The 200 for 40 campaign is inching toward its goal of attracting 200 community funders to support the social programs run out of 40 Baker Street in downtown Guelph.
With a deadline set for the end of this month, the campaign has reached 161 of the 200. It has picked up momentum over the past month, having stood at 114 donors in mid-February.
“We made some quite substantial gains,” Ed Pickersgill, coordinator of 40 Baker, said on Thursday. “It’s good to see how many people have flocked in to join 200 for 40. We’re at 161 now, which is really remarkable. And people tell me we’re going to make the 200 by the end of this month, or soon thereafter.”
Contributors are invited to give $20 each month for 12 months, or a portion thereof, in an effort to raise $48,000 towards the centre’s annual budget of about $100,000.
The funds contributed so far are being put to use, particularly to offset operational costs. 40 Baker is under the auspices of the Out of Poverty Society.
The campaign was launched in November of last year as a kind of crowd-sourcing, alternative approach to the more conventional funding models that are in place for social agencies.
Pickersgill has said previously that a grassroots funding approach allows the agency, which serves the marginalized and homeless of the community, to maintain autonomy and flexibility in what it does. The needs of the people served by 40 Baker are more important than jumping through the bureaucratic hoops that constrain other organizations.
Unlike similar programs for those who are economically marginalized, it receives no funding from any level of government. It gets about $40,000 from the United Way each year, money that pays for the food used in its food programs. All other expenses, including salaries, rent, utilities, and Internet costs are funded through community-based donations.
Known simply as “40” by those who have come to rely on it, the location houses Fresh Start Housing Centre, a program that helps the homeless and those at risk of homelessness stay safe and find accommodations.
Our Place Youth Centre, Our Place Youth Supper Club, and Making Room for Us are all housed there, as is the Baker Street Art Gallery, a weekend art-making program that encourages creativity and the sale of art. There are also takeaway tables in the lobby that stock food and clothing items.
40 Baker is a place to get a meal throughout the day, and a place to make friends and experience a sense of belonging for those who frequent it, those who use its programs say.
Pickersgill said on Thursday that the fact the campaign has attracted 161 donors so far is impressive, but reaching the 200 mark is vital to ensuring that all the programs continue to operate throughout 2016. The campaign will restart in the fall for 2017.
“There are a number of people working on being a part of it,” Pickersgill said of 200 for 40. “We have the staff of two or three schools that have joined up, and people who are talking to people who are talking to people.”
No anonymous contributions are being accepted. The names of all donors are made public via social media, both on the 200 for 40 campaign site on Facebook, and the Out of Poverty Society Facebook site.
To contribute to 200 for 40, stop into 40 Baker Street, or connect via email at [email protected].
“The revenue is very important, but equally important is having it known that there is a whole range of real people contributing to this,” Pickersgill added.
He said about 20 contributors so far are people who use the services of 40 Baker Street – people who sacrifice $20 each month from their meagre income. Others are teachers who support the organization because some of their former students have come to rely on its services, and depend on it as a safe place.
“We set out on this campaign with no idea what would happen, and what has happened has been quite remarkable,” Pickersgill added.
