Social Service Association of Ridgewood and Vicinity

What Social Service Association of Ridgewood and Vicinity does

Social Service Association of Ridgewood and Vicinity (SSA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1913 (originally as The Relief Society of Ridgewood and Vicinity) and headquartered at 6 Station Plaza, Ridgewood, New Jersey. It operates the Red Door Food Pantry, a self-select food pantry located at the Ridgewood Train Station, and serves over 500 individuals across six communities in Bergen County: Ridgewood, Glen Rock, Ho-Ho-Kus, Midland Park, Waldwick, and Wyckoff. Its client base consists primarily of single and two-parent families, the elderly, and the disabled facing unemployment, underemployment, or life-changing illness or death, with 45% of those assisted being children.

SSA delivers an integrated portfolio of 10+ programs centered on food security and supplemental support. Core offerings include the Red Door Food Pantry and monthly Stop & Shop grocery vouchers for fresh meat, dairy, and produce. Supplemental programs comprise childcare stipends (serving 100+ families monthly), summer camp scholarships, after-school enrichment scholarships, emergency rent and utility assistance, an annual Thanksgiving meal program (100+ families), a holiday gift program (200+ children annually), and "Birthday Party in a Bag" celebrations for children under 10.

The business model is donation-driven: SSA is almost entirely funded by contributions from individuals, local businesses, foundations, government agencies, houses of worship, and other nonprofits, with no fee-based services. Operations are lean, executed by two paid staff members under Agency Director Nancy Dreszler (appointed February 2022) and a 45-member volunteer Executive Board. Client acquisition is community-led through referrals from schools, religious institutions, and partner nonprofits, and the organization maintains a digital presence through its website (ssaridgewood.org) and email newsletters. There is no proprietary technology, app, or API — the technology footprint consists of a standard website plus retail voucher distribution partnerships with Stop & Shop and Target.

Name

Social Service Association of Ridgewood and Vicinity

Legal name

Social Service Association of Ridgewood and Vicinity, Inc.

Website

https://ssaridgewood.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1913

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Social Service Association of Ridgewood and Vicinity is a 1913-founded 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating the Red Door Food Pantry and 10+ assistance programs for over 500 low-income individuals and families across six Bergen County, NJ communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD)

Keywords

• Food pantry services
• Emergency financial assistance
• Community safety net
• Social services nonprofit
• Child enrichment scholarships

Headquarters

HQ city

Ridgewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual and Corporate Donations: SSA is almost entirely funded through generous contributions from individuals and organizations. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, donations are tax-deductible. The organization receives support from local businesses, foundations, government agencies, houses of worship, and individual community members.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Social Service Association of Ridgewood and Vicinity (SSA) operates the Red Door Food Pantry at the Ridgewood Train Station, providing self-select food assistance plus monthly grocery vouchers. It supplements these core food programs with emergency rent and utility assistance, childcare stipends, summer camp and after school enrichment scholarships, Thanksgiving meals, holiday gifts for children, and birthday celebration supplies. SSA functions as a community safety net serving over 500 individuals in six Bergen County communities.

Product overview

SSA is a food security non-profit organization offering a single integrated program portfolio centered around the Red Door Food Pantry. The core offering consists of a self-select food pantry supplemented by monthly Stop & Shop grocery vouchers. Additional services include financial assistance programs (childcare stipends, utility assistance, emergency rent assistance), educational enrichment (summer camp scholarships, after school enrichment scholarships), and holiday/celebration support (Thanksgiving meals, holiday gifts for children, birthday party bags). The programs work together as a community safety net serving over 500 individuals in Ridgewood, Glen Rock, Ho-Ho-Kus, Midland Park, Waldwick, and Wyckoff.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Red Door Food Pantry: SSA operates the Red Door Food Pantry located at the Ridgewood Train Station, one of the only self-service food pantries in the area.

