My Neighbor in Need opens March 24

The website http://www.myneighborinneed.org will go live in Havre in 11 days.

Havre’s My Neighbor in Need, which president and founder Dave Snuggs says is a “24-hour wish list where a neighbor in need can ask for help with a specific need,” will open Thursday, March 24.

Under the program, he said, the need is verified “and if approved, is posted live on the website http://www.myneighborinneed.org — where anyone in the world can offer to fulfill that need. The Neighbor in Need and the donor never ever meet.”

The program has been in operation in Great Falls for some time, and the plan was to expand to Helena.

But Snuggs said he got so many phone calls saying there was need in Havre, the plan changed and Snuggs headed northward.

“The past five weeks has been a wonderful journey as we prepare to launch the project in Havre,” Snuggs said. “Our original expansion plan was to deliver the project to Helena in the spring of this year. However, for over a year, my office has received calls from people in Havre asking when My Neighbor in Need would arrive. The demand for this service was overwhelming so we decided to launch it in Havre now and delay the launch in Helena until the fall.”

If a person has a need, they can go to the website, file a Request a Need form and submit it, he said. My Neighbor in Need personnel will review it and post to the website.

If a person does not have access to the website, they may call 406-301-3919 and the form can be completed over the phone. In addition, the Request for a Need form can mailed to: My Neighbor in Need, 419 6th Ave., Havre MT 59501.

A list of the needs will be published weekly in Havre Daily News.

Trained volunteers will review the requests and post on the website the requests that qualify, he said.

Operational costs are underwritten by sponsorships from Montana Farmers Union and local businesses, he said.

“We have raised all but $5,100 needed to open the doors in Havre,” he said. “It is crucial for the operational costs to be raised prior to the grand opening. We appreciate any and all donations that will help us help our neighbors in need.”

The organization does not receive any funding from the government including federal or state grants. The founder and president receives no financial compensation from the company, saying he is paid in joy. My Neighbor in Need is an approved, tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization.