So How Many is 32 Million?

It’s the total number of vending machines in the world.

…the population of Uganda.

…and, according to Harris Interactive, the number of US mortgage holders who are having difficulty making their payments.

Even for those of us who make it our business to know about struggling homeowners, 32 million is a shocking number. It means odds are quite good that you personally know someone who could be sliding toward foreclosure.

As a company that helps businesses help struggling homeowners, we here at MortgageKeeper did a little research ourselves.

We found that of the 1,500 people daily who use our database of 6,000 vetted nonprofit and government agencies, about 20% were searching for help with heat and utility payments.Another 18% were looking for food assistance.(You may wonder where the big category—job assistance—landed.The answer:third.)

So the stats are showing that there are an awful lot of people looking for help. Basic, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs-type of help.

But if we can satisfy those basic needs—get those 32 million the help they need to relieve the financial pressure that boils over into no heat, no food, no jobs—we might be on to something.

Know of nonprofit in your community who is meeting basic needs with professionalism and great customer service? Let us know about them.

(And welcome to our blog! More to come!)