Recently, on a night with heavy rain, a man wearing plastic grocery bags on his feet walked to our supply bus and asked for help. Because of generous donations from people all over Milwaukee, we were able to give him a new pair of shoes. It’s a little thing – a pair of shoes – but to him, that night, in the pouring rain, it was a big thing. It was hope. Street Angels are Hope Dealers!
This is what Street Angels is all about. Hope. We do street outreach three nights a week, every week, year-round. We provide hot meals, a lunch for later, and survival supplies like tents, blankets, jackets, and hundreds and hundreds of socks. But that isn’t all. When we hand someone a hot meal, we’re opening a door for them. We’re there to learn their stories and help them take steps to end their homelessness. Never heavy-handed. Never bureaucratic. Our work is friend to friend.
Right now, we are seeing about 130 friends each night and the number keeps growing. Covid-19 has wreaked havoc on people’s livelihoods, unemployment is sky high, and evictions are resuming after the moratorium. Also critical are the terrible effects of mental health problems and addiction. New people are becoming homeless every day. They are frightened, penniless, and don’t know where to turn.
Every year, we conduct a fundraising event called 48 Hours. Our two co-executive directors, Shelly Sarasin and Eva Welch, and a small group of committed volunteers, make themselves homeless for 48 hours. This year, 48 Hours will be held October 24-26. During that time, the 48 Hours team will be on their own on the street, facing many of the same challenges as our friends – sleeping outside, finding safe places to be during the day, coping with hunger, and dealing with the kindness or lack of kindness of strangers. We use social media to keep the public and donors informed of the team’s activities and have been very successful in obtaining coverage from mainstream media.
Our goal this year is to raise $48,000 in 48 hours. We need your help! Will you consider becoming a sponsor of 48 Hours? All sponsors will receive recognition in all 48 Hours media releases, social media, and our web site updates. Additionally, we will highlight each sponsor in special posts made to our substantial social media following. Your sponsorship will inspire others all across the community to donate. Your example will have an enormous impact. Think of it as giving Hope Dollars to support Hope Dealers!
We recommend four sponsorship levels. If you would like to give at a different level, please let us know!
Hope Dealer Champion $5,000
Hope Dealer Advocate $2,500
Hope Dealer Friend $1,000
Hope Dealer Supporter $500
Please contact Eva Welch, Co-Executive Director of Street Angels, at 414-739-2467 or eva@streetangelsmke.org with any questions and to finalize your sponsorship. Or feel free to donate directly here on our site and we will reach out to you. Eva and Shelly, our other Co-Executive Director, will carry your name and your support with them on their 48 Hour experience living on the streets of downtown Milwaukee.
Thank you for considering our request. We hope to talk to you soon!