Melissa Helmbrecht 🍞 Hopeloft in Bridgeton

Melissa Helmbrecht grew up in southern New Jersey. In her youth, she was not engaged in school and failed both 9th and 10th grade — but her life was transformed when she met a homeless child who could not enroll in school because she lacked a permanent address. Melissa vowed to never fail another class, and has spent her life working tirelessly to advocate for children. Today, she continues that work as the Executive Director of Court Appointed Special Advocates of Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties and National Executive Director of Give Something Back.

In 2016, Melissa created Hopeloft as an informal collaborative of nonprofits located in the heart of Bridgeton, New Jersey. Since then, Hopeloft has served as a springboard for community-led change, and under Melissa's leadership, the partnership has catalyzed more than $40 million in resources to incubate, launch, and support innovative solutions to social problems facing our communities.