As someone who has lived in New York for the last 17 years, I must admit that I love talking to tourists. Giving directions to a lost Canadian or some advice to a wayward Alaskan always puts me in a great mood. But I must also admit that this thrill does not really come from the act of being nice. Although of course it doesn’t hurt.
Something about seeing New York from the eyes of a stranger transforms the commonplace into the amazing. For me New York is just home – but for many others it is a place where the unexpected lurks behind every corner. This is why talking to tourists, newcomers, and especially those who have just moved to the city, always provides a fresh and thrilling new perspective.
While researching material for the philanthropic non-profit organization Modest Needs, I was lucky enough to meet Kate – a 23 year old woman from Brooklyn. At first glance, Kate seemed like the epitome of the classic New Yorker professional. She was articulate, fashionable, and unabashedly sure of herself. However, it was when she told me of her recent move from Nashville, Tennessee that my interest was really piqued. Along with her Tennessee twang she had brought with her the unique perspective of a tourist in the body of a New Yorker.
In September of 2007, Kate – a new college graduate – was doing so well for herself that she had already bought a condo in Nashville. Yet it seemed that something was missing. Not a year later, Kate quit her job, packed up her car, and drove halfway across the country. Although she used up all of her savings and knew almost no one, she was determined to succeed. Kate found a job in PR through a friend of hers, and a great apartment with her best friend – who had also moved with her. “Either you make it work for you or you don’t,” she told me.
In December 2008, Kate’s PR job was eliminated. Over the next two months, Kate sent out more than 100 resumes and had exhausted all of her financial resources. Filling out resumes was itself a full-time job and she was becoming desperate. It was then that her father told her about Modest Needs – an organization that had helped people in Nashville and might prove to do the same for her. Around the same time, Kate finally heard back from a job and was confident that starting April she could afford to stay in New York. All she had to do was get through March. So she sat down and filled out an application for Modest Needs.
Modest Needs is different from most other non-profits. Instead of giving arbitrary donations to other arbitrary organizations, Modest Needs breaches the distance between donor and recipient and gets rid of middle management all together. Unlike other philanthropic organizations, Modest Needs also serves a different constituency – people who are already self-sufficient but who are on the verge of entering the cycle of poverty as a result of a single emergency.
So what does this mean exactly? Essentially it is this: You are employed and financially self-sufficient (your household's total earned income must equal at least the cost of your monthly rental or mortgage plus $250). Then something happens. It could be the loss of a job, a medical emergency, or a car accident. All of a sudden you are sinking in debt. So what do you do? What did Kate do?
Kate filled out an application and wrote her story in her own words. The application was posted online for everyone to read. She asked for $1200 - enough money to pay her rent for March. In order to receive the donation, she would need to acquire a certain number of points which would be posted on her application. Points are acquired through donations given by any number of people.
Kate filled out her application in mid-February, only weeks before her rent was due. To stay in New York she would need to accumulate 1200 points. One week later she checked her application and found that she had 45 points. She went to work completely despondent trying to resign herself to the fact that she would have to leave New York. That night when she came home, she checked her application. She had 1200 points.In the span of a few hours she went from being potentially homeless to having a secure place to live. “I still can’t believe it,” she said, “it was the happiest day of my life.”
Over half of all Modest Needs recipients eventually become donors. They give $5 or $10 a month to people applying for self-sufficiency grants, back-to-work grants, independent living grants, non-profit grants, and bridge grants – which help those suffering from short term unemployment. But in the end it adds up. Lissa Boles a donor from Lake Huron, Canada said, “In order to help, you don’t need lots of money. You just need to pay it forward. When people are willing to help – it becomes a circle.”
Lissa, as well as other donors such as Catherine Blackman Nelson from Florida, have recently become vocal advocates for Modest Needs. Lissa - a life coach- provides complementary participation in her Start Strong Program for Modest Needs donors. Catherine Nelson - a part-time writer – encourages her friends to apply and donate and regularly writes about Modest Needs on her blog. She recently wrote, “Modest Needs does a great job of showing how the power of one small act of random kindness can change another's life for the better - that is a very powerful message and it's very inspiring.”
Modest Needs is truly an apt name. They do not give out millions or even thousands of dollars. All they do is help people get over that hump. Through the belief that help can come from a single person, Modest Needs encourages everyone to become a part of that cycle. Today, Kate is employed and living in New York. It’s still not easy but she can see a few months ahead. “I am probably the poorest that I’ve ever been,” said Kate, “but I’m also the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.”
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