If you live in the Harbor Country area, chances are you’ve heard of the ‘Neighbor By Neighbor’ organization. This group, designated to help Berrien County residents obtain assistance in fulfilling basic needs, began in 2017, and served as a connection between community members and human service professionals. They have since grown into a Michigan nonprofit corporation, and were just recently granted tax-exempt status.
“Neighbor by Neighbor suggests that we are all in this together. We depend on one another whether we realize it or not. When one suffers, it impacts the community. Neighbor by Neighbor helps people who need assistance from an equal to equal rather than top-down manner. After all, we really are all neighbors,” says Executive Director Peg Kohring.
“We have designed programming to not only meet the initial basic needs of the families we serve, but to also provide them with the opportunity to improve their long-term economic outlook. Our ultimate goal with each household is that they are as economically self-sufficient as possible.”
What began as offering referrals to human services agencies has grown immensely since 2017. Neighbor By Neighbor now provides direct assistance with utility bills, rent and mortgage payments, food assistance, gas cards, car repairs, home repairs, and other basic needs. Other organizations like Veterans Administration, Emergency Shelter Services, and Social Security also cooperate with Neighbor By Neighbor, creating easier access to aid. This year, new programs will be instilled to help clients with furthering education and gaining skills to secure employment.
In its birth, Neighbor By Neighbor operated as part of the Episcopal Church of the Mediator in Harbert, and the Harbert Community Church. “The program is extremely grateful to these churches for their support, nourishment, and stabilizing presence over the years,” says Peg. Neighbor By Neighbor now has its own office in Union Pier, and an active advisory board.
The Pokagon Fund provided the start-up funding for the group, and has never wavered in their support of the program. Neighbor By Neighbor relies heavily on the financial support of community members and businesses, and their new status allows contributions to be tax deductible.
Peg Kohring says, ““The sheer number of cases and amount of need has skyrocketed from when we began providing services. We’ve gone from 130 clients in 2017 to over 1,000 in 2021. It made sense to set up our own systems to meet this demand.”
To make a donation or volunteer your time to Neighbor By Neighbor, visit their website at neighborbyneighbor.org. Here, you will find more information on all services they offer, such as dates and locations of the Mobile Food Pantry, government aid program applications for childcare, and the Neighbor By Neighbor monthly newsletter.
By Jocelyne Tuszynski, MOTM contributor
