12. Give Proceeds From A Craft Sale
Lucinda Yates is a Maine artist and costume jewelry designer. "I started making 'house pins' as a way to raise money and awareness for my local shelter," says Lucinda. "I still can't believe how much they've caught on."
She now employs over sixty people and often takes orders at the rate of 1,000 a day for her one-of-a-kind high gloss enamel pins. Since she began in 1988, over 500,000 house pins have been sold.
Lucinda sells the pins for $6 each to buyers who must sign a contract promising to resell each pin for $10 with the profit going to organizations that server the homeless. The Interfaith Housing Network of Ambler, PA netted over $15,000 in just one year.
The pins, which depict colorful houses, come in sizes as small as a tie tack or as large as 3 inches by 3 inches.
The pins also also have great public relations value. When volunteers wear them, people ask about them and sometimes offer to help sell them. To find out more, contact House Pins, Inc., 180 Second Street, South Portland, Me 04106, (207) 799-6116.
List of all 54 Ways
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54 Ways You Can Help The Homeless - Overview