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914Cares

914CARES: A Community Effort to Help Neighbors in Need

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A festive ribbon cutting to celebrate the new North Castle space

Caring, compassion, and empathy toward neighbors. That’s how Jessica Reinmann is making the world a better place. When someone needs help, 914Cares, Reinmann’s nonprofit, finds a solution. “I saw neighbors in my community living without the basic necessities of life and I wanted to change that. 914Cares is about caring for our neighbors who need it to the best of our ability. We’re one community, and we need to take care of each other,” said Reinmann, CEO and Chairman. “We’ve gone from me passing out coats from the trunk of my car to a 12,000-square foot, fully operational warehouse and an established reputation in the community.”

Established in 2014, 914Cares has positively impacted the community and its footprint continues to grow. “We work to ensure our neighbors in need are cared for by collaborating, supporting and providing resources to local organizations, educating the community about poverty and encouraging actionable generosity,” Reinmann explained. At its start, the nonprofit worked with over 80 Westchester County programs, but over the years it’s expanded its reach and now works with a roster of 117 community partners. These organizations provide services and assistance to the people they serve while 914Cares, a basic essentials distribution bank, distributes clothing, new sneakers, coats, diapers, wipes, baby gear, hygiene products, period products, and books.

In May, the nonprofit opened an expansive 12,000-square-foot warehouse and office space at 28 Kaysal Court in Armonk that has a loading dock for deliveries, ample storage space, and is easily accessible. “This new space has enabled us to increase our output significantly. We can accept larger deliveries, have space for more volunteers, and can work more efficiently,” said Reinmann. The site will employ eight employees, with a rotation of 150 volunteers, teenage and adult, to fulfill orders. “Our staff oversees our operations, programming, and development efforts. The volunteers do a lot of the heavy lifting, helping us sort through donations, pack clothing bags, pack hygiene and flow kits, and more.”

Since moving to Armonk, Reinmann and her team have been embraced by the community. “It’s been incredible. The Chamber of Commerce and Lions Club have been supportive, as have so many local businesses and local residents who have come out to volunteer and drop off donations. We’re happy to be here,” said Reinmann who worked with Rick Rakow of Rakow Commercial Realty to secure the new space. “Rick is a member of our Advisory Board who understands and participates in our mission with such care and generosity.”

Volunteerism is at the heart of 914Cares. “Our volunteers range in age from 14-92 (really!), and their dedication to our cause is truly unbelievable,” said Reinmann. “In addition to their hard work in our Caring Collective, our volunteers are out in their communities, hosting drives, educating their neighbors and friends, and proudly representing 914Cares at service fairs and other events. They are an integral part of our family.”

Engaging the next generation is a core component of 914Cares. “Through our Junior Advisory Board, we strive to nurture a culture of actionable generosity in our young people, positioning them to make change today, while preparing to become tomorrow’s leaders, donors, and social justice advocates. This is a unique opportunity for teens to get involved in the work that we do in a leadership capacity,” said Reinmann. Currently, the Board has 25 members from both public and private schools across the county. Freshman high school students can apply to join. It requires a four-year commitment running a “914Cares Club” at their high schools, organizing donation drives, participating in meetings, and attending volunteer events.

Some new programs 914Cares has put in motion include the county’s first “Sneaker Bank” in partnership with the nonprofit “Shoes That Fit” in which every child who receives a clothing bag from 914Cares will also receive a brand-new, name-brand pair of sneakers, and “Westchester Reads” that offers field trips to their offices for school districts. “I’m proud of our ability to grow and expand to meet the needs of our community partners over the past 10 years and to serve the entire county,” Reinmann said. “We have expanded based on feedback from our community partners, listening to their needs and collaborating to create programming that provides a solution.”

914Cares has continued to make a positive impact by creating responsive programming and working with the community throughout the county. “I’m humbled by the way the community has rallied around our mission, and the support we’ve received from elected officials, local foundations, and all of our volunteers and generous donors,” said Reinmann. “We strive to reach every pocket of Westchester. Until there is no longer a need, 914Cares will be here to serve those who can benefit from our services.”

To learn more about the Junior Advisory Board and other volunteer opportunities, students can contact Nichole Culotta, Chief Programming Officer, at: nichole@914cares.org

Inside 914Cares: A Lesson in “Actionable Generosity”

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Inside Press Photos

A tour through the 914Cares facility feels a bit like landing on a cloud where a group of earth angels are busy creating little miracles daily within a dizzying number of rooms with clearly marked shelves. Sooo many shelves. Sooo many helping hands. Santa’s elves have nothin’ on this crew!

This celebrated, and nearly all volunteer effort, a ‘basic essentials distribution center’, as its founder and CEO Jessica Reinmann proudly describes 914Cares, “distributes everything other than food.” 914Cares works closely with over 80 Westchester County programs to distribute items for them regularly, but as this not for profit has gradually evolved (it began in 2014), it also responds to calls from many different organizations and individuals seeking assistance for underserved populations.

“We have become known as the organization in the county that can get things to where they need to be immediately!” related Jessica, who together with with Marjorie Troob, Program Manager and Lisa Horten, Director of Communications and Development, took time out to acquaint the Inside Press with 914Cares.

Sometimes, the diversity of the calls can surprise even them. One time, for example, 914Cares received a phone call from a film crew who had to have their employees’ quarantine. “They had microwaves, coffee makers, and more…so we just got those items out really quickly!… We figured that we have these distribution possibilities…let’s put it all together!”

