Like many charitable organizations, the Harvest Project sees its financial support cool off when the weather heats up.
“The Harvest Project receives generous donations around the (winter) holiday time and around tax time, and then things typically fall off a little bit,” says volunteer board chairwoman Kathryn Seeley. “Meanwhile, we do continue operating as per normal and support our clients throughout the summer.”
The North Shore organization helps residents who are experiencing extreme challenges with family break-downs, illnesses, job loss, and poverty through programs that provide coaching, food, clothing and assistance with workforce re-entry. It serves some 300 families and individuals per month. To help the charity continue its work through the current season, would-be donors are invited to participate in the Summer Un-Gala, an online donation drive that runs until July 4.
For many people, now marks the end of the school year and the start of summer holidays – not an ideal time to attend a charity event. The Summer Un-Gala provides a virtual alternative.
“An un-gala is an opportunity for the community on the North Shore to contribute to the Harvest Project while not having to dress up and show up at an event at an extremely busy time,” Seeley says.
The Harvest Project spends about $50,000 per month to operate, or $600,000 per year, the bulk of which comes from personal contributions. There is a reserve for periods of low cash flow, but Seeley would love to see this virtual campaign raise enough money to last through to the fall when donations typically pick up again.
“Ideally we would generate three month’s worth. That would be a tremendous success for us,” she says, noting that the organization provides ongoing support to vulnerable residents, not just one-time appointments. “We work with our clients over multiple months. We sit down with them at the beginning, we have a client care coach that works with them and they collectively come up with a plan,” she explains. “So it can be a multi-month project.”
Visit harvestproject.org to contribute to the Summer Un-Gala campaign.
