Greetings Card Company Hires Homeless People To Write Heartfelt Messages Inside

A greetings card company in the US has hired a team of employees, who have all experienced homelessness, to design its cards.

Reed Sandridge, 46, started Second Story Cards back in 2016 as a way of helping homeless people earn an income and connect with others.

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Each employee receives 15 per cent of the sale price from the card - with some making around $2,000 (£1,530) in revenue, as well as an additional percentage going to a charity of their choice.

"At their core people who are experiencing homelessness are thirsty for connection with people and that's what we do with greeting cards," said Reed.

"We found it's extremely healing and rewarding for them to be able to give back and help others.'

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'You will get through this sh*t,' 'I love you more than cheese' and 'sorry I f***ed up' are just some of the cards available at Second Story Cards.

Each has a touching bio of the employee - and their reason for the design - on the reverse, some of which are heartbreaking.

One card features a bear wanting a hug, a design the card maker chose after spending so much of his life desiring a hug while living on the streets.

The company employ 24 card makers aged between seven and 70 and most have found housing since joining the project.

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No previous experience is needed, just a passion to create beautiful and meaningful greetings cards.

"What I need is people who are able to be open and honest about their feelings as they pertain to life because that's what cards are," Reed said.

Sadly, the company has struggled since the pandemic hit, as they rely heavily on wholesales, pop ups and purchases via the website.

Luckily, Reed has been able to team up with some business and hotels, offering their design skills - which has been crucial to keeping the business afloat.

"When the pandemic hit it closed down virtually all of that and we basically lost 90 percent of our sales overnight," Reed said.

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Despite the difficulties, Reed explained the highlight of running the business is seeing the card makers' satisfaction of their work coming to life.

"The best thing you could ever see is to take a card maker into a store where their card is on the shelf and the delight they have," he said.

What a beautiful idea, you can find the Second Story Cards website here.

Topics: Life News, Shopping

Lucy Devine

Lucy is a journalist working for Tyla. After graduating with a master's degree in journalism, she has worked in both print and online and is particularly interested in fashion, food, health and women's issues. Northerner, coffee addict, says hun a lot. Get in touch at [email protected].

@lucedevine