Products and services

• Red Door Food Pantry Self-select food pantry located at the Ridgewood Train Station, stocked with basic food essentials including canned goods, boxed cereals, pasta, paper products, and fresh food via refrigerator and freezer space. Open Monday 12-6pm and Tuesday-Thursday 9:30am-3pm for individuals and families facing food insecurity.
• Grocery Store Food Vouchers Monthly Stop & Shop food vouchers provided to clients for purchasing fresh meat, dairy, produce, and other food items, with voucher amounts determined by family size.
• Childcare Stipend Monthly financial assistance program for working parents covering in-school before and after care, in-home childcare, and traditional childcare centers, serving over 100 families.
• Summer Camp Scholarships Scholarships enabling children to attend Y camps, town recreation camps, sports and drama activity camps, special needs camps, and summer school programs.
• After School Enrichment Scholarships Scholarships giving children opportunities to explore interests such as sports, arts, and STEM in safe environments.
• Utility Assistance Programs Emergency assistance helping families avoid utility shutoffs and maintain electricity and heating, particularly important during colder months and extreme heat.
• Emergency Rent Assistance Financial assistance preventing families from eviction and homelessness by helping with temporary rent payment difficulties.
• Thanksgiving Meals for Families Annual Angele Ekert Memorial Thanksgiving Food Drive providing complete Thanksgiving dinner fixings to over 100 families, with donations and volunteer support from local schools, houses of worship, and businesses.
• Holiday Gifts for Children Annual program distributing Target gift cards, toys, gift wrap, and holiday items to families with school-aged children, bringing gifts to over 200 kids annually.
• Birthday Party in a Bag Program providing birthday celebration supplies for children ages 10 and under, suitable for scout troops and youth groups to coordinate.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves over 500 individuals with food security and assistance
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Local FoundationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVarious local foundations support SSA through grants and donations, featured on the corporate volunteering page with logos displayed.
• Government SponsorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agencies that provide sponsorship and funding support to SSA programs.
• ShopRite InserraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal business that supports SSA through donations and community involvement.
• The Unitarian Society of RidgewoodminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHouse of worship that partners with SSA to support the local community.
• Local Houses of WorshipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple churches and religious organizations that donate, volunteer, and refer families to SSA services.
• Local NonprofitscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOther nonprofit organizations in the community that partner with SSA for volunteer efforts and referrals.
• Local BusinessescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple local businesses provide corporate volunteering, donations, and sponsorships. Logos displayed include over 40 supporter organizations.
• Y Camps and Town Recreation CampsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSummer camp providers where SSA-funded children attend day camps, recreation camps, and activity camps for sports and drama.
• AmazonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSSA maintains an Amazon Wishlist where supporters can purchase items directly shipped to the food pantry.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• United Way of Bergen County: Broad incumbent — county-wide funder and convener that supports multiple Bergen County social service nonprofits including food and rent assistance programs; overlapping donor ecosystem and beneficiary population with SSA.
• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Newark: Broad incumbent — large multi-service social services nonprofit operating across northern New Jersey including Bergen County, providing food, housing, and emergency assistance that overlaps with SSA's programs.
• Community FoodBank of New Jersey: Broad incumbent — the statewide food bank that sources and distributes food to local pantries like SSA across New Jersey; not a direct competitor but a key upstream supplier and capacity-builder for community pantries.
• Feeding America: Broad incumbent — national hunger-relief network whose member food banks (including Community FoodBank of NJ) supply and support local pantries like SSA; sets the broader funding and policy context for SSA's work.

Direct peers

• Table to Table: Direct peer — Bergen County-based food rescue and redistribution organization that sources and delivers food to local pantries and meal programs, intersecting with SSA's Red Door Food Pantry supply chain and mission.
• Center for Food Action: Direct peer — operates food pantries and emergency assistance programs across Bergen County, NJ, serving a substantially overlapping geography and client base as SSA with a similar community-based model.
• Interfaith Food Pantry: Direct peer — community-based food pantry serving Morris County, NJ with a similar self-select model and supplemental services (case management, financial assistance), directly comparable in scale and operating philosophy to SSA.

Regional players

• Food Bank for New York City: Regional player — large NYC food bank providing food and supportive services to pantries and clients across the five boroughs; not a direct competitor but a regional peer in scale and mission.
• City Harvest: Regional player — NYC-based food rescue organization running pantries and mobile markets; comparable operating model but geographically focused on New York City rather than northern New Jersey.

Emerging players

• Holy Name Health Food Pantry: Emerging player — hospital-affiliated food pantry in Bergen County that distributes food to patients and community members; smaller and narrower in scope than SSA but serves an overlapping client population in the same region.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ssaridgewood

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Social Service Association of Ridgewood and Vicinity