San Francisco International Gift Fair® Donates $25,000 To “Care Not Cash”—A Ballot Measure Designed To Address Solutions Toward Homelessness In San Francisco

Furniture World Magazine

Universal Shows, Inc./Western Exhibitors, LLC, owners and producers of the San Francisco International Gift Fair®, made a $25,000 cash donation to the YES ON PROPOSITION N campaign CARE NOT CASH as a way to assist the City of San Francisco in finding solutions to the homeless issue that has been afflicting the city for some time. This measure will appear on the November ballot during citywide elections. “Being a good corporate citizen means having a vested interest in finding solutions to the various issues faced by the city in which you conduct business,” stated Mike Dean, President of Universal Shows, Inc. “Clean, safe streets and homelessness are major concerns in all big cities, and being based in San Francisco, we realize the importance of looking for resolutions to our city’s needs. Should Prop N pass, it will be a major step in that direction,” continued Dean. “The city of San Francisco brings in hundreds of thousands of tourists each year—it continues to be the world’s favorite travel destination. In addition, the San Francisco International Gift Fair® sees more than 65,000 visitors annually, and we have heard the concerns from our clientele,” said Wendy Breuner, Executive Vice President of Universal Shows, Inc. “Our donation to Proposition N—CARE NOT CASH—is a way for us to do our part in supporting a ballot measure designed to keep San Francisco clean and safe,” declared Breuner. Proposition N—CARE NOT CASH—is a ballot measure that would replace the semi-monthly cash payments (currently given to the homeless) with vouchers, which will help to meet basic needs. These vouchers will go toward guaranteed services—housing, health care, job training and substance abuse—and will help save lives and transition homeless individuals to stable housing and employment. While all new programs take time and results will not be seen overnight, Universal Shows, Inc./Western Exhibitors, LLC feels that this is a step in the right direction. The San Francisco International Gift Fair® is a semi-annual gift market jointly produced by Western Exhibitor LLC and George Little Management LLC. It features some 1,700 exhibiting companies in over 3,000 booths featuring 16 product divisions and draws approximately 23,000 retailers. Exhibits are located at Moscone Center, The Concourse Exhibition Hall and in cooperation with the permanent showrooms of the Giftcenter & Jewelrymart. Information about the market can be obtained on an interactive website www.sfigf.com or by calling 800.346.1212 (outside the San Francisco Bay Area) ; 415.346.0168 (within the Bay Area); 415.346.4965 fax; or showinfo@weshows.com.