This winter holiday season is the perfect time for Everyone Home DC and our amazing network of supporters to provide a little something extra for this special time of year. Everyone Home DC is committed to ensuring that the families we work alongside will have the flexibility to celebrate their winter holiday and experience the joy of giving gifts. This holiday season, Everyone Home DC will distribute debit gift cards throughout our community, allowing each household the opportunity to decide how they spend these funds to create a meaningful holiday for their family.

Based on the family size, Everyone Home DC will provide gift cards valued between $150 and $500. 

We need YOUR help to reach our goal. You can make a monetary donation today here. You can also consider running a drive to collect gift cards with your favorite community or network OR set up a fundraising page and watch your social network support you in reaching your goal! Every little bit helps. Below is more information on how to get started and some of the most preferred gift cards. Thank you for your continued support of Everyone Home DC!

Everyone Home DC plans to distribute gift cards to families in December.

GETTING STARTED

• We want to hear from you if you plan to run a drive or collection! This will support Everyone Home DC’s planning (and budgeting) efforts. Contact Kate Akalonu at akalonu@everyonehomedc.org to discuss what types of gift cards to focus on collecting and to share how many gift cards you plan to contribute. We can also provide any brainstorming support to get the word out to your community and create personalized donation forms to track your progress easily.
• You can also make a monetary donation, which program staff will use to purchase gift cards and send electronically to families. Consider donating today!
• Everyone Home DC families most appreciate Visa, Mastercard, Target, Walmart, Old Navy, Amazon.

GETTING CARDS TO EVERYONE HOME DC 

You can skip purchasing gift cards and donate on our Winter Holiday donation page. Program staff will then purchase gift cards and send them electronically to families. Consider donating today!

If purchasing gift cards at a store or online, you can mail them directly to Everyone Home DC’s main headquarters address. Please contact Kate at akalonu@everyonehomedc.org if you have any questions or to discuss dropping the gift cards off.

Mail Gift Cards to:
Everyone Home DC Development
Attn: Holidays
415 2nd Street NE, 3rd Floor
Washington DC, 20002

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out! Thank you for standing with Everyone Home DC now and always. We are so glad you are here.

**Any funds received above the goal for this campaign will be redirected to the general fund.**

Year after year we are so incredibly grateful to you for continuing to ensure Everyone Home DC’s September Challenge reaches historic success! For the fifth year in a row, you showed up for individuals and families at risk of or experiencing homelessness in DC. We reached our ambitious (and record-setting) $80,000 goal, with more than 200 gifts made throughout the Challenge. 

This successful milestone was not achieved by one entity alone. It was a collective effort of our AMAZING September Challenge Sponsors, Benefactor Circle, and Committee members, our staff, volunteers, donors, event hosts, and participants, fundraisers, online auction partners and participants, and our many social media ambassadors. The urgency to raise critical funds to support people facing homelessness has never been more pronounced, and each one of you played a vital role in ensuring this campaign’s success. Thank you.

In addition to the funds raised, check out some of the other highlights of Everyone Home DC’s September Challenge:

• In the final week of this year’s Challenge, we received nearly 100 unique gifts, raising nearly $20,000.
• We are incredibly honored to introduce one new and welcome back three Lead Sponsors this year. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Christ Church + Washington Parish on Capitol Hill, The Jeanne Phil Meg Team at Compass, National Capital Bank, and Louise Walsh & Charlie Rupp for their unwavering support. You can see all of this year’s amazing September Challenge sponsors below, and be on the lookout for our celebration advertisement in the November Hill Rag.
• The September Challenge Leaderboard had seven active fundraisers that raised more than $20,000, which is a 100% increase from 2023. This year’s top fundraisers were Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church, Rifat Jafreen, Edith Shine & Mark Sherman, Alison Harwood & Chuck Rohe, Laurie Mankin, Pat Joseph, and Andy Staszak Interiors. Thanks to ALL for sharing your time, talent, and enthusiasm with this year’s Challenge!
• Everyone Home DC’s online auction raised over $11,000. This year there were 70 participants who placed a total of 228 bids. 

The need in the District is more urgent than ever, as homelessness is continuing to rise—up 14% from 2023 to 2024—and the DC government’s budget for homeless services is even more dire than many of us could have anticipated. It seems like Everyone Home DC will need to rely more on funding from private sources, such as contributions to campaigns like our September Challenge in the future. 

Thank you for joining Everyone Home DC in this critical month-long campaign to support our mission to ensure everyone in our city has access to safe, affordable, and comfortable homes. It is our collective responsibility to end homelessness in Washington, DC, and build the welcoming and inclusive community we believe is possible. Your support has always been critical to our work and allows us to be flexible in working alongside people in our programs. We could not do this work without you, and we are so glad you are here. Thank you!