And to ‘put it all together’ 914Cares filled that void in a most monumental, year-round effort! Clothing essentials is probably still the ‘biggest’ item continuously sorted by volunteers. For a sense of the effort, consider that 914Cares distributes around 3,500 bags of clothing every year in its work with some 80 to 90 community partners each month. These partners arrive from every corner of the County to deliver the bags to the populations they serve.

914Cares volunteers in the meantime work to tailor the bags as much as possible to satisfy a child’s distinct wishes and needs. “Every bag is packed for the individual child. When an order comes in, they can say: “This is a Yankees fan” and the volunteers will look for Yankees items. Or we can have a girl that, let’s say hates pink, so we will make sure to not put in pink!”

Each bag contains a week’s worth of clothing. They also contain books and a ‘hygiene bag.’ Much thought goes into those too. “We have different hygiene bags for different age groups, because say, for example, ‘under 4s’ can’t have fluoride. “We are very thoughtful about what types of products we put in the bag….

Avi’s Library

The clothing is also ultimately something you would be happy for your own child to wear. “We do not give away anything with a specific school emblem or holiday images on it, anything with rips, stains holes, are rejected. We get shirts that will say “Little Brother” and we can’t give that to a child because we don’t know their situation.”

“A lot of our partners say we focus on dignity of the recipient.”

That level of dignity extends to books recipients find in the donated bags as well, as 914Cares packs and/or delivers about 50,000 books a year.” The 914Cares experienced librarian Miriam Minor is also a volunteer who trains library volunteers and manages ‘Avi’s Library,’ a children’s library housed inside 914Cares, too.

Books are packaged with clothing bags, by request of any organization: For example, 914Cares recently packed almost 8,000 books last year on behalf of the Ossining School District–after receiving their request for only 20! That effort led to each child receiving four books for their summer reading.

Most items are individual donations, but 914Cares also has evolving relationships with different clothing companies to receive overstock items, etc. They recently solidified “a strong relationship with Carters” as one example These relationships help enormously with meeting the greatest challenge in sorting the bags: making sure there are always enough sizes, and not an overabundance of any one size or too many items specific to one gender.

All Seasons Caring

The tour extended into a ‘seasonal’ area where 914Cares volunteers create bags whether it’s for back to school or for summer camp. “We fill about 200 camp bags a year, half sleep-away and half day,” said Jessica. “A lot of kids get scholarships to camp but they can’t go because they require a sleeping bag and certain sheets. The parents can’t afford that, so we have tried to play that role in the community, and make sure every kid that gets an opportunity to go to camps gets to. We separate the clothes between boys and girls. Then by size, then by item.”

It’s impressive but if it all also sounds daunting (it did to me!), my tour guides insist that it is all eminently doable thanks to a concept 914Cares promotes called “actionable generosity” that builds empathy along with passion and commitment among volunteers spanning different age groups. While most volunteers are parents with kids in school (they open daily at 10 a.m.), volunteers also include retired people and “tons of kids” after school.

Jessica encourages volunteers of every age to be ‘hands on’ to really learn what it means to not have clothes. She will especially tell kids to please NOT wear nice clothes “because you are going to work, pack diapers, hygiene supplies. There’s sweating and working here!”

These dedicated efforts ultimately help meet the profound needs of the most diverse families–from refugees to people coming out of the foster care system to fire victims and to those impacted by the Covid 19 pandemic.

Ever changing wish lists depend on the season or what supplies are on hand. “Our goal for every bag is to get a pair of sneakers which we don’t always meet, but it is our goal. Our goal for every winter bag is also a pair of boots,” she explained pointing out the long coat rack for the winter bags receiving a coat, a hat, and gloves. All socks and underwear are brand new. “As you can see our shoe bins depends on what we get, and what gets filled up.”

Her partner in passion for caring is Marjorie Troob, Program Manager, who manages the 914Cares Baby Bank. “It is a program which helps the County’s neediest babies–we work with six or seven organizations, along with high schools who contact us for help for teen parents. “For six months straight, each baby receives a month’s worth of diapers and wipes, clothing with updated sizing, and also, miraculously enough, essentials like car seats, strollers, bathtubs, portable high chairs, diaper cream, shampoo, bottle bibs, blankets, swaddles, diaper bags, and more.

Why Volunteer?

To explain the volunteer mindset, Lisa Horten, Director of Communications and Development, noted: “For me, I like knowing I’m helping someone less fortunate and who has not had the experiences my kids have had. That gives me great pleasure. It’s even selfish for me.”

Jessica explained further: “I spent years in the private sector making rich people richer, and I just couldn’t do it anymore. We get all these quotes from social workers about how the bags have literally changed their lives. There’s no place I would rather be.”

Added Marjorie: “We get to do good every single day, I love being here, we have fun and yet we do good at the same time. Everyone is genuinely caring at the same time.”

Lisa offered that it’s also an opportunity to educate people. “Last night I was at a meeting in Pelham and people don’t realize that poverty is here in Westchester. I didn’t realize before I got here, either. It’s a quieter type of poverty than in Manhattan where you can see homeless people walking on the street.”

The positive feedback from recipients is gratifying too. “Last year, two sisters who got dresses had never had dresses in their lives!… They were holding hands in a picture, and you have never seen a bigger smile on kids.”

Ever growing, 914Cares is also on the move to a larger (still undisclosed) space from their current White Plains location. Individual donations are especially sought.

“Financial donations are amazing especially in the diaper and ‘period world’, said Jessica. “But we also encourage people to do diaper and clothing drives! We just got a call from Seven Bridges Middle School in Chappaqua, where they are going to do a sneaker drive for us,” she added. “All these things are helpful!”

Please visit 914cares.org

Inside Press Intern Adrianna Cmiel-Walsh assisted in the preparation of this article.