Winter 2025 Newsletter
Introduction to Winter Newsletter
Today, 211 continues to be a source of help and hope in communities like those across New Jersey.
During 211 Day, NJ 211 encourages New Jersey residents to:
- Call, text, chat or email NJ 211 if they or someone they know needs help
- Share NJ 211 widely with their neighbors, family, and friends to connect others to help and support.
- View our 211 Public Awareness Campaign Creative Toolkit and share our resources!
- Advocate to your local policymakers for the importance of and need to strengthen NJ 211
- Interested to learn more about the needs in your community? Check out our public data dashboard!
Topics for Winter Newsletter
NJ 211 and Burlington County Times: Spreading Holiday Cheer
The holiday season brings year-long anticipated moments of joy for many across New Jersey, and thanks to a community filled with the spirit of giving back, 531 Burlington County families experienced a Christmas they will never forget.
NJ 211 partnered with the Burlington County Times for the sixth time during its 56th Annual “Give a Christmas,” a program designed to provide families in need with gift cards funded through donations from community members and dedicated readers of the local newspaper. The holidays can be stressful, and by providing an extra boost of support to families who need it most, “Give a Christmas” allows for a holiday season free of worries about additional costs outside of the basics.
During the 2024 holiday season, the program received over $68,000 dollars worth of donations. NJ 211’s administrative role in the program connects eligible families to the initiative. Whether it is making them aware of the opportunity to apply or assisting callers with their applications, our specialists work tirelessly to ensure this support is available on top of providing high quality information and referral to programs that can assist with other needs.
“Just wanted to thank you for helping us in our time of need and for the Amazon gift card," said one "Give a Christmas" Recipient. "My daughter had a beautiful Christmas. Happy holidays and I hope you all had a wonderful day with your families. Thank you for all the time you put into helping families like ours."
At NJ 211, our specialists connect with residents in need around the clock and understand the level of emotion that can go into finding resources to provide for themselves and their family. Our involvement in “Give a Christmas” extends our mission of connecting people to resources and helping them start their journey to a healthy, safe, and fulfilling life. Thank you to the Burlington County Times for this continued collaboration!
United in Crisis: NJ 211's Role After Hurricane Milton
The 2024 Hurricane Season made its mark on several areas of the United States, leaving residents physically and emotionally vulnerable. In the wake of chaos, 211 organizations play a pivotal role in providing support to affected communities.
In New Jersey, NJ 211 is included in the state’s disaster plan, providing a trusted line of information before, during, and after a catastrophe hits. When activated, NJ 211 becomes an extension of assistance to find residents resources for immediate support, providing much-needed guidance to allow for quicker relief and rebuild.
Across the country, 211 systems support their respected state or area when similar situations arise. However, when a disaster hits a scale of destruction larger than a single 211 organization can healthily support, available 211 organizations across the national United Way Worldwide (UWW) network step in to offer aid and support. When Hurricane Milton barreled through Florida this past fall, several 211 systems including NJ 211 stepped in to provide immediate assistance to Tampa Bay 211, answering the call from Florida residents in need.
In addition to damage from flooding, rain, and heavy winds, about 3 million Florida residents were left without power. Included in that demographic were community resource specialists (CRS) of Tampa Bay 211. Without access to their system, many Tampa Bay 211 CRS were unable to assist in connecting their residents to agencies and programs in their database. By collaborating with other 211 organizations like NJ 211, the Tampa Bay 211 line could continue to function and support impacted residents.
“In the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, the NJ 211 team swiftly responded to the call for help from our United Way Worldwide family,” said Jaclyn Nunziato, Program Director at NJ 211. “Our dedicated team was eager and motivated to support both the residents and fellow 211 operators in crisis. Recognizing the critical importance of maintaining service continuity during disasters, we assisted Tampa Bay 211 by handling non-emergency information requests through the 211 texting system.”
NJ 211 has been the recipient of assistance from other 211s during past disasters impacting New Jersey, including Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and Tropical Storm Ida in 2021. On the contrary, our team has assisted other 211s during past disasters, such as Hurricane Matthew in 2016, Hurricane Harvey in 2017, and Hurricane Dorian in 2019. On a nationwide scale, the 211 service shows its strength in numbers when showing all hands on deck when it matters most.
“211 plays a key role in communities at any time – but especially during disasters, like the recent hurricanes in the Southeast and the wildfires in California – helping to connect people to vital information and supports in their area,” said Heather Black, Vice President of 211 System Strategy at United Way Worldwide. “As we look to observe National 211 Day (on 2/11), we want to acknowledge and express appreciation for the 211 network for the ongoing work to provide the life-changing support people need and where they need it.”
Empowering Communities One Text at a Time
NJ 211’s text platform continues to foster genuine connections within our communities through innovative use of resources and technology. Recently, we partnered with several organizations to implement vital text messaging campaigns that align with our mission.
- COVID-19 Outreach: Partnering with the Department of Health, NJ 211 sent 514,434 texts about COVID-19 vaccine pop-ups and other critical health resources in English and Spanish. This real-time information helped build community trust and engagement.
- Naloxone Awareness: In response to a spike in overdoses in Passaic County, NJ 211 shared texts about pharmacies carrying free naloxone, educating the public on how to assist community members in crisis.
- Cover All Kids Campaign: From April to September 2024, NJ 211 helped the Greater Newark Health Care Coalition spread awareness about expanding health insurance for children. Over 87,000 multilingual texts were sent to high-need communities, ensuring no child is left behind.
- Newark Homeless Textline: NJ 211 collaborated with the city of Newark to create The Path Home, an anonymous platform for residents to connect with outreach teams about individuals experiencing homelessness.
In a digital age, text messaging campaigns are a simple yet effective way to communicate essential information. Interested in elevating your organization’s outreach efforts? Contact our Community Engagement Director, Dana Catapano, at dcatapano@nj211.org.
NJ 211 In the Community
Take a look at some of the places our team has been over the last few months!
Interested in having NJ 211 at your next community gathering? Email information to communications@nj211.org.
New Jersey State League of Municipalities Annual Conference
With over 7,000 attendees and 700 exhibitors, NJ 211 participated in the 109th New Jersey State League of Municipalities (NJLM) to foster essential connections to legislators, nonprofits, and government officials across the state. With a wide variety of attendees present, NJLM’s conference provides an opportune environment to introduce NJ 211’s resources to those unfamiliar with our organization and widen our reach and impact in different areas of the state.
Pictured: CEO Melissa Acree with members of United Way of Greater Mercer County.
Trunk or Treat
NJ 211 engaged in its first ever Trunk or Treat this Halloween, hosted by Philip's Academy Charter School of Paterson. The district’s annual fall festival provides families an opportunity to acquire helpful resources, while providing a fun environment to participate in. The versatility of being involved in a child’s trick or treating experience while also being able to connect with their guardians proved to be an enjoyable experience for both the NJ 211 team and their table visitors.
Red Cross Community Resource Fair
Highlighting NJ 211’s role in state disasters, our team hosted an information table at the First Annual Community Resource Fair in the Central New Jersey Office of the American Red Cross. Present among other emergency and disaster response organizations and leaders in the disability community, NJ 211 provided information about our organization’s participation in disaster preparedness, action during a disaster, and the procedures followed post disaster.
211 Leadership Summit
Three leadership members of NJ 211 attended this year's summit, hosted by United Way Worldwide in Alexandria, Virginia. This three-day event allowed for thoughtful conversations and sharing of how NJ 211 serves our residents, and opportunities to take new ways to create impact from other 211s in action.