Northern NJ Community Foundation Helped Residents in Need With Dental Products

The Englewood-based Northern New Jersey Community Foundation's (NNJCF) Community Engagement Program collected dental products for Bergen County's underresourced residents. The program partnered with Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative (BVMI), a nonprofit based in Hackensack, New Jersey that provides healthcare to uninsured residents.

Many of BVMI's patients have never seen a dentist. With the costs of dental products not covered by food stamps, their patients often cannot afford to purchase them.

"We are so grateful for the support of the North Jersey Community Foundation, whose generous donation of dental care supplies benefited BVMI's patients. Often, our patients have never seen a doctor, let alone a dentist. Oral care is crucial to overall health and by providing our patients with the tools they need to take care of themselves and their families, a step has been made toward improving the overall health of our community," said Amanda Missey, Executive Director, BVMI.

According to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 66,000 adults in Bergen County do not have health insurance and 8,580 adults are eligible for subsidies and may be unable to afford the premiums, deductibles and co-pays. A Center for Disease Control 2014 study reported 38% of adults aged 18-64 and 37.6% of adults over the age of 65 did not have a dental visit, while among adults ages 18-64, approximately 27% have untreated tooth decay.

Bergen County residents donated a range of dental products, including toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, dental floss, and denture cleaner among others to the NNJCF and to its ArtsBergen initiative's first 2017 Connect the Dots networking event -- Connect, Collaborate & Create. The NNJCF presented the dental products collection to BVMI on January 25th at Fairleigh Dickinson University's Student Union Building in Teaneck, New Jersey. Artists, arts administrators, writers, business owners, nonprofit representatives, and community and municipal leaders participated in the drive.

The collection carried out the NNJCF's mission to promote cooperation and civic engagement in the community to address pressing issues and concerns. "The NNJCF continually asks, 'What can we accomplish together that we cannot do alone? Accomplishing this drive with the BVMI is an ideal example of what can be done working together to assist underresourced members in our community," said Michael Shannon, President, NNJCF.

For further information about the NNJCF, upcoming Connect the Dots events, volunteer opportunities or other community engagement projects, call 201-568-5608 or send an e-mail to nnjcf@nnjcf.org.