WASHINGTON — It is the time of year for giving and that is exactly what one organization wants to do through their Christmas tree sales.
Ben Sherman founded the Giving Tree Project six years ago as a way to give back to nonprofits in the community.
"This year we are supporting the H3 Project which is a great nonprofit organization that helps homelessness here in NoMa," said Sherman, the founder of the Giving Tree Project.
All proceeds will benefit the H3 Project, a local non-profit homeless outreach and service provider established by Dr. Ami Angell.
Your donations will help formerly unhoused people in NoMa settle into new homes provided through the District’s C.A.R.E. pilot program by providing household essentials for its clients, including kitchen utensils, small appliances and bedding.
"It really is, it’s helping people feel like people, feel heard and really give them a voice," said Angell, the Founder of the H3 Project.
"Especially in this past couple [of] years, the pandemic has really struck a lot of people. Folks have lost their houses, there have been a number of deaths that have impacted folks," said Angell.
"Homelessness has been a bit of an issue with the underpasses, a lot of people camped out there so it seems like hyper-local, seems like a no-brainer to help out right here," said Sherman.
Sherman said their goal is to raise more than $25,000 for the nonprofit. However, unfortunately, it has been difficult to keep trees on the lot this year.
"The supply is just not there. It takes about 10 years to grow a tree so here we are now with a supply problem exacerbated by supply chain issues from coronavirus," said Sherman.
The ongoing supply chain issues and the rising cost of Christmas trees have continued to impact the price and number of trees they are able to sell this year.
"We’ve actually eaten a little bit of the price increase ourselves. If you can believe it, they are still expensive but prices are up like 12% to 30% depending on the type of tree," said Sherman.
This year, the Giving Tree Project is still determined to donate a portion from each tree sold to the H3 Project.
"It’s just looking at the whole picture. Everyone deserves to be heard and once you learn someone’s narrative it’s on the street, you can’t unlearn that," said Angell.
If you would like to help support them in this effort, click here.
