On Giving Tuesday, the Giving Tree Project DC is kicking off its sixth annual holiday fundraising campaign to raise money for people in NoMa who are experiencing homelessness.
The goal is to raise $50,000.
Wunder Garten, the German-inspired outdoor beer garden in NoMa, is hosting ‘The Giving Tree’ Christmas tree lot for residents by providing easy access to freshly cut, real trees.
Wunder Garten built into the annual event a community-focused fundraising campaign called the “Giving Tree Project DC,” which donates a portion from each tree sold on its lot to a local non-profit homeless outreach organization. Their hope is to spread Christmas cheer while recognizing the holidays are not only about “getting,” but also “giving.”
SEE ALSO | Giving Tuesday: 10 DMV organizations, charities to consider giving back to
“Last year, from our six-weeks of Christmas tree sales at Wunder Garten, we were able to raise and donate $10,000 to support outreach to persons experiencing homeless in NoMa,” Ben Sherman, founder of the Giving Tree Project DC, and owner of DC-based landscaping company, Sherman Gardens said.
This year, the Giving Tree Project DC is expanding its circle of giving to include the NoMa Business Improvement District. Together with Wunder Garten, both partners have committed $5,000 towards the 2021 campaign to help neighbors in need.
The Giving Tree Project DC has also set up a GoFundMe fundraiser to allow the public to join the campaign.
By expanding the ways for people and organizations to contribute, in addition to collecting contributions for each tree sold on the lot at Wunder Garten, the Giving Tree DC aims to raise $50,000, which will be donated to the h3 Project, a local non-profit homeless outreach and service provider established by Dr. Ami Angell.
Angell, who was once homeless herself, employs a team of six trained outreach workers and has been instrumental in helping dozens of unhoused persons living in NoMa transition to temporary and permanent housing through the new DC government’s C.A.R.E (Coordinated Assistance and Resources for Encampments) pilot program.
“The h3 Project continues to meet the needs of our unhoused NoMa neighbors and those who now have housing through the city’s new pilot program,” Christopher Lynch, a co-owner of Wunder Garten said. “The $50,000 we aim to raise through the Giving Tree Project DC will help the h3 team continue their vital and life-saving work and provide household necessities for those who were formerly homeless. I’m confident that with the publics and our partners’ help, the Giving Tree Project DC will not only meet but surpass our $50,000 goal to help neighbors in need this holiday season.”
The Giving Tree Project, located at Wunder Garten, 1101 First Street NE, will run through Dec. 23, or while supplies last, with a portion of each tree sold being donated to the Giving Tree Project DC