Support our special needs jobs program (and the planet!)
EarthPaint has a very special mission: We help reduce the large carbon footprint of the paint industry by taking old, unwanted paint, and recycling it into something even better.
But that’s only part of what we do. We also serve our community by hiring and training people with special needs. That makes us unique in our industry, and we aim to provide our team with job and life skills they can’t get elsewhere.
Our program empowers adults with disabilities, training them to turn what was once considered trash into new, high-quality paint and other products.
But it’s hard to get funding, from deep-pocketed donors or government grants. So in order to keep our important jobs program going, we need help – and we’re asking you to support our mission.
We currently have 10 adults on the EarthPaint.org team who are thriving. Our goal is to create more jobs for people who are having difficulty finding and retaining a job. Not just in the Chicago area. We envision EarthPaint facilities, staffed by dedicated special needs individuals, across the entire country.
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Here’s the hard truth
Our program is at risk. Our board has invested everything to keep the program running and work multiple jobs to keep our team employed and our service running. It’s a passion project – but passion doesn’t pay the bills. And the hard truth is, as passionate as we are about this, we need more money to cover our basic costs.
So many people tell us, "What you do is amazing, thank you for your efforts.” Which we appreciate – a lot. But we still do not raise enough money to keep our recycling center running.
It’s not for lack of trying. Funding we once had from the government and the EPA has dried up.
Local municipalities have turned us down for funding because they also lack a budget to contribute to sustainability programs or programs for adults with disabilities. And we work hard to find more stores to sell our sustainable paint.
But without more funding, the truth is our programs are at risk.
Help fund the future
We envision a future where recycled paint is on every shelf in every hardware store, because it’s better for the environment, creating less pollution, skipping the mining process, and uses less water, electricity and raw material.
A lot of people aren’t familiar with recycled paint, and might think it’s inferior – but the truth is, it’s not. EarthPaint’s sustainable product covers better and is more durable, making painting easer (and more affordable).
In our vision of the future, our special needs workers are the foundation. Our goal is to create hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs for special needs workers across the U.S., but we need your help to do it.
Your contribution will help our operating costs, such as paying our special needs workforce, maintaining our facility, and the creation and distribution of our recycled paint product. It will also help educate people about the benefits of recycled paint, while creating a steady revenue stream so that EarthPaint is a self-reliant organization. And we hope it will help fund our stability and eventual growth.
Thank you for your support. It makes an incredible difference.
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