Lowell Wish Project

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Lowell Wish Project
From your attic to a needy home one wish at a time
In conjunction with the City of Lowell
Hunger/Homeless Commission
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Donna Hunnewell

• Founder/ Executive Director
• 15 years in high tech Biology and Engineering
• Mother of 2 toddlers
• Volunteer work
• Hunger/Homeless Commission

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How does it work?

• Case workers email us a wish
• We combine wishes into a weekly e-newsletter to
  1,000 donors
• Donors deliver to us or we pick up
• We arrange to get it to the agency/client
• Crisis Wish same day delivery
• Our donors are amazing!

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Accomplished 2004 2,150 people helped

• 337 wishes fulfilled
• 36 fire families assisted
• 90 of wishes filled with free donations
• Average cost/person 2.55
• Purchase new goods at 0.10/1 retail

My Porch Headquarters 2004
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Monthly Citywide Service Projects
500 filled backpacks for school kids
Turkey Baskets
Blankets for the Street Homeless
Homeless Teen Support
Xmas Gifts to 639 people
4,500 Diapers- Drive
Mothers Day Bags 256 women in shelters 2005
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Service Projects 2004 - New Goods

• 19 Easter Baskets to kids in a shelter
  250
• 189 Mothers Day gift bags
  6,000
• 500 filled backpacks worth on average
  17,500
•  639 People got Christmas gifts
  (50/child - 75 clothes 25 toys)
  26,000
• 35 men got shaving kits for Fathers day
  200
• 265 blankets (26 new) to street homeless
  250
• 36 Thanksgiving Turkey Baskets (6 Asian) 1,000
• 
  

51, 250
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Wish Web -14 Towns
Groton
Chelmsford
Westford
Pepperell
Acton
Dunstable
Tewksbury
Tyngsborro
Lowell
Burlington
Dracut
Andover
N. Reading
Wilmington
N. Andover
Reading
Burlington
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41 Agencies/Programs

• Shelters
• Transitional Living Programs
• Food Pantries
• CTI
• Head Start
• WIC
• Spousal Assault
• ACE-elderly
• Housing

• Babies
• Children
• Mothers
• Families
• Street homeless men, women and teens
• Elderly, homebound and ill
• Many nationalities

Just ask!
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Wishes- about 1wish/day (360/year)

• Most are for household goods, clothes
  and baby items
• Clothes for entire family or shelter
• Houses full of furniture
• Crisis wishes- toddler bed- same day
• 20 computers for agency
• Refrigerator in July
• Pedia-Sure (donor and recipient)

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Fire Support

• Teamwork
• Red Cross
• CTI
• H/HC
• Salvation Army
• Deliver food to motels
• Clothing to motel
• Household goods for new apartment

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Large Scale Coordination-700 coats

• Cradles to Crayons Quincy, MA
• New kids coats
• MVFB trucked up to
  Lowell
• Catholic Charities unloaded and stored
  coats
• CTI-Head Start distributed out to
  children

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E-connections

• Agency mail list
• 75 case workers
• Service Projects New goods to clients
• Up for Grabs emails
• Match Service for appliances, furniture

• Donor e-Wish Tree
• Reaching 1,000 people in 14 towns
• Donors deliver
• Case workers give to clients

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Inspirations

• Cradles to Crayons- Barbara Clark
• Second Harvest
• Household Goods Recycling Ministry - Ira Smith
• Craigs List/Freecycle.org
• Donors
• Case Workers

Barbara Clark
Amber Finnell
Anne Marie Martin CTI-Caseworker
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Case Workers Love it!
March Diaper Drive 4,500 diapers
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Donors Love it too!
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Everyone Deserves the Basics

• Safe place to sleep
• Table to eat at
• Clothes and shoes
• Basic hygiene needs

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Local Supply Depot

• Model the food pantry system
• Central facility inside Lowell for easy access
• Acquire in bulk for best pricing
• Work with the agencies
• Large space for large donations

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New Storage Area May 2005 400/month 4,800/yr
(650 sq. ft.)
(300 sq. ft.)
1,000 sq. ft. total
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Our Dream

• City-wide supply depot
• Wishes
• Ongoing Needs
• Seasonal Needs
• Supplies- paper/plastic, toiletries, cleaning
  products, diapers

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Raise the Roof

• Critical juncture
• 3,000 sq. ft. area available in building where
  we currently are
• 1,200/month or
  14,400/year
• We could finally offer
• Furniture depot
• Clothing depot
• Wholesale storehouse

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My town
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www.lowellwishproject.org
From your attic to a needy home one wish at a time