“It’s a really great way that the community shows how much they care about homeless families and our work to end homelessness in East Lansing,” Haven House Development Director Gabriel Biber said.

This year, “Have a Heart for the Homeless” has more than 40 groups participating in the campaign, with many of the businesses matching the funds raised by customers.

The Student Book Store has worked closely with Haven House for years, from selling tailgating cookbooks to windows full of pink hearts. Every time someone puts a dollar in the Haven House can, they receive a heart to write their name on and from there it gets put on display in the window at SBS. Many employees and managers also purchase hearts to donate to the cause, Assistant Manager Mike Wylie said.

Several student groups at MSU also contribute to the effort.

For MSU Pediatric Interest Group, this fundraiser at Haven House is just one of many to which they contribute. Throughout the year, the group sends students to volunteer weekly in the shelter’s playroom. In the past they also have prepared dinners and donated personal care items to Haven House.

During this week and next week, group members will each be carrying around a stack of pink hearts to be bought and posted throughout Fee Hall, where the Osteopathic Medical classes are held, Pediatric Interest Group President Megan Avesian said.

The annual fundraiser has been extremely successful for about a decade, Biber said. The fundraiser, along with many others put on throughout the year, allows Haven House to put the community’s efforts to good use in helping local families get back on their feet. “All the money that we raise means being able to work with more families and move them more quickly from our shelter ?to their own home,” Biber said.