News

Did you know that an Umbrella is one of the most requested donation items at homeless shelters? To help address this need, Mark Feldstein & Associates, Inc. (MFA), a Housewares Product Development Company, has launched an Umbrella Donation Initiative called Protect the Homeless. As a pilot program, MFA has partnered with the largest Homeless Shelter in the Toledo area, The Cherry Street Mission Ministries to distribute its award-winning Revers-A- Brella Inverted No Drip Umbrella to their “guests.”

Protect the Homeless

This initiative recognizes that people experiencing homelessness are the most vulnerable, as they are at the mercy of weather elements that can create severe discomfort and even damage to personal items, if not protected. “In talking to our friends at Cherry Street, we learned that putting an umbrella in the hands of a person experiencing homelessness has an immediate and direct impact on that person’s life,” said Howard Feldstein, Marketing Manager, MFA. “While we know that “Protect the Homeless” is not going to solve this often ignored nationwide societal issue, we understand that all substantial change is driven by small actions.”

“The guests at Cherry Street are frequently walking from place to place as they make their way toward a healthier life,” said Ann Ebbert, CEO/President, Cherry Street Mission Ministries. “Having access to protection from the elements is important for an individual’s safety. This generous donation will help in the day to day lives of the guests who are working their way out of poverty.”

Feldstein added that because of the initial success of the pilot program with Cherry Street Missions Ministries, the company plans to expand the Umbrella Donation initiative to other Homeless Shelters in the metro Toledo area.

With over two million sold, the standard and portable sized Revers-A-Brella No Drip Umbrella keeps people dry with an innovative inverted design that enables you to close it upward, trapping residual raindrops inside a durable water pongee canopy. By inverting the umbrella, the wet side faces inward when closing it, exposing only the dry side to the user.

About Mark Feldstein & Associates, Inc.

With over 36 years as a product development company and importer of housewares and giftware, MFA offers a wide range of unique products for the home, office, and personal use. Products are sold through mass, specialty, grocery, drug, department and gift stores, catalogs, home shopping networks, and ecommerce.