Cardboard City helps homeless

To the editor:

Family Promise Mat-Su would like to thank all the participants and sponsors of Cardboard City 2009, which was held Friday night at the Alaska State Fairgrounds. Your support of this event means a lot to the families in the Mat-Su valley that benefit from the Family Promise Mat-Su program, enabling homeless families to find adequate housing and support to regain their self-sufficiency. More than 95 people participated in the event, despite the rain and cold, raising more than $8,500 in a single night. With a matching grant, Cardboard City has already raised money for guest services including transportation needs, clothing/laundry needs, rental assistance and case management. Since 2005, Family Promise has provided homeless families with over 6,000 shelter nights and served 60 individuals this year alone. For more information on our organization or to continue to donate, please feel free to check out our website www.familypromisematsu.org. We are always interested in finding new volunteers, new grant opportunities, and new ideas to raise awareness to the issue of homelessness.

Thank you again for all the community support.

Sarah Klitzke

Cardboard City event coordinator