Hey, you!
Yes, you! How ARE you?!
It’s probably been awhile since you’ve had a friend shout out to you from the other side of a crowded room. So, we wanted to do a throw-back to the good old days (has it only been 20 months??), with a little across-the-internet shout-out!
It’s also been awhile since you’ve heard from Help the Help. Despite the apparent hibernation we have not been sleeping over here! In fact, this has been a season of incredible growth for our organization- but it’s been the under the surface growth.
You know that kind? Like the time in between when the seed gets planted and it’s cute little green shoot pops out of the ground? Or in-between when the magnolia tree branches are bare, and the buds burst into full bloom? The shape, colour, size, and strength of the flower is forming inside, but it needs the right amount of time and nutrients before bursting into the beautiful big blossom.
That’s the kind of growth we’re talking about. We’ve been doing lots of dreaming, talking and creating. We’ve been refocusing on the heart and vision of Help the Help and exploring how to mobilize societal change within this new age. And now it’s GO time!
So, will you join us? Will you join our movement of change-makers?
You may be wondering- what does that actually mean? What do you actually do?
Well, let us tell you!
First off, Help the Help is a Social Enterprise. Our favourite definition comes from the Trico Foundation and says: “Social Entrepreneurship uses business models- selling products or services- to solve social problems.” The social problem that we are trying to tackle is the chronic under-funding of non-profit organizations who support vulnerable people.
These organizations are often funded by donations, grants, and labour-intensive fundraisers. These methods have been somewhat successful in the past. Unfortunately, a changing societal landscape (with increased social needs, shrinking donor bases, decreased grant availability, and difficulty with in-person gatherings) make these methods increasingly challenging.
Even before the craziness of 2020, finances were tight for non-profits. This resulted in significant staffing problems: lack of workers, inadequate pay, limited training, minimal support, and high burn-out. Our Help the Help team has worked in those places and seen the impact of these problems. The end result is this: the vulnerable people we’re aiming to support do not actually get the help they need. We give our hearts and our lives for the vulnerable- trafficked women, abused kids, unemployed adults, starving families, depressed and disempowered men. There are services and organizations available to support them, but without financial resources for staff, programs cannot run, and lives cannot be changed.
So how to bridge the gap? Well, there are certainly many ways to do that. Our heart (as creators) has always been to marry the creative arts with business ventures to make products that are appealing to the public. We’re talking about originally designed clothing, pillows, shoes, bags and décor with artist collaboration and real-life usability. No more cheesy shirts and bracelets that you wear for a day and then stuff in the back of your closet (though we all do have some cheesy shirts that are pretty great). We sell these at market cost and give 20 percent of proceeds to our partner charity. It’s a win-win for hidden artists, well meaning but tired donors, and struggling organizations.
Please join us, as we Help the Help.