Giving Back: Vital Supports Cross Roads House

Written by: Ellen Stuart

On Saturday May 5, Cross Roads House of Portsmouth held their 10th annual Benefit by the Sea at Wentworth by the Sea Hotel, raising nearly $280,000 dollars. Cross Roads House has been providing emergency and transitional shelter to homeless men, women and children in the Seacoast community for  30 years. Cross Roads House estimates that over the past 30 years, they have provided 500,000 nights of shelter to over 5,000 different people and 500 families.

Cross Roads House is not just a place to sleep for the night. The team at Cross Roads is truly committed to breaking the cycle of homelessness by helping each resident move with dignity and purpose to stable and decent housing. Cross Roads House collaborates with many local agencies to deliver supportive services such as  tutoring and GED preparation, mental health counseling, job search and vocational training and many other services that are essential to helping residents eventually leave the shelter and become independent.

The Benefit by the Sea is a black tie event that gathers friends and sponsors of Cross Roads House, along with their guests, for a night of cocktails, dinner and dancing. Attendees received an update on Cross Roads’ progress throughout the year, and recognized both the 30th anniversary of Cross Roads House and the 10th anniversary of the Benefit
by the Sea. Vital Design sponsored the event by providing all of the marketing collateral for the event, including invitations, save the dates, programs and sponsorship opportunity forms.

We love when we can use our talents to give back to the community, especially to a cause as worthy as Cross Roads House. Take a look at the Cross Roads House website,  and check out their volunteer and donation information. The shelter relies on contributions to fund 2/3 of its annual operating budget so every donation it important. On the donations page you can also view Cross Roads’ Amazon wishlist, where you can view and purchase items that the shelter needs most. There is a way for everyone to pitch in!