Like a lot of people, Erin St. Jean is looking for ways to give back to her community this holiday season, but finds sifting through lists of charities to be a challenging endeavour.
You want to help and theres lots of times when I feel like I want to donate to a charity, what can I do? But Im skeptical whats going to happen to my money? How much goes to administrative costs, that kind of thing, she says.
A married mother of three with not a lot of extra cash, this year, St. Jean decided to make her charitable contribution through HomelessPartners.com, an initiative run through the Vancouver Church of Christ. It connects donors with clients at local homeless shelters and social services agencies to help clients receive exactly what they need and want for Christmas.
HomelessPartners.com started in 2005 when a Vancouver couple was walking through the Downtown Eastside and were overwhelmed with the desire to help but didnt know how to go about it, says St. Jean, whos doing community outreach and communications for the project this year. They ended up speaking with a man on the street and asked him point blank what he wanted for Christmas. But speaking with the homeless wasnt enough; they had to come up with a way to get the gifts to their intended recipients, a particular challenge when dealing with homeless and transient populations.
Its one thing to talk to people and get their stories and find out what they wanted for Christmas, but then it was like, how do you get the gifts to these people? says St. Jean.
So the couple approached the non-profit Lookout Society to help facilitate a system that would ensure specific gifts would reach the people they were intended for. Teams of church volunteers were sent into shelters to interview residents in order to learn a little about their histories, and of course, discover their Christmas wish list. Those stories were then posted online at HomelessPartners.com, allowing the public to register to give a specific gift to a specific individual. Donors are then asked to hand-deliver their gifts to the shelters, so no money ever has to change hands. The project is now active in 10 cities throughout North America, including Los Angeles and Dallas.
St. Jean says the system is great for people who want to give back but arent comfortable giving cash donations or generic gifts to charities. Its much more personal than going to Costco and buying a flat of socks, she says.
Even those who dont have the financial resources to buy extra gifts can light up someones holiday by sending a personal note or a card that shows theyve read their story on the website and are thinking about them during the holidays.
Thats hugely encouraging for them, says St. Jean. When youre someone at the shelter and you get a card that says to Elizabeth from Joe its really cool. Its really personal and you dont just feel like no one knows you.
Personal stories and wish lists will be posted on HomelessPartners.com until Dec. 18. Gifts can be purchased and dropped off at local charities right up until Christmas Eve.
