Cape Cod Times Needy Fund changes name, but not mission

At 68, she was supposed to be retired, doing the things she wanted to do instead of the things she had to do. Yet, she was punching in at a small Cape Cod grocery store to supplement her Social Security payments so she could pay her bills.

Her budget, a model of old-fashioned Yankee thrift, had no room for unexpected expenses. And then her car starter died, taking with it her means of getting to the job she needed to keep her household afloat.

Elsewhere on the Cape, nearly all of his month's income was already gone to mortgage, taxes, alimony and medication, he still had an insurance bill to pay and groceries to buy, and his fuel oil was nearly gone. It was November and getting colder by the day.

Things worked out for both of these people, thanks to the Cape Cod Times Needy Fund. Theirs are just two of countless stories of hardship residents of Cape Cod and the Islands have faced over many decades that were resolved with the help of the charity, touted as the oldest operating nonprofit on Cape Cod.

Now, as the Hyannis-based fund changes its name to the Cape Cod Times Neighbors Fund, those who work behind the scenes to manage it are emphasizing one message in particular: the name may be changing, but the purpose — helping Cape Codders and Islanders who are facing challenging circumstances — remains the same.

"It started in 1936 and the mission hasn't changed," said fund Executive Director Susan Johnson. "I think that's one of the best things about it."

If anything, the mission has only expanded over the nearly 88 years since the fund was launched with an appeal for donations made in an article on the front page of the Cape Cod Standard-Times on Dec. 14, 1936. That year, the goal was to help at least 10 struggling families make it through the winter or "as long as the money lasts," and the newspaper opened the campaign with a $25 contribution.

Little did the organizers know then what their effort would become. Last year, the non-profit raised a record $1,656,143, helping 8,080 people who turned to it for financial assistance or other resources.

Why are the fund's name and logo changing?

After so many decades of helping thousands of Cape and Islands residents, the fund has an established identity. So, why change the fund's name and logo?

Johnson said it's essentially to reflect the fund's function better, highlighting it as a nonprofit that is available to all, regardless of income. In 1936, the focus was on "families in comfortable circumstances" helping residents living in poverty. But the fund's reach now is far broader.

Board member and President Emeritus Peter Meyer, former president and publisher of the Cape Cod Times pointed out the need to be more representative of those the fund serves, "because all of those who we help are not needy. They're having a temporary financial hardship."

"Basically, we have always believed that a crisis can happen to anybody," Johnson said, pointing out that, for many, insecurity could be one crisis away. "Our hope is that we prevent people from being buried by a financial crisis."

Where do the funds come from?

The fund relies on donations from individuals, community groups and foundations, corporate gifts, grants and the non-profit's in-person fundraiser, its Falmouth Road Race team. Most donations come from individuals, Johnson said. People may contribute one-time donations when they are able, or they can choose to give monthly recurring gifts and to bequeath gifts. Individual donations last year ranged from $1 to $100,000.

Bob McDonald and his wife Karen, of Barnstable, are among the fund's many loyal donors. "It's my wife's and my favorite charity," he said.

The eldest of eight children, McDonald said his family struggled when he was growing up in the 1950s, and they turned to a charity for help.

"That has always stayed with me," he said. So, when he and his wife had their own family, and they learned about the Times' fund, they made a point to give regular donations, which they usually contribute during the holidays and again in the summer. Starting in the '70s, he described bringing his children with him to hand deliver checks to the Cape Cod Times office in Hyannis, "just to show them the value of this."

"I think the work the fund does is so vital to so many people," said McDonald.

How does the fund work?

The fund offers assistance with everything from housing, utilities, food and medical expenses to transportation, moving costs, scholarships for camps for school-age and disabled children, holidays and child care.

The fund's intake counselors evaluate each person’s situation, working with them to find solutions to their challenges that include financial aid through vouchers to landlords and vendors or referrals through other channels.

"Everything is case by case," said Johnson. "We really work with them to stabilize their situation."

The one caveat is that people seeking assistance must be year-round residents of the Cape or Islands, and they must be living here for at least a year.

In 1936, the fund focused on ensuring struggling families were fed. Now, about half of the assistance goes toward housing, Johnson said, helping people with rent and mortgage payments, and sometimes with deposits to secure housing or to move when seasonal housing contracts run out. Another big category, she said, is for heating fuel and electricity.

"If we can help out, we will. Or we'll help them find the resources to get it covered," she said.

“Cape Cod and the Islands have unique demographics and unique challenges,” said Meyer. “We have a growing elderly population, more single families, a greater need for child care, and of course, a housing crisis that can make it so difficult to live here.”

Meyer said the fund has been, and continues to be, a vital part of the Cape Cod and Islands communities.

"A community's strength can be gauged by how well the people in that community take care of one another," he said, noting the fund "helps to facilitate that caring and it helps strengthen the community and make sure it's a great place for all the people who live here."

For more information and to donate, visit www.needyfund.org or www.majorcrisisrelieffund.org, or call 508-778-5661 or 1-800-422-1446.

Heather McCarroncan be reached at hmccarron@capecodonline.com, or follow her on X @HMcCarron_CCT

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: 'If we can help out, we will.' Needy Fund changes name but not mission