Nearly 50 downtown merchants are gearing up for an annual holiday shopping event that this year will benefit Milestone Foundation, a Portland nonprofit that helps people dealing with homelessness and addiction.

Milestone is the designated beneficiary of this year’s “Shop for a Cause” event, sponsored by Portland Downtown, an association that represents the interests of downtown businesses and organizations. The Saturday event coincides with American Express’ national Small Business Saturday promotion, but is entirely independent of it, said Casey Gilbert, executive director of Portland Downtown.

“A lot of small businesses don’t accept American Express and so couldn’t participate in Small Business Saturday,” said Gilbert. “We wanted an alternative that was unique to Portland and provided a way for our merchants to give back to the community.”

Some participating merchants have pledged to make a flat donation to the fundraiser while others are dedicating a portion of their proceeds to the cause.

“Coffee By Design is donating 10 percent of (its proceeds) from all five of its locations to Shop for a Cause,” said Gilbert.

Additionally, Machias Savings Bank is contributing $2,000 to the effort to buy medical scrubs for Milestone workers.

The organization, which is on the front line of the state’s addiction epidemic, was founded in 1967 as a detox program for people in need. It continues to offer detoxification programs and long-term residential treatment for people dealing with substance abuse. This year, it launched its Housing Navigator Program to move chronically homeless people from the organization’s shelter into stable housing. Through the first six months of the year, Milestone was able to find appropriate housing for 24 long-term shelter clients, according to its annual report.

Last year, Shop for a Cause raised more than $8,000 for Preble Street Resource Center, said Gilbert. This year, there are more retailers participating in the event, so she is optimistic that the donations will beat 2015’s.

“People are wanting some joy right now, excuses to spend time with family, enjoy holiday preparations and be happy,” she said. “We’ll be happy if they choose to be joyous and happy downtown.”