What happens to the money you pay at the Market Street parking meters when you park along the main rectangular loop around Central Park?
This year, four Montgomery County charities will benefit from the thousands of dollars in change inserted in Market Street’s voluntary parking meters throughout the year as the shopping, dining and entertainment destination announces the beneficiaries of the 2021 Change for Charity program: Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Assistance League of Montgomery County and YES to YOUTH.
The Woodlands Car Club also generously raises money for the Change for Charity recipients throughout the year at their events, held the first Sunday of each month. Their contributions coupled with the amount donated to Market Street's 68 parking meters make up the total amount given to a selected charity each quarter.
“As the needs in our community have grown exponentially over the past year, we are honored to be able to impact lives through our Change for Charity program,” says Noemi Gonzalez, marketing director at Market Street. “Our shoppers, along with The Woodlands Car Club attendees, have contributed more than $250,000 to the Change for Charity program since its inception.”The program’s first-quarter beneficiary, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, is dedicated to raising funds to help find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS is the leading source of free blood cancer information, education and support for patients, families and healthcare professionals.
The second quarter beneficiary, NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is a grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. NAMI Greater Houston assists the Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery County areas.
Assistance League of Montgomery County, the third quarter beneficiary, operates a thrift shop in Conroe that is staffed entirely by volunteers who donated more than 50,000 hours of their time annually. The organization is made up of more than 240 volunteers who transform lives and strengthen community in Montgomery County.
Market Street’s Change for Charity fourth-quarter beneficiary, YES to YOUTH, is a division of Montgomery County Youth Services. Their mission is to strengthen the emotional and mental health development of youth and families by providing crisis intervention, counseling and suicide prevention services. Their emergency youth shelter helps abused, battered, sex-trafficked, homeless and at-risk youth.
