The phones at Caring Contact rang 25,700 times last year, and a half-million-dollar check just landed to make sure someone keeps picking up.
Caring Contact, the volunteer-staffed nonprofit that answers 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline calls for seven New Jersey counties, announced Wednesday, July 9, 2026, that it received a $500,000 grant from the Elizabethtown Healthcare Foundation. The gift is the largest single donation in the organization's 50-year history.
The money arrives as demand surges. In 2025, Caring Contact's roughly 100 trained volunteer Listeners answered 25,700 calls, the organization's highest annual volume ever. Union County, which includes Summit, Westfield, and other commuter towns along the Midtown Direct rail line to New York, is among the counties served.
"Every 988 call represents someone reaching out in a moment of profound need," said Mary Claire Givelber, executive director of Caring Contact. "This extraordinary gift will help ensure that more people are met with compassion, safety and hope when they need it most."
Caring Contact said it will use the grant to recruit and train additional volunteer Listeners, expand community education programs including suicide prevention workshops, and strengthen its capacity to answer calls around the clock. The organization trains volunteers in active listening and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training before placing them in its live call center.
A new cohort of volunteers from New York and New Jersey completed the 988 training in May 2026 and began answering calls as interns, joining the existing corps of about 100 experienced Listeners.
The grant also marks a milestone for the funder. The Elizabethtown Healthcare Foundation awarded the gift as it concludes 26 years of community service. Givelber said the foundation has partnered with Caring Contact for 18 of those years, calling the grant transformational for the organization's capacity.
The foundation's specific reason for winding down was not disclosed.
How to reach Caring Contact
Founded in 1975, Caring Contact operates two lines for residents in crisis or anyone who needs someone to listen:
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline — available 24/7; dial or text 988
- Caring and Crisis Line — (908) 232-2880, weekdays 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Caring Contact is also a member agency of the Westfield United Fund, which supports nonprofits serving Union County towns including Summit. Residents interested in volunteering as Listeners can visit caringcontact.org for training schedules.
