Sixth Annual Boutique Benefit on May 5 in Laguna Beach Will Help Globally, Locally

April 8, 2012 - PRLog -- LAGUNA BEACH, Calif., April 7, 2012 - Sales of donated new and gently used clothing at the sixth annual Boutique Benefit on Saturday, May 5 will help women in war-torn Congo, local families with food insecurity, and help with medical and dental services for homeless individuals, according to Evonne Kane, the event’s founder and organizer. The event is set for Saturday, May 5 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Laguna Presbyterian Church, 415 Forest Avenue. Admission is $2 per person.  Most designer items will be affordably priced between $4 and $16. Besides clothing for men, women and children, there will be a huge array of accessories including handbags, belts, sunglasses, shoes, and small decorative items such as vases, paintings, pillows, frames and even beautiful succulent plants. Proceeds will benefit the Laguna Resource Center, Women for Women International, and Friendship Shelter’s program for the chronically homeless. www.boutiquebenefit.com
A new presage event will be held starting at 5 p.m. Friday, May 4 with wine and hors d'oeuvres at Nirvana Grille, 303 Broadway, with $40 tickets allowing early-bird shoppers access to first dibs on the best of the goods from 6 to 8 p.m. Purchase tickets online  at boutiquebenefit.eventbrite.com.
Kane initiated the Boutique Benefit in 2007. With an army of volunteers, she gathered thousands of designer and name-brand items. The event attracts a constant stream of shoppers throughout the day and to date has raised more than $70,000 for people in need locally and globally.  
For a third year the Boutique Benefit will raise funds for Women for Women International’s work in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Although a peace accord was signed in 2003 to end a devastating civil war there, the violence still rages—and women bear the brunt. They are perpetually at risk of violence, rape, theft, famine and disease. Women for Women International is working with women in the Congo to rebuild their lives with programs that include direct financial aid, rights awareness classes, job-skills training and emotional support. www.womenforwomen.org
The Laguna Resource Center runs a food pantry used by 1,000 local families each month from its base at 20652 Laguna Canyon Road. See www.lagunarelief.org for more information.
      The third Boutique Benefit recipient is new this year: the temporary overnight shelter on Laguna Canyon Road for Laguna's chronically homeless, run by Friendship Shelter. A portion of the funds raised by the sale will go toward dental and medical attention for users of this shelter.
To arrange a last-minute drop-off of your donated items, call 949-497-2767 or e-mail info@boutiquebenefit.com.  All donations to the Boutique Benefit are tax-deductible.