'Neighbor in Need' soon to open in Havre

How can someone ask for help in a private, dignified way and receive help from the community in that same manner?

The answer is a unique website that was created by Great Falls resident, Dave Snuggs. The website, at http://www.myneighborinneed.org, is the fulfillment of an idea that first came about back in the summer of 2001.

Now, just before celebrating their third-year anniversary, Snuggs is once again expanding the website’s reach of hope.

“I am excited to announce that thanks to efforts of a dedicated group of volunteers, the city of Havre will have its very own My Neighbor in Need project,” Snuggs said. “It is hard to imagine that what started out as a simple idea has now grown into such a powerful movement.”

He said the program will be underway in about six weeks.

"With the expansion to Havre, we now offer service to 40 cities in Montana and Wisconsin," Snuggs said.

The website and newspaper columns connect those who have a need with those who wish to fulfill that need, he said.

“This service is free and is available to anyone living in the Havre city limits who has a need and/or anyone in the world who wishes to help a neighbor in need by fulfilling a need,” Snuggs said.

The website allows anyone to ask for help with a specific need in a specific area, whether the need is for themselves or for someone else in their community, by simply going to the website and completing the Request a Need form and clicking submit.

If a person does not have access to the website to complete the form, they may call 406-301-3919 and the form can be completed over the phone.

A weekly column listing the needs and the success Neighbor in Need has had will appear Tuesdays in the Havre Daily News.

In addition, the Request for a Need form can be mailed to: My Neighbor in Need, 419 6th Ave., Havre MT 59501

Once the form is submitted, it is retrieved through a private back-office computer system accessed only by our team of “Good Deed Doers.” The Good Deed Doers are trained volunteers and staff who review the submitted form, contact the person requesting help, and through a series of questions, complete the process.

Once the need has been verified, the status may be changed to “approved” and the need instantly goes live on the website so anyone in the world may review the request and offer assistance by pledging to fulfill the need. When a need is fulfilled, it is listed on the website in the Fulfilled Needs Archive page.

“I get asked all the time, why has My Neighbor in Need been so successful helping those in need? I believe it is the unique way we address needs," Snuggs said.

First, the person in need never receives any money. If their need is a financial request — for example, help with a car repair, the repair shop provides us with a discounted price and the donor who wishes to fulfill the need pays the repair shop directly.

Second, donors control how their kindness is used. The donor tells the organization which need or needs to fulfill and how much they wish to contribute toward that specific need.

Every penny donated to fulfill a specific need is used for that purpose.

Third, once a person has had their need fulfilled, if down the road they have another need and wish to ask for help through My Neighbor in Need, they must first fulfill a need for someone else through the system before they can get help again

It is a pay-it-forward system, and people can:

• Fulfill someone else’s need,

• Volunteer at My Neighbor in Need,

• Perform volunteer work at one of the many approved non-profit organizations.

Operational costs are underwritten by sponsorships from Montana Farmers Union, the group’s corporate partners and local businesses.

My Neighbor in Need does not receive any funding from the government including federal or state grants. Its founder and president receives no financial compensation from the company.