Note: Because our donation boxes are still stationed at their respective places, we hope to edit this article in a couple of months after we check on our donation boxes to provide an update on the amount we fundraised through this initiative.
This June and throughout the summer, Lantern Foundation established and led our initiative ‘Box4aCause.’ This project spanned across the Bay Area in California as we worked with a variety of local businesses to set up donation boxes in their stores.
Beginning in June, we contacted dozens and dozens of local restaurants and shops to ask if anyone would be willing to sponsor a donation box. However, this proved to be more challenging than we had planned since many businesses were either unwilling to host a donation station or did not respond to us. Because of the underwhelming response, we created a goal of having donation boxes in at least five local businesses by the end of summer. We also contacted all of our volunteers and ambassadors and US partner organizations to see if they had any suggestions for restaurants or stores that would be willing to sponsor our donation boxes. Thanks to their help and support, we surpassed our initial goal and have established partnerships in eleven different restaurants and stores.
From Dublin to Berkeley to San Francisco, our donation boxes have made their way into their “homes” for the next few months. The local businesses we have partnered with include boba shops, cafés and coffee shops, toy stores, restaurants, and so many more! The list of places you can find our donation boxes include the following: MIND Coffee, Myeongrang Hotdogs, Venus Café, Kajiken, H.L. Peninsula Restaurant, Teavoli Boba, Sekaido, Mayflower Restaurant, Pop Kitchen, Just Perfect Relax Center, and Sushi Garden. Our donation boxes all feature one of our three different campaigns with each box sharing a different story and issue that rural communities in China face.
Through our donation boxes, we hope to increase visibility within our local community about some of the initiatives that we currently support. Additionally, we have set a goal of raising $500 through all of our donation boxes by the end of the year. The money we raise will go toward our final round of donations to our international partners or to the kids that we support monthly. Some of our donation boxes can be found until the end of summer while others can be found until next year! Our team has also decided to make this initiative become an annual summer project, and we hope to place donation boxes in even more stores and local businesses next summer.
Below are a few more photos of Valerie and some of our ambassadors and little volunteers helping us place these donation boxes!
If you see one of our donation boxes, consider donating a dollar or even simply a few coins! Maybe get your friends or family to donate a little bit too. And even though we are not actively seeking out new businesses anymore, we still encourage you to contact us if you think that there is a business that would be willing to host a donation box.
