A Soggy and Successful Hike for Hope

The 2025 Family Promise Hike for Hope was held on Sunday, May 4 at Van Neste Square in Ridgewood—and, in true Hike for Hope fashion, it rained! However, our hikers made it abundantly clear that a little bit of wet weather couldn’t keep them down. Despite the damp forecast, 257 individuals and 29 teams joined us for our three-mile walk in support of families facing homelessness and hunger in Bergen County, ultimately raising more than $45,500 for our programs! We are blown away by the hard work and incredible generosity of our many hikers and friends, and are deeply touched by the overwhelming support they have shown for the children and parents we serve.

The afternoon kicked off with our friend and Hike for Hope DJ Scott Reddin providing the soundtrack as guests checked in (receiving a Family Promise poncho!), fueled up on refreshments, and participated in a wide range of activities stationed throughout the park, many of which were managed by members of the Family Promise Youth Council. Warm-Up Sponsor Coach JuJu Griffith of JuJu Performance in Ho-Ho-Kus got the crowd ready for the trek by leading hikers of all ages in a series of fun dances to classics like “The Electric Slide.” When it was finally time to start the hike, the 2025 Trailblazers—teams who got a head start on their campaigns by raising $350 or more by early April—lined up at the start of the route and led the way. This year’s Trailblazers included Team ADAM/St. Mark’s Godspeed, Calvary’s Cruisers, Congregational Cruisers, Family Promise Youth Council, First Congregational Flyers, Team Fleisher, and Warriors of Hope.

Top Fundraising Teams

This year, our Top Fundraising Team was Team ADAM/St. Mark’s Godspeed, followed by Team Fleisher in second place and Team N&L in third. In the category of Top Individual Fundraisers, Nathan Rubenstein came in first place, followed by Cindy Strauch.

Each year, the Family Promise Hike for Hope is made possible thanks to the incredible support of our community. We’d like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the following local businesses, groups, and individuals for helping make our event a success: The Family Promise Youth Council, Francesca Brick Oven Pizza & Pasta, LuLu & Bo Boutique, the Flavor Labs, the Albano Family, Debbie Terrace and family, Shannon Spadaro, Kevin O’Brien, Olivia Carbonaro, Scott Reddin, the Village of Ridgewood, and Ridgewood Press.

We’d also like to once again recognize and thank our amazing 2025 Hike for Hope sponsors for their generosity: Family Friend Sponsors Freedom Bank, SHARP Electronics, Visions Federal Credit Union, Warm-Up Sponsor JuJu Performance, Activity Sponsor TD Bank, Food/Beverage Sponsors Diamond Rock Water, Ben & Jerry’s of Ridgewood, Stop & Shop of Ridgewood, Costco, and ALDI.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, donated, and supported this year’s event in so many ways, including allowing our Youth Council to place a Hike for Hope yard sign on your lawn! We can’t wait to see what next year brings. View the full 2025 Family Promise Hike for Hope photo album .