Michigan Nonprofit on a Mission to End Homelessness

LINDEN, Mich.-Michigan nonprofit I Give a Shirt Inc. launched an apparel campaign on March 1 to combat homelessness, one shirt at a time. I Give a Shirt features a different limited-edition T-shirt design each month, with all proceeds going toward a different cause. For March, the nonprofit is taking on homelessness.

“If you realized that on any given night in the United States, more than half a million people experience homelessness, would that inspire you to give a shirt?” Paul Schneider, founder of I Give a Shirt, asks.

Schneider partners with homeless shelters in select Michigan counties, including Genesee, Kent, Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne, with all local purchases going to a homeless shelter in their county. For every purchase, $18 of each shirt ordered goes directly to support the shelters. Shirts purchased outside of these counties (that represent approximately 50 percent of the Michigan population) benefit HandUp, a non-profit who works with over 100 different partners in 23 states to help homeless service agencies and struggling individuals meet basic needs.

At I Give a Shirt, the entire supply chain matters. The shirts are made for a living wage in Haiti. Additionally, the shirts demand 70 percent less water to produce than a conventional shirt, and they each contain six recycled water bottles, according to Schneider.

He concludes, “Supporters can help impact the lives of our homeless neighbors by contributing to our March campaign, or choose to become a subscriber and experience the gift of giving back to an exciting cause each month.”

For more information on I Give a Shirt, visit https://giveashirtshop.org.