GBAR Donates $23,000 to End Homelessness

BOSTON, Dec. 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Just in time for the holidays and the cold weather, the Greater Boston Association of Realtors® (GBAR) presented the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless with a $23,200 donation. In total, GBAR has donated more than $32,000 to the Coalition since 2007.

In November GBAR held its second annual furniture drive to benefit the Coalition. More than 10 truckloads of furniture were donated and dropped off at the Coalition's Furniture Bank in Lynn where it will quickly be given to those transitioning out of homelessness. Much of the efforts can be attributed to GBAR's Community Service Committee led by Joanne Paleo of Prudential Wilmot Whitney Real Estate in Weston with the assistance of vice-chair William Gehan of Gibson Sotheby's International Real Estate in Boston.

"Nothing is timelier than the topic of homelessness in today's economic climate. When I was introduced to the Coalition and learned about its crusade to end homelessness in the greater Boston area, I immediately wanted to get involved," said Paleo. "GBAR's Community Service Committee has been hard at work to support the Coalition and its Furniture Bank program. As local Realtors® our daily activities are entrenched in the housing market and I can't think of a better way to give back to the communities that supports us."

With the help of many dedicated Realtors®, GBAR raised funds for the Coalition - its designated charity - throughout the year at Realtor® events across eastern Massachusetts.

"The Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless is thrilled to partner with the Greater Boston Association of Realtors® in their efforts to help homeless families make a house a home," said Robyn Frost, executive director of the Coalition. "With the help from the Board we are able to ensure that families making the transition out of homelessness into permanent homes will have free of cost furniture to set up their new homes. We can't thank the GBAR enough for their continuing partnership in the fight to end homelessness in the Commonwealth."

The Greater Boston Association of Realtors® is a private trade association with more than 5,500 Realtor® members who specialize in residential real estate in Eastern Massachusetts. GBAR is the largest of five divisions of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board (GBREB).

SOURCE Greater Boston Association of Realtors

RELATED LINKS
http://www.gbar.org