A Portland event that encourages shoppers to patronize local retailers while giving back to the community raised $8,000 for the Milestone Foundation, a nonprofit that addresses addiction and homelessness.

Shop for a Cause Day, organized by Portland Downtown, was held Nov. 26. Forty-seven downtown businesses donated a portion of their sales to the foundation. Their contributions were extended by a $2,500 donation from Machias Savings Bank, bringing the total of the one-day fundraiser to $8,000, according to a release from Portland Downtown.

“Every day, the Milestone Foundation works on the front lines of homelessness and addiction issues in the city of Portland,” said Bob Fowler, executive director of the Milestone Foundation, “We were pleased and gratified to be selected by Portland Downtown as the beneficiary organization for this year’s Shop for a Cause Day. The funds raised on behalf of Milestone … will be invaluable in our work; as important, though, is the partnership that events like these represent to highlight the shared commitment between agencies like Milestone, the Portland business community and private citizens to help our most vulnerable neighbors.”