OPPORTUNITY
Street Zine has offered financial opportunity to homeless and economically disadvantaged individuals in Dallas, Texas since 2003. Vendors pay 25¢ for each paper, asking readers for a suggested donation of $1.00 and keep 100% the donations he or she receives. New vendors receive 10 free copies of the paper to get them started.
Focused on homeless and poverty issues, Street Zine gives the vendor an opportunity to develop advocacy and awareness through their paper distribution, which helps people understand the issues and the personal stories of those on the lowest rung of the economic ladder. Supporters and readers from every social-economic level are able to and do make a difference in the lives of those looking for a hand up, not a hand out. For the vendor, the paper offers a positive experience of self-help that breaks through the isolation that many homeless people experience.
By offering the public a means to reach out with their dollar to help homeless and economically disadvantaged people directly, many individuals form a caring relationship with the vendors. The vendors are able to become independent and/or self-sufficient with their proceeds from the paper by purchasing bus passes and food or necessary living expenses. It also gives them opportunity for expression by publishing their articles, poems and artwork.
Street Zine is a Community Ministry Program of The Stewpot of First Presbyterian Church of Dallas.
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Street Zine is a member of
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International Network of Street Papers |
