Real Change Vendors: Opportunity and a Voice
Real Change offers an immediate, low-barrier work opportunity and caring community. We meet people where they are, without judgement, and support each other in reaching personal and professional goals.
Vendors are self-employed, earning an income by selling the weekly, award-winning Real Change newspaper. Vendors purchase the paper for $0.60, and sell it for $2, keeping the proceeds. No ID is required, and people begin earning an income after a brief orientation.
Each year, over $1M goes directly to vendors through the sale of the paper. 600 people find meaningful work and community at Real Change each year.
We’re more than a job. We’re a community and a chance to grow.
Vendors have access to services including case management, food assistance, service referrals, medical and veterinary care, mailboxes, a computer lab, and so much more.
Real Change is accountable to and led by vendors. The Vendor Advisory Board, which is currently on pause due to COVID-19, advises on program direction.
What Vendors Say:
“I really love selling Real Change. I get to make my own hours; I don’t have to work on somebody else’s time clock or call in sick. The flexibility of it is great.” — Jen Tibbets
"I got regular customers. I love them. They help me out a lot.” — Thomas Shipley
“I began selling the paper because my husband died. I was grieving. I would run into people who told me they had also lost their spouse or their children. There was this sense of community. And now I can’t even get out of it. I look forward to people talking to me every single day.” — Ivy Irving
"Real Change tells the truth; it’s innovative; it talks about the real issues. If I didn’t believe in this paper, I wouldn’t sell it. I can make a difference and make people start listening.” — Nick Maxwell
Read Real Change Vendor Stories here.