to be involved, email us at [email protected].