Montgomery Charity Foundation (MCF) ran its annual Kidsgiving event, raising more than $19,000 for charity.
Kidsgiving, MCF’s flagship event, was held on Dec. 6 in Hillsborough as a socially-distanced drive-by event this year due to the COVID pandemic.
Each year the foundation selects a local nonprofit to be the recipients of the event’s fundraising efforts. This year’s beneficiary was Steps-Together, a Hillsborough-based 501c3 founded by Courtney Newman that supports Somerset County families facing medical crises like childhood cancer. About $14,000 in cash, gifts and gift cards were collected to fulfill the Steps-Together families’ holiday wish lists, according to a statement prepared by MCF.
Due to the current situation of food insecurity and dire needs of the area food banks, they decided to not only collect gifts but to also support the local food pantries with a food drive. In all, over 1,000 food items were collected by residents and local scout troops totaling over $5,000 in value, and were delivered to the Montgomery and Hillsborough food pantries the following day, according to the statement.
Kidsgiving was established as an annual event with the intent to provide an opportunity for the children in the local community to give back to other children who are in need. More than two dozen local businesses and the Montgomery teachers union (MTEA) partnered with Montgomery Charity Foundation to sponsor this year’s event which included a visit from Santa Claus and the Elf on the Shelf. Approximately 100 cars took part in the 2-hour drive-by event dropping their donations off while the MCF board members gave goodie bags and played holiday favorites. This was MCF’s most successful Kidsgiving event to date, raising a grand total of over $19,000 for the local community, according to the statement.
Montgomery Charity Foundation is a registered 501c3 whose goal is to support the local community. Board members include Meghna Pabbhati, Rupal Shah, Marisa Narula, Hetal Soni, Ankita Patel, Raina Rauf and Samira Ghani. To learn more or donate to the charity, visit www.montgomerycharityfoundation.org or email [email protected]