Watertown resident Joanna Munson-Palomba started Cards4aCause to help the homeless with monthly gift cards. Later this month the group will hold a fundraiser for the organization.
Cards4aCause sent out the following information:
Necessity and Dignity: what do these two words mean? For Joanna Munson-Palomba, founder of Cards4aCause, they are core values to which everyone is entitled. Cards4aCause is a local non-profit organization that offers a unique approach to giving to the homeless, through monthly gift cards.
Joanna believes that the homeless deserve choice in their purchases, and with gift cards, they can buy items that we take for granted everyday: anything from back to school supplies, to filling prescriptions. Cards4aCause is designed as a pathway to ensure that recipients of the cards have freedom of choice, while guaranteeing donors that their contributions are being used effectively to help the homeless.
In 2013, Joanna started Cards4aCause when she was 13 years old, and now in its fourth year, it has grown significantly. Every month, Cards4aCause provides 30 gift cards, $20 each, to two shelters in the Greater Boston area: First Parish Church Shelter in Harvard Square and Second Step in Newton. Joanna raises the necessary funds through individual donations and local fundraising events.
September 28th is a Thursday night, when you and hopefully others will gather to celebrate Cards4aCause’s growth and look to its future. The Mount Auburn Athletic Club in Watertown is hosting the event and will include hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, live music and an amazing silent auction. The best part? 100% of the proceeds go to the cause! Joanna’s goal for this event is to kick start funding for the third shelter she plans to add, one that serves children in need.
To leave you with a sobering statistic: on any given night, more than 19,000 people are homeless in Massachusetts, 7,000 of whom are children. Please join us to promote our mission: “Providing Necessities while Restoring Dignity to the Homeless.”
If you would like to attend the September event, please RSVP at: https://neccesity-and-dignity-event.eventbrite.com and if you would like to learn more about Cards4aCause or donate, please visit: http://www.cards4acause.org/.