We did it!

Every single boy at Mary’s Place received a new set of clothes this Holiday Season! Thanks so much to the 43 people who pitched in. Including Agents of Change’s own contributions, we gathered a phenomenal $9,700 for these boys.

For the last three years, we’ve ran a clothing drive for kids experiencing homelessness. This is the first year we’ve supplemented that with a GoFundMe fundraiser. The reason: when it comes to donations, girls clothing vastly outnumbers boys clothes. Every year, we succeeded in gathering enough donated clothing to give every girl at Mary’s Place a new outfit. Donated boys clothes, though, were a rarity. So this year, we stepped up and added a monetary drive, too.

More than 600 boys live in Mary’s Place’s shelters. We knew we could count our drop-off clothing drives to collect about 100 sets of boys clothes. For the rest, every $30 we raised would pay for one set of clothes. When we started this fundraiser, we set a goal of $15,000. We ended up totaling $9,700—but thanks to Agents of Change’s savvy shopping, we were able to make that $9,700 do the work of $15,000. Every boy at Mary’s Place received a new set of clothes.

This success makes a huge difference in the lives of these boys. For some of them, it’s the only pair of new clothes they’ve ever received.

We gave the kids their new clothes this week at the annual Mary’s Place Holly Jolly Holiday Party. The party filled the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall with Mary’s Place staff and volunteers, Agents of Change, other donors, and—most importantly—the women, children, and families who live in Mary’s Place’s shelters. It was a festive, happy day filled with smiles and tears and lots of hugs.

Thanks so much to everyone who contributed to this fundraiser. The people who donated clothes, the people who shared it on social media, and the people who contributed financially. This made a difference in the lives of every single boy and girl at Mary’s Place. Thank you!