Montclair is a town known for its charm, culture, and civic pride, but behind the scenes, more than 200 nonprofits work tirelessly to meet the needs of neighbors who are struggling. In a recent episode of The Montclair Pod, hosts Farnoosh Torabi and Mike Schreiber highlighted a few standout organizations and spoke with community leaders who are shaping the nonprofit landscape.
Joining them was Tom Hall, the longtime Creative Director of Montclair Film, one of the town’s most prominent arts nonprofits. Hall traced his own journey through the nonprofit world, from running film festivals in places like Nantucket and Sarasota to helping launch Montclair Film more than a decade ago.
What makes Montclair unique, Hall explained, is that its film festival began as a grassroots effort. “The board was the driver,” he said, crediting community leaders and residents like Stephen and Evie Colbert for insisting on a nonprofit structure that could prioritize mission over profit.
That sense of local commitment is baked into Montclair’s DNA. The podcast revisited the town’s philanthropic roots, tracing back to its founding in the 1800s, and the generations of families, such as the Shumans, the Van Vlecks, and the Westins, who helped establish the town’s charitable foundation.
But it’s not just legacy groups. Newer nonprofits are doing critical work on the ground every day. One example is Montclair Helps, a nimble, volunteer-run organization that provides emergency relief to residents in crisis within 48 hours. Co-founder Ray Graj, who started the group post-pandemic with a handful of friends, described it as “a startup but for good.”
Since launching, Montclair Helps has supported nearly 100 families with over $100,000 in aid, all through partnerships with local organizations like Tony’s Kitchen and the Human Needs Food Pantry. “The nonprofits are the eyes and ears of our community,” Gray said. “They’re the boots on the ground. We’re here to help them help others.”
One of those partner orgs is SOFIA, Start Out Fresh Intervention Advocates, which supports women and children affected by domestic violence. Vice President Kristen Wald shared the organization’s origin story, born from tragedy after a local mother, Monica Paul, was murdered by her ex-partner inside Montclair’s YMCA in 2008.
SOFIA helps survivors navigate next steps, from seeking safe housing to connecting with legal and mental health services. “The most important thing we do is listen,” Wald said. “Because telling someone what to do can be another form of control. Our goal is to help them reclaim autonomy.”
And then there’s the Human Needs Food Pantry, a pillar of the community since the early 1980s. Executive Director Mike Bruno shared sobering stats: the pantry now sees up to 300 walk-ins per week and delivers to over 250 homebound residents. That’s a significant increase from just a decade ago. “Inflation has pushed more people over the edge,” Bruno said. “The need is growing, and we rely entirely on donations and grants.”
The podcast also explored the broader challenges facing nonprofits today. Cuts to federal food assistance programs, increasing competition for limited grant dollars, and the misconception that nonprofits should simply “break even” every year were all flagged as concerns. “We don’t want to just survive,” Hall noted. “We want to grow, innovate, and plan for the future.”
Despite the challenges, the episode closed on a hopeful note. As Hall put it, “You don’t need to be the richest person in town to give. Set aside a little bit. Find an organization that speaks to you. If everyone did that, we’d elevate the whole community.”
To learn more about the featured nonprofits, visit:
And don’t forget to nominate your favorite local nonprofit for a future episode of The Montclair Pod.
For further reading:
- Montclair’s Rise in Homelessness and the Role of MESH: A Town Searching for a Path Forward
- 10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Montclair’s 2025 Budget and Why They Matter. Moves That Affect Your Daily Life.
- Montclair’s New Complete Streets Director, on Building Safer, Smarter Streets in Montclair
- Montclair’s Non-Profit Network: Stories of Urgency, Impact and Community.
- New Superintendent Talks Priorities, Budget, and Equity.
