L-R, Several A Safe Haven volunteers, A Safe Haven President Neli Vazquez Rowland and Chicago Automobile Trade Association President Dave Sloan welcome visitors to the Chicago Auto Show.
"All of the food goes to A Safe Haven Foundation to directly feed 5,000 homeless people of all ages and backgrounds throughout the year."
CHICAGO (PRWEB) March 10, 2020
While checking out the latest models and makes of automobiles at the recent Chicago Auto Show, thousands of visitors showed their generosity in donating a total of six tons of canned goods to A Safe Haven Foundation during the Nation’s Largest Canned Food Drive at the recent Chicago Auto Show Feb. 12 to 14. A nonprofit anchor in the community, A Safe Haven is celebrating 25 years of helping end hunger and homelessness for the city’s most poverty-stricken residents.
The donations will all go directly to help feed an average of 5,000 homeless individuals, families and veterans that reside and depend on A Safe Haven Foundation annually. A Safe Haven provides its residents basic needs like food, transitional housing and holistic wrap around services to help them get back on their feet with jobs and affordable housing. The nonprofit’s pioneering and award-winning model has been recognized by leading stakeholders around the world for offering the most innovative, complete and vertically integrated approach and system that is uniquely designed to address root causes of poverty and homelessness by providing them a path to social, economic and housing opportunities to achieve sustainable self-sufficiency.
Volunteers from the Chicago White Sox and UIC and individuals helped to man the two booths at the Chicago Auto Show. The volunteers and A Safe Haven staff were instrumental in helping to greet guests and educate them about the nonprofit’s mission of eradicating homelessness and the issues surrounding that topic as well as unemployment, mental health and addiction.
A Safe Haven also launched its campaign for the upcoming 5K RUN/WALK To End Homelessness at the event. The Chicago Auto Show also partnered with the Chicago Area Runners Association to host an inaugural Mile Per Hour Race. A Safe Haven President Neli Vazquez Rowland, a lifelong runner herself, was one of the 600 runners to support fitness and wellness at the event!
“I want to thank the Dave Sloan, President of the Chicago Auto Trade Association again for sponsoring the Nation’s Largest Canned Food Drive at the Chicago Auto Show, this year,” Vazquez Rowland said. “There is no question that our longstanding partnership has helped tens of thousands of people in crisis get access to the nutrition they need as a first step to regaining their health and strength to work on getting their life back on track. All of the food goes to A Safe Haven Foundation to directly feed 5,000 homeless people of all ages and backgrounds throughout the year. We are based in a food desert with no grocery stories nearby, so we also distribute it throughout the communities to hundreds of residents who really need those groceries from our food pantry every week.”
“Those of us at the Chicago Auto Trade Association and the Chicago Auto Show are pleased once again to be working with A Safe Haven during the Chicago Auto Show Food Drive,” said Dave Sloan, General Manager of the Chicago Auto Show. “It’s gratifying to know our donations and those of our attendees are going to such a wonderful organization and the people they represent and serve.”
Another way that people can help the foundation is to sponsor and to participate in its 10th Annual 5K Run/Walk to End Homelessness at 8 a.m. Sunday, July 19 at 600 W. Montrose Drive in Chicago. This event is a Chicago Area Runners Association certified run.
“We always have a great turnout and an event like this draws the community together as we educate and empower people to help us heal root causes and solve the homeless epidemic, in a sustainable manner,” she said. “All the proceeds will go to support our mission of transforming lives from homelessness to self-sufficiency.”
For more information about the 5K Run/Walk to End Homelessness, visit http://www.RunToEndHomelessness.org.
For more information about A Safe Haven, visit http://www.asafehaven.org/.
About A Safe Haven:
A Safe Haven Foundation is a 501(c) 3 not for profit, social enterprise that helps people aspire, transform and sustain their lives as they transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency with pride and purpose. A Safe Haven provides the tools for each individual to overcome the root causes of homelessness through a holistic and scalable model. A Safe Haven’s visible social and economic impact unites families, stabilizes neighborhoods, and creates vibrant, viable communities. For information, visit http://www.asafehaven.org.