 

Happy First Day of September!

Everyone Home DC‘s September Challenge has officially kicked off with some healthy competition on The Leaderboard. Head on over to Everyone Home DC‘s September Challenge page and show some love to one of our Fundraisers. OR consider joining The Challenge by creating your own Fundraiser and check out your September Challenge Toolkit, to maximize your success and engagement! If you need any support, just let us know!

*NEW THIS YEAR**Everyone Home DC is introducing the Weekly Challenge!

Each week in September, we will challenge you to support our unhoused neighbors and give you a chance to win an exclusive Everyone Home DC merch capsule and other fine gifts throughout the month for participating.

DO YOU ACCEPT? Week 1 (Sept. 1-Sept. 7) Challenge Starts NOW: Every dollar brings us closer to turning DC‘s vision of a place where everyone can access safe, affordable, and comfortable homes into a reality. DONATE $14 (OR MORE) TODAY–using this unique form–to combat the 14% rise in homelessness that DC saw from 2023 – 2024. Accept this Challenge and make your $14 gift today to be entered to win!

There are also some amazing September Challenge events and experiences coming up that you are not going to want to miss. Check out some of the events below and keep your eye on Everyone Home DC‘s event page throughout the month, as we anticipate adding more opportunities.

AND, be on the lookout! This coming Wednesday, September 4, Everyone Home DC‘s September Challenge Online Auction will open for bids. Join The Challenge and place a bid (or two!) on a variety of unique experiences and opportunities. All the Online Auction proceeds support Everyone Home DC, which makes winning feel twice as good.

Thank you for joining Everyone Home DC‘s month-long digital campaign—consisting of various fundraising experiences—to raise $80,000 for people at risk of or experiencing homelessness in our city! 

We are just starting to enjoy the summer, AND the new school year is approaching fast! Each year, we begin planning around this time so that when our families start to think about the new school year, Everyone Home DC is ready to provide support for any back-to-school needs. This year, Everyone Home DC will again offer flexible monetary support to the families we work alongside, encouraging families to shop together in anticipation of the new school year. 

Everyone Home DC is raising funds for the upcoming school year to provide gift cards for families to use during back-to-school shopping. This year, we aim to distribute 200 $50 gift cards to Everyone Home DC scholars, and we need your help to reach our goal. 

Here are some other ways you support Everyone Home DC in reaching our goal:

• Make a donation today towards our fundraising goal.
• Create a fundraising page to share with your community. We are on standby to provide support! 
• Host a drive to collect gift cards (Visa, Mastercard, Target, Walmart, and Amazon) at your work, place of worship, or with your favorite people. 
• Please email or post on your favorite social media platform to spread the word and share the need with your friends and family. 

Everyone Home DC plans to distribute gift cards to families the week of August 5.

Every little bit helps. Below is more information on getting started and getting gift cards or cash gifts to Everyone Home DC. 

GETTING STARTED

• We want to hear if you plan to run a drive or collection! This will support Everyone Home DC’s planning (and budgeting) efforts. Contact Kate Akalonu at akalonu@everyonehomedc.org to discuss what types of gift cards to focus on collecting and to share how many gift cards you plan to contribute. We can also provide brainstorming support to get the word out to your community if you run a drive.

• You can also make a monetary donation, and program staff will purchase gift cards and send them electronically to families. Please note families have openly expressed how much they appreciate the convenience of receiving gift cards electronically. Consider donating in $50 increments (or any amount) today!
• Families express most appreciating Visa, Mastercard, Target, Walmart, and Amazon gift cards.
• Are you interested in setting up a personal fundraising page? Email Kate Akalonu at akalonu@everyonehomedc.org. She is on standby to help you get started!

GETTING CARDS TO EVERYONE HOME DC

• You are welcome to skip the process of purchasing cards and make a donation on our Back to School Collection donation page. Program staff will then purchase gift cards and send them electronically to families. Make Your Donation Today!
• If purchasing gift cards at a store or online, you can mail them directly to Everyone Home DC’s main headquarters address. Please contact Kate at akalonu@everyonehomedc.org if you have any questions or to discuss dropping the gift cards off.

Mail Gift Cards to:
Everyone Home DC
Attn: Back-to-School
415 2nd Street NE, 3rd Floor
Washington DC 20002

Please note: We will not be accepting gift card drop-offs at our drop-in day center. 

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out! Thank you for standing with Everyone Home DC now and always. We are so glad you are here.