Catching those who fall through the cracks
People for People Foundation founder Paul Blackstock says volunteerism is his calling
Paul Blackstock chose to take the road less traveled, and it has made all the difference for thousands of local families.
In 2003, the Franklinville resident founded the People for People Foundation with his wife of 44 years, Bernadette, as a Rotary Club project. The foundation is aimed toward those who are facing hardships but are normally self-sufficient and don’t qualify readily for government assistance.
“We try to catch and help those who fall through the cracks,” Blackstock said.
People for People was initially planned for a year, but once it launched, the need for such a program was evident. Blackstock continued to run the organization with his wife for about seven years until the economy tanked. The couple then had to decide if they should go back to work or stick with People for People.
“We helped so many people up to that point, we just couldn’t let it go,” Blackstock said. “We decided to dedicate our life to the foundation.”
The program works solely on referrals. If the money is available — the nonprofit runs off money raised by fundraising and private foundations — a grant will be provided. If the funds aren’t there, they will work with their vast network of other nonprofits and supporters to find it elsewhere.
To date, the foundation has helped around 12,000 families.
Blackstock said they have developed a directory with more than 2,400 resources for those in need. For instance, if someone calls and is behind on utility bills, People for People has a relationship with utility companies and tries to help work out a plan. They work with local food banks, so if someone needs food, they have 30 different places to send them — and they will call and let the food bank know.
They also recently unveiled Hands Across the County, a network of 400 nonprofits.
“So if we have a need we can’t take care of, we’ll send it out in an email blast and put together a package to try to make these people whole,” Blackstock said.
While it sounds like the People for People Foundation would take up all of the Blackstocks’ time, it is not their only volunteer effort. About a quarter of what they do is for veterans, inspired by Blackstock’s father who he considered the “ultimate volunteer.” They have run an annual Veterans Picnic since 1984, place thousands of wreaths on graves at Gloucester County Veterans Cemetery each December, volunteer at the VA Office in Gloucester County and work with Veterans Services Plus. They are also very close to building affordable housing for veterans and their families.
Blackstock does all this, and still has time to serve on various advisory and director boards for local nonprofits.
So when, if ever, does he sleep? About five hours a night, Blackstock estimated.
“You could say this is our calling. It keeps us young,” Blackstock said. “I’m 64, and people ask when I’m going to retire. I say, ‘What’s retirement?’ I enjoy what I do. Why stop?”
Gloucester County Living profiled Paul Blackstock as part of its Men of Gloucester County 2016 series. To learn more about the People for People Foundation and Veterans Picnic on Sept. 24, visit www.pfpfoundation.org.
