Small Can Be Big, LLC Announces the Launch of a New Online Venture to Help Families in Need

Dec. 19, 2008 - PRLog -- Waltham, MA 12/15/2008 - Normally, summer is the time homelessness goes down.  But in the summer of 2008, the homeless situation in Massachusetts hit a record high.  Today, the economy is worse, budgets are tighter, and winter is here.  Shelters are overflowing.  Rising unemployment and a shortage of affordable housing are putting many more families at risk.  Many of these families have no safety net and are not eligible for any governmental assistance. State emergency aid budgets are stretched, and traditional charity models are unable to deal with the magnitude of this winter’s problem.

What’s needed is a new model. SmallCanBeBig.org  is that new model.  It is a new way for people to directly help local families on the edge by using the internet to harness the power of small donations.

On SmallCanBeBig.org, people can help local families in danger of losing their homes or housing -- families carefully selected by experienced case managers from well-regarded local charitable agencies in Massachusetts.  SmallCanBeBig.org  provides background details and the exact, specific and urgent payment or expense – like rent, utility or medical -- the family needs to get them back on their feet.  100% of every donations goes directly to the landlord, utility company, hospital or critical expenses that need to be paid.

On SmallCanBeBig.org, each person who gives knows who they’re giving to and precisely what they’re giving for, and knows every penny they give goes directly to meet that need.  And they know the family is local, helping to make all of Massachusett’s communities stronger and a bit more humane this winter.

Because the giving on SmallCanBeBig.org is direct, even small donations – from $3 to $300 – can make a big difference in a family’s life.  With social networking features, SmallCanBeBig.org encourages donors to involve family and friends in the giving and the helping, thus multiplying the power of small, direct donations.

Beyond helping individual families, SmallCanBeBig.org enables people to help our struggling local economies and governments.  It costs the State of Massachusetts $47,000 to keep just one family housed in a homeless shelter for a year.  For a fraction of that amount, someone can use SmallCanBeBig.org to join with others to help with a month’s rent or utility payment to keep a family from ever becoming homeless in the first place.

For additional information on Small Can Be Big, LLC, contact Amanda Zarle or visit www.SmallCanBeBig.org. The site will launch in early January 2009.

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SmallCanBeBig.org - SmallCanBeBig.org is the latest venture in online charitable giving. The organization was founded in November 2008 and provides a new way for people to directly help local families on the edge by using the internet to harness the power of small donations.

Boathouse Inc. – Boathouse is a marketing communications firm run by John Connors with a roster of clients including Merrill Lynch, Tom Tom, Caritas Christi and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.