Have you ever wanted to name your own street?
Now you can, in CONTACT Community Services' latest 'A Home for the Holidays' auction.
The auction is to help raise money for the organization's new 'Community Hope Chest' initiative with a goal of raising $50,000 this year.
"There was a need for a fund to help people immediately," said Brenda Pufek engagement and development officer with CONTACT.
The ‘Community Hope Chest’ is aimed at helping meet the ever-growing need for critical services that ‘don’t fit into a regular funding model’.
These funds often cover basic needs, such as transportation costs for a client to get to a doctor’s appointment, a job interview or an apartment viewing, technology/communication equipment for an individual to connect with needed supports. Additionally, these funds will provide money for emergency food, prescriptions, and dental care not eligible through other government sources.
The auction runs online until Thursday, Dec. 15 with over 50 items donated by local businesses and artisans.
For the first time ever, the town has allowed a charitable organization to auction off the opportunity to name a street. There are three streets in Bradford up for grabs, starting at $1,000 each.
Pufek says the naming of a street is a great gift and a nice way to honour or pay tribute to a loved one.
"It's pretty exciting," said Pufek. "It's such a wonderful way to remember someone at Christmas or put your family name forever in perpetuity in your hometown which is lovely."
Other items up for grabs include restaurant gift cards, handmade decor, paintings, golf passes, local billboard advertising, tickets to the Hockey Hall of Fame, and more.
"We have an amazing community,' said Pufek about the local businesses who stepped up to donate auction items.
CONTACT Community Services' mission is to be a proactive leader in South Simcoe providing responsive services in housing, employment and community support. CONTACT supports the critical needs of individuals and families by providing quality services through sustainable, creative solutions.
Now, more than ever, vulnerable individuals and families in South Simcoe are facing enormous pressures. These pressures include job losses, mental health concerns and health crises, which the pandemic and the rising costs of living have only underscored and intensified.
Everyone has their story. Individuals and families who come through CONTACT's doors may be: experiencing homelessness (or about to become homeless), trying to obtain a stable and meaningful job, or struggling with mental health or addiction issues. They may be a senior who is isolated or a family who doesn’t know where the next meal is coming from. Crisis doesn’t discriminate.
Almost all of the people CONTACT serves face a specific challenge to stability. This critical need will go unsupported without their assistance. To react quickly to this growing demand, it is imperative that they have the funding to help, so clients can continue on their path with CONTACT to a brighter and sustainable future.
To view and bid on the list of items up for grabs in the 'A Home for the Holidays' auction, visit here.
Bidding closes on Dec. 15. at 5 p.m.