Sure We Can Satellite Site
A nonprofit fundraiser supporting
Sure We CanWe're opening a new redemption center in East New York!
$29,635
raised by 55 people
$30,000 goal
10 days left
Update #3
It’s Giving Tuesday!
Today, whether or not you put stock in these kinds of “holidays,” we all have an opportunity–or even an excuse–to contribute to something. Even just to consider the possibility of a contribution and where your contribution might make the most difference is meaningful; to actually take the leap and contribute to a project or organization that is doing work that resonates with you is huge. In an organization that depends on these types of contributions, it can mean the difference between a program shuttering or continuing. For the communities that depend on those organizations, it can mean the difference between suffering and support.
If you choose to support Sure We Can this Giving Tuesday, you will, first, be helping us to open our new redemption center, and to make it as beautiful and welcoming as possible. This will in turn help us reach out to more NYC canners, and both meet their existing needs and empower them to imagine and pursue solutions to the larger and more systemic challenges they face. This strengthens the community’s ability to raise its voice and influence law- and policy-makers, and thereby improve conditions not only for themselves, but for all marginalized New Yorkers, and our communities at large. Your small contribution can have a massive impact. You can even get something for yourself–two of the next twenty people to donate to the campaign will randomly receive a free Sure We Can beanie!
So take a moment to think about all the ripples a single intentional contribution can create! We are humbled by the generosity of our community and those who have already given. If you are still deciding what and where you will give to this Tuesday, please consider contributing to Sure We Can!
We’re announcing a very special milestone–the opening of our first expansion site, a new redemption center in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York!
Sure We Can is a non-profit organization that operates a New York City recycling center, community space and sustainability hub that serves independent recyclers, or "canners" – people who collect bottles and cans to earn income to provide for themselves and their families – as well as the local community in general. For the past 17 years, Sure We Can has served as the only redemption center in New York State that supports canners’ lives as well as their livelihoods by providing space and amenities that meet their holistic needs, access to low-barrier work, and offering a sense of belonging and community. From our recycling work to our education, advocacy and outreach programs, we promote social inclusion, environmental awareness and economic empowerment.
For years, we’ve dreamed of starting a second redemption site and meeting and working with a new community of recyclers., We’re so thrilled to be making that dream a reality with the opening of a brand new satellite redemption center in East New York! We'll be transforming an empty 3,500 sqft lot right under Broadway Junction into another community oriented and supportive redemption center. In this new neighborhood, we'll be able to reach a whole new group of canners and connect with a new community. The site will provide a space not only for redemption services, but also for mutual aid and holistic support to the community, including the newest New Yorkers who have come to our city quite recently, and are looking for opportunities to work and participate.
Josefa MarínThe new site will be led by Josefa Marín, a canner for over 15 years, founder and President of the Alliance of Independent Recyclers, and vital member of the Sure We Can community. Josefa works daily to expand Sure We Can’s community, introducing others to the important work of recycling, and sharing with other canners the unique opportunities and values manifested by Sure We Can and recruiting them as members.
“At Sure We Can, canners can find support that doesn’t exist elsewhere. But it doesn’t reach every canner in the city. Shouldn’t every canner have the same opportunities to thrive?”
We're so grateful for the support we've already received from our partners Impact 100 and NYC Connect to initiate the process of making this project a reality. Now, in order to get the new site ready to open, we're asking for your help in making it the best it can be, by supporting key purchases like an office trailer for staff and reused shipping containers to store the bottles and cans. We'll also need the smaller things that will help make the site comfortable and welcoming, like office supplies and PPE for canners. We'll have our work cut out for us in getting the site ready, but we're so excited to get started! With your help, we will raise $30,000 by the end of the year towards this exciting expansion!!