The Dandelion Project is a youth-led initiative that aims to combat the urban loneliness epidemic by encouraging live interaction and conversation between residents of the community through the usage of plants and creative art pieces. All proceeds raised from donations to the fundraiser are used to support this initiative and provide resources such as food and clothing to low-income, veterans, and homeless people in America.

Loneliness is rarely publicized because of its silent nature, but it has drastic mental and physical effects, such as increased rates of depression and up to a 29% increased risk of premature death for chronically lonely individuals, according to Dr. Itohan Omorodion of ABC News. From these statistics, it is clear that loneliness is a major public health crisis, and yet little action has been taken to address it. Moreover, another equally imperative crisis would be how we live in a world of mass production and consumerism, and yet still see undersupported people lack bare necessities and have to resort to lining up at food banks and churches for aid. 

We need to do something about this. Their silent suffering should not be ignored or normalized but instead recognized and addressed.

 That is what our project aims to achieve, but we need YOUR critical support! 

Your contribution could make an extremely meaningful impact: 

• $5 = Five plants dedicated from you, paired with notes/artworks/creative works 
• $25 = 10 Wellness Kits: Each includes a plant and its paired artwork + clothing 
• $50 = Sponsor a full “Dandelion Drop Day” (Days where there is a full stand full of plants to be given away or sold, all proceeds are used to purchase more meals or supplies for Food Pantries)
• $75$ = Dandelion Drop Day + 15 Wellness kits 
• $100 = 2 Dandelion Drop Days, AND you will receive a document that contains written accounts of people’s stories who had directly benefited from your generosity + a feature on the project’s Instagram account 

 PLEASE CONTACT MIKAELA3358@GMAIL.COM WHEN YOU CONTRIBUTE TO THE CAUSE, SPECIFIYING NAME AND AMOUNT SO WE CAN GIVE YOUR PROPER DUES/RECOGNITION, IF YOU DO NOT WE WILL ASSUME THIS IS A GENERAL DONATION

Dandelion Chapter leaders will hold these events at local organizations or at public events, and like the seeds of dandelions that are carried by the wind and scattered, we hope that as more individuals join our cause, the breadth of our impact will spread to more and more places beyond New York where we originated from.   

Prior to any funding, the project has already touched more than 100 people with more than 500 home grown plants and a single stand repurposed from a doll house. Just imagine what your contribution could do, the lives you could touch, the smiles you could bring.

Furthermore, note that: 

1. All art is made by students and is meant to serve as a subject for recipients to converse with each other about at these stands! From past holdings and events, more than 60% of recipients engaged in meaningful conversation with each other after receiving the plant and art pairs! 
2. When we give away clothing to low-income residents and the homeless in part of our wellness kits, we purchase these clothes in bulk and DO NOT use new plastic packaging for individual wrapping to reduce plastic waste to the environment. Rather, we use pre-existing clean packaging from parcels that had already been produced to try and minimize our impact on the environment. 

In the end, all we ask is that you support our efforts to address loneliness and undersupport in marginalized communities in any way you can- whether through monetary donations or support by word of mouth. Let us stand together, in unity, in this common goal. Together, we can create a more interconnected world. 

Together, we can accomplish anything .  

Thank you for your generosity and support.