Giving Rye is a feature series highlighting non-profits and community groups in and around the City of Rye. Today meet Juli Schmidt of Helping Hands Rye.
Your Name: Juli Schmidt
Name of your organization: Helping Hands Rye
Your role: Co-President
MyRye.com: Tell us your organization’s mission
Schmidt: Our goal is to aid the homeless and under-served in Westchester County. We purchase and donate new essentials like hats, gloves, socks, undergarments, toiletries, and feminine hygiene products; we bundle them for individuals and send them to partner organizations for distribution.
How long have you operated in or around Rye?
Schmidt: We are an all-volunteer group based in Rye that started in 1987.
What programming or work is the organization best known for?
Schmidt:
- Mission Backpack is our most known event. Each August, we rally the community to organize and fill over 2,000 backpacks with a multitude of supplies that we have purchased. We’ve been fortunate to use the Rye High School gym for this for many years.
- In the Fall, we run our Winter Warmth event. This involves gathering volunteers to fill drawstring bags with new hats, gloves, and socks that we’ve purchased. Graciously, the Community Synagogue has allowed us to use their space for this.
- Each Spring, we do Undie Fundie. Similar to Winter Warmth, friends and volunteers gather to fill drawstring bags. This time with undergarments, socks and essentials like toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant.
Looking forward to 2026, what will be your top initiatives?
Schmidt: For 2026, our goals are to increase the number of people in the population that we can serve – for all three of our events. Each year we are asked to supply more backpacks/bags and we do this as funding allows. We want to maintain providing quality items as well. We are planning to begin providing coats to some agencies as we are aware of the great need for those this time of year.
Tell us about the population you serve and how they can get involved with your programming and services.
Schmidt: We work with local organizations to get our items to those who need them – discreetly and with dignity. Some of the organizations we deliver to are Don Bosco and Carver Center in Port Chester, Lifting Up Westchester, Westhab which offers after school programs in Yonkers & Mt Vernon, Children’s Village, and Coachman Family Center in White Plains.
Are you a 501(c)(3) non-profit with tax exempt status?
Schmidt: Yes.
Looking back across 2025, what were your organization’s top achievements?
Schmidt: Though we kept our overall number of backpacks similar to 2024, we increased some of the supplies in each backpack – folders for example. We also were able to use some grant funding to supply much requested incontinence items and feminine hygiene products during Undie Fundie.
How can local residents support your organization?
Schmidt: We rely heavily on local residents for fundraising. They also have blessed us by volunteering in large numbers each August at Mission Backpack and in small groups for Undie Fundie and Winter Warmth.
What local Rye residents and area businesses have been the longest, steadiest supporters of your organization?
Schmidt: We do receive grant money from local churches and organizations, but I think it’s best not to disclose specifically. We’ve also had some extremely generous individual donors but the quantity of small donations really keeps us going. Many of our donors are long time supporters.
Tell us about you:
How long have you been in your current role?
Schmidt: I joined Helping Hands in 2020 and became a co-president this year.
Is the role full time or part time? Paid or volunteer?
Schmidt: Part time, volunteer! I also work part time at Rye Presbyterian Nursery School.
How would your friends and family describe you in one word?
Schmidt: Upbeat.
Where did you grow up?
Schmidt: I was raised in Baltimore, Maryland but have lived in New York since 1998 – in Rye since 2007.
Where do you live and how many years have you lived there?
Schmidt: In Rye – on Forest Ave.
Thanks Juli!
Learn More:
