FAMILY PROMISE OF BERGEN COUNTY RECEIVES GIFT OF HACKENSACK BUILDING
HACKENSACK, N.J. — Family Promise of Bergen County has received a donation of a 2,000-square-foot building, located at 407 State Street in Hackensack, from longtime supporters Tim and Kristie Woods, providing the nonprofit with a permanent home for its offices and programs that aim to prevent homelessness and hunger among working families.
The donation carries special significance for Family Promise. Tim Woods’ mother, Nancy Woods, helped found the organization in 1987, which was previously known as the Interreligious Fellowship for the Homeless before becoming an affiliate of Family Promise National in 2010. The gift honors her decades of service to families facing housing insecurity and hunger.
“We are extremely grateful to Tim and Kristie for this extraordinary gift,” said Kate Duggan, Executive Director of Family Promise of Bergen County. “This new home will give us a permanent place to bring together the people, programs, and partners that advance our mission of helping working families achieve housing and food security. I worked with Nancy for many years and she would be delighted that Tim and Kristie have made such a meaningful gift to the organization to which she gave her heart and soul.”
In a statement, the couple said the donation “reflects both our desire to honor Tim’s mother’s legacy and our commitment to creating lasting impact for families in need. Nancy devoted 40 years of her life to advocating for working families facing homelessness and hunger. Her compassion, dedication, and belief in the power of community continue to inspire us. We are grateful to be part of this important work.”
Family Promise has served Bergen County for nearly 40 years, empowering thousands of families to overcome housing instability and achieve permanent self-sufficiency. In addition to temporary housing and rental assistance, the organization provides wrap-around support services –case management, financial education, job training, childcare, and other resources - designed to help families build the skills needed to remain housed and avoid the trauma of homelessness for future generations.
“Family Promise envisions a community where every working family has a stable home and the means to create a better life,” Duggan said. “We often say that we don’t offer families a handout—we offer them a hand up.”
Family Promise staff have been based at the United Methodist Church in Ridgewood since 2011 but has been seeking a permanent space that could accommodate both its staff and provide a central location for its expanding services.
The new headquarters also strengthens Family Promise’s longstanding presence in Hackensack. The organization’s nightly Walk-In Dinner Program, which provides free meals to community members and residents of the county shelter, has been held at the Bergen County Housing, Health, and Human Services Center since 2008. Since its inception in 1991, this program has served more than 1.5 million meals to individuals and families facing food insecurity.
“We’ve been looking for a permanent place to create a full-service headquarters for many years,” said Paul Shackford, President of the Family Promise Board of Trustees. “Tim and Kristie Woods have answered our prayers. We can think of no better community to call home than Hackensack.”
“We are proud to support an organization whose mission reflects the values Nancy lived every day,” Kristie added. “This gift represents more than an investment in a physical space — it is an investment in families, in opportunity, and in the comprehensive support that can help create lasting stability and brighter futures.”
ABOUT FAMILY PROMISE OF BERGEN COUNTY
Family Promise of Bergen County’s mission is to prevent homelessness for working families, now and in the future, by promoting housing and food security. Since 1987, the organization has been dedicated to empowering children and parents facing homelessness by providing temporary housing, homeless prevention services, and holistic, targeted support tailored to their unique needs. The nonprofit also addresses food insecurity through its nightly Family Promise Walk-In Dinner in Hackensack, which has served more than 1.5 million meals to individuals and families in need since its inception in 1991. For more information about Family Promise, please visit www.bergenfamilypromise.org.
ABOUT NANCY WOODS, FOUNDER, FAMILY PROMISE OF BERGEN COUNTY
In 1987, Nancy Woods, a longtime resident of Demarest, co-founded the Interreligious Fellowship for the Homeless (which later became Family Promise of Bergen County). A year later, when it became apparent that families facing homelessness had nowhere to turn, she began a shelter for parents and their children at St. Cecilia’s High School in Englewood. Nancy became a consistent presence for these families, in the midst of the chaos of homelessness, and welcomed them with compassion and an open heart. She stood beside each and every one, she listened, and she offered assistance in countless ways. In 1991, Nancy helped establish a program to feed the hungry in the county, now called the Family Promise Walk-in Dinner. It achieved the milestone of serving 1.5 million meals to people in need in 2025. Nancy Woods passed away at the age of 92 in 2020. In addition to her 14 children, she had 38 grandchildren and 14 great- grandchildren. The obituary her children prepared acknowledged the time their mother lavished on others. “If you truly want to honor her,” it advised readers, “go out today and help someone less fortunate.”