Sam Pereira believes in the power of music. He also believes in a better world, especially for those impacted by homelessness. That's why, on October 24th, 2020, he launched House Party Presents, a charitable organization that organizes concerts and uses all the benefits toward the homeless.
For every dollar raised, 60% goes to other homeless assistance organizations and the rest (minus House Party expenses) goes towards independent outreach supplies, (nutritious food, toiletries, weather protection, heartwarming efforts).
Sam started his charity back in In Muscle Shoals, Alabama but he's currently residing in Washington DC, very close to where he was born and raised. In the suburbs of the capital, Sam was first confronted with the issue of homelessness, at a very young age, especially on his travels to the city to see the shows that illuminated him with the power of live music. Although he's not a musician himself, he knew that someday his life would revolve around it.
After considering opening a concert venue, he decided to combine his love for music and his need to help the homeless. Sam organized the first show in Denver but, soon after, the pandemic hit and he was forced to sit on his project for a while. He's back now and he's ready for more events later this year in DC and Colorado this summer. Meanwhile, Sam is working on making House Party a nonprofit organization.
What really stroke us during this conversation is that Sam is driven by the need to tell the unique story of every person he meets on the streets. Because, too often, we're guilty of indifference and too embarrassed to face it, it's really convenient for us to ignore the people behind the issue they are facing. While we conveniently refer to the people on the streets as the "homeless people", Sam stops, talks to them, acknowledges them, calls them by their name, and tells their stories. Terrance, Shawn, Bobby, Knox, are their names and House Party is here to say those names out loud so we don't look away anymore.
Sam collects the sign they make. To him, they mean more than what it seems, they're not just a piece of cardboard, they are the tools with which Terrance, Shawn, Bobby, and Knox try to signal their very own humanity to us. Imagine the courage it takes to write down those few words that will indicate your situation and expose your vulnerability to the world.
If you want to know more about Sam and help him organize events in any part of the US, don't hesitate to message him on his Instagram:
Or you can reach him at housepartypresents@gmail.com
If you want to know more about his project, you can also visit his website:
Upcoming Events involving House Party Presents:
_ May 14th: Washington DC ( location TBD)
_ May 26 & 27th: Summercamp Music Festival (Homeless Benefit Raffle)
_ May 29th: Arise Festival in Colorado (Homeless Benefit Raffle)
_ Sam is hoping to organize a few shows this summer in Denver, Colorado so if you want to help, message him.
LISTEN TO OUR FULL PODCAST EPISODE WITH SAM:
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Picture provided by Sam Pereira (House Party Presents)
Picture provided by Sam Pereira (House Party Presents)