I believe that creating a culture of giving is good for the soul and good business.
In 2005, I became the President/CEO of Ridgewood Moving after the sudden death of my husband. After several years of getting to know the Moving Industry and trying to find a way to tie my own values in with this business, I realized we have a very important job and responsibility in moving peoples lives. Not only do we have the resources with trucks, manpower and warehousing to assist our community, but we can assist our customers with our non-profit community and work together. The outcome of these collaborative partnerships is the building blocks and core values of my company. There are many charitable organizations that you can donate to whether you are moving or just purging - these are a few of my favorites.
Annual Toy Sale: For several decades Ridgewood Moving has worked with the United Methodist Church in Upper Saddle River, along with several school systems and businesses around the area. We also advise our customers of this yearly event. Simply put, we collect gently used toys in late fall and set up shop at the Paterson Girls/Boys Club during the first weekend in December (Dec 7th + 8th). The toys are placed on tables by category and we have volunteers that assist with set up and sales. The toys are sold for a nominal fee to the local residents for holiday shopping. The monies collected goes to the Girls/Boys Club and their local food bank. It’s such a Win-Win...recycled toys are appreciated again. The annual toy collection takes place throughout November at several drop off locations throughout the area each year. Dates and drop off locations coming soon!
Move for Hunger is an organization that collects unwanted, non-perishable food from those who are relocating. It’s a natural fit, since so much food is tossed in the trash during a move, we ask… why not donate?! That’s why we joined forces with the Center for Food Action in New Jersey with the Move for Hunger Program. This program is bringing a tremendous amount of relief to those most desperate for our help. And anyone can donate - you don’t have to be moving!
Oakland Animal Shelter rescues all sorts of animals. I advise my clients to donate unwanted comforters, blankets and towels to them and any other animal refuse.
Making-It-Home is a program of the Bergen Volunteer Center, is a public/private partnership that works with businesses, individuals, government, and nonprofit agencies in Bergen County to bring home furnishings to formerly homeless, disabled, and low-income individuals and families in need.
To learn more, please contact Cynthia Massarsky at 201-803-4608 or cmassarsky@making-it-home.org
Habitat for Humanity, Bergen ReStore is another one of my favorites. Located at 121 Carver Avenue, Westwood (the old Marty shoe building). They have a 60,000 foot space for donated household items such as accessories, furniture, appliances, etc. The purpose of the ReStore is to raise additional funds to support Habitat’s vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live. For more information go to BergenRestore.org or call 201-500-5009.
I encourage you to visit the store, it truly is amazing.
Move for Success: Collection of career clothing for students of our local colleges/universities.
We started this initiative a couple of years ago and working with Bergen Community College, Felician University, Ramapo College and Eastwick College. The ultimate mission is to provide career clothing and supportive services to students in preparation for job interviews, internships and employment. The donated women’s and men’s professional clothing and accessories are free for students and ultimately others within the community. The collections are ongoing and collected at our Ridgewood Moving facility in Mahwah, NJ.
I truly believe that it is important to get involved in your community, help when needed and engage your staff to be involved, it’s a win, win for all.
Pay it Forward as you Move it Forward!
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