BERGEN COUNTY, N.J.—An organization that helps Bergen County families find stability has received a permanent home of its own.
Tim and Kristie Woods of Demarest have donated a 2,000-square-foot building in Hackensack to Family Promise of Bergen County, honoring the legacy of Tim’s mother, the late Nancy Woods, one of the organization’s founders.
Executive Director Kate Duggan told Pascack Press that the nonprofit plans to move by year’s end from its basement offices at Ridgewood United Methodist Church to the 2½-story building at 407 State St.
“We’ve been looking for a permanent place to create a full-service headquarters for many years,” said Paul Shackford, president of Family Promise’s Board of Trustees. “Tim and Kristie Woods have answered our prayers. We can think of no better community to call home than Hackensack.”
Founded in 1987 as the Interreligious Fellowship for the Homeless, the organization became an affiliate of Family Promise National in 2010. It provides temporary housing, homelessness prevention services and support to help working families achieve lasting stability.
Its nightly Family Promise Walk-In Dinner in Hackensack has served more than 1.5 million meals since 1991, Duggan said.
“We are extremely grateful to Tim and Kristie for this extraordinary gift,” she said. “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.”
An earlier proposal in Emerson
The donation follows an unsuccessful effort to establish a headquarters and transitional housing in Emerson.
Over four hearings in 2024 and early 2025, Family Promise proposed converting an office building at 436 Old Hook Road into a headquarters with eight apartments for families experiencing homelessness. On Feb. 20, 2025, the Land Use Board rejected the proposal in a 6–1 vote.
The application required a use variance. In its denial resolution, the board said that, based on the applicant’s testimony, it did not consider the proposal “an inherently beneficial use” under the state’s Municipal Land Use Law. Family Promise did not contest the denial.
See “Family Promise weighs options after site denial,” by Michael Olohan, March 1, 2025, at thepressgroup.net.
A family legacy of service
Tim and Kristie Woods, both active Family Promise volunteers, said the donation reflects their desire to honor Nancy’s legacy and create a lasting benefit for families in need.
“Her compassion, dedication, and belief in the power of community continue to inspire us. We are grateful to be part of this important work,” the couple told Pascack Press.
Kristie Woods added, “We are proud to support an organization whose mission reflects the values Nancy lived every day. 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.”
Tim and Kristie Woods will be among the honorees at Family Promise’s annual gala Wednesday, Oct. 14, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at Seasons in the Township of Washington. Under the theme “Building Foundations. Building Community. Building Hope,” the event will also honor Francesca Pizza & Pasta and the Family Promise Youth Council.
Nancy Woods, a longtime Demarest resident, co-founded the Interreligious Fellowship for the Homeless in 1987. A year later, when it became apparent that families facing homelessness had nowhere to turn, she began a shelter for parents and 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,” Duggan recalled. “She stood beside each and every one, she listened, and she offered assistance in countless ways.”
In 1991, Woods helped establish the program now known as the Family Promise Walk-In Dinner. It served its 1.5 millionth meal in 2025.
Family Promise’s services include temporary housing, rental assistance, case management, financial education, job training and childcare, all aimed at helping families remain housed and build lasting independence.
“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.”
For information about the new headquarters, programs or donations, visit bergenfamilypromise.org/our-future-home/.
Nancy Woods died in 2020 at 92. She had 14 children, 38 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. In her obituary, her children offered a simple way to remember her:
“If you truly want to honor her, go out today and help someone less fortunate.”