Community November 3, 2021

Give Back This Season

“We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.”

Giving to others can enrich our own lives in ways we never imagined. With that in mind, here are some of our favorite Seattle-area organizations who are in need of time, resources, toys, and more to help improve the lives of homeless and low-income families in our area. You might also check out these tips on how to make the most of charitable giving. Together we can make the holidays a little brighter for everyone!

 


 

YOUTH CARE: Homeless Youth Off the Streets Preparing for Life

Each night in King County, almost 1,100 unaccompanied youth and young adults experience homelessness on any given night, and around 70% of these youth sleep outside because of lack of shelter or housing. Why? A national study found that over 90% of homeless youth reported family conflict and 1/4 suffered from abuse and neglect before they reached the streets. YouthCare builds confidence and self-sufficiency for homeless youth by providing a continuum of care that includes outreach, basic services, emergency shelter, housing, counseling, education, and employment training. Lend a hand by donating most needed items, delivering a warm meal, hosting a virtual fundraiser, or hiring a YouthCare graduate.

http://youthcare.org/
(206) 694-4500
2500 NE 54th Street, Seattle

 


Northwest Harvest

Northwest Harvest’s mission is to end hunger in Washington. They partner with 375 food pantries, meal programs, and high-need schools across the state to provide nutritious food (an average of 2 million meals per month!) and promote good health for those in need. You can help by hosting a virtual food drive, making a cash donation, or volunteering (children age 9 and up can volunteer with you!).

http://www.northwestharvest.org/
1 (800) 722-6924
SODO Community Market Food Bank: 1915 4th Ave S, Seattle
Kent Warehouse: 22220 68th Ave S, Kent

 


http://www.marysplaceseattle.org/

Mary’s Place helps homeless women, children and families from the greater King County area. You can help by participating in their giving tree tag program now through December 11th. You can also volunteer your time, donate wishlist items, or share your used clothing, blankets, and coats.

http://www.marysplaceseattle.org
(206) 621-8474
Donation Center in SODO: 9 South Nevada St, Seattle
Mary’s Place at the Regrade: 720 Blanchard St, Seattle

 


 

Hopelink

Hopelink provides critical services to homeless and low-income families, children, seniors, and people with disabilities on north and east King County. You can help by donating to their Greatest Needs Fund, volunteering at one of their centers, participating in their Turkey Trot 5k fundraiser (virtual this year), or making a cash donation to support their “Lend a Hoping Hand” holiday giving campaign.

https://www.hopelink.org/
(425) 869-6000
8990 154th Ave NE, Redmond

 


 

Treehouse

 

Did you know less than 50% of Washington state youth in foster care graduate from high school? Treehouse seeks to level the playing field by providing academic and other essential support foster kids need to graduate at the same rate as their peers, with a plan for their future. You can help by hosting a holiday drive, purchasing items on their holiday wish list, volunteering, or donating.

https://www.treehouseforkids.org/
(206) 767-7000
2100 24th Avenue S./Suite 200

 


 

 

With a mission to help people in need of immediate food assistance, the Emergency Feeding Program partners with 120 local agencies to distribute 42,000 meals of quality, nutritional food per week and ensure that no one will go hungry tonight. Your volunteer time or cash contribution would be most appreciated.

https://www.emergencyfeeding.org/
(425) 277-0300
851 Houser Way N, Suite A, Renton

 


 

Eastside Baby Corner was founded by a local pediatric nurse concerned about the large numbers of babies in her practice who began life without basic essentials like adequate food, clothing, beds, or safety equipment. Today Eastside Baby Corner’s locations in Issaquah, Northshore and Bremerton collect, purchase, and distribute essential care items such as formula, diapers, car seats, warm coats, school supplies, and more for babies and children in need. You can help out by donating goods or cash, shopping off their wish list, volunteering or organizing a drive.

Eastside Baby Corner:
http://babycorner.org

(425) 865-0234
1510 NW Maple St, Issaquah

 


Toys for Tots

Last year, King County Toys for Tots donated 85,169 toys to 61,092 local children in need. Consider helping out this year by making a cash donation, donating a toy before December 15th, hosting a Toys for Tots event, or asking your organization to become a toy drop site.

https://fort-lewis-wa.toysfortots.org
Coordinator: GySgt Edward Chapman, 760-405-3203

 


Food Lifeline

Every year, nearly 40% of our country’s food ends up in landfills, while millions go hungry. Food Lifeline attempts to solve both problems by rescuing millions of pounds of surplus food from farmers, manufacturers, grocery stores, and restaurants. They then deliver this healthy and nutritious food to more than 350 food banks, shelters and meal programs across Western Washington–providing the equivalent of 201,000+ meals every day for hungry children, adults and seniors. You can help by volunteering (opportunities are available for kids as young as 10, too!), donating funds or hosting a food drive.

https://foodlifeline.org/
(206) 545-6600
815 S 96th St, Seattle

 


 

Wellspring

Wellspring helps low-income and vulnerable individuals, children and families in Seattle and King County address issues such as mental health, family homelessness, early learning, basic needs, and domestic violence intervention. Each year they help thousands of children and families break cycles of instability, homelessness, and adversity to achieve positive, permanent change. You can help by donating essential items, cash, or your old vehicle. You can also get your kids involved in the Kids Helping Kids youth philanthropy program.

http://wellspringfs.org/
(206) 826-3050
1900 Rainier Avenue South, Seattle

 


 

Seattle Children's Hospital Research Foundation

 

Founded and run by a group of philanthropic women over 100 years ago, Seattle Children’s mission is to provide hope, care and cures to help every child live the healthiest and most fulfilling life possible. You can help their patients by donating a new toy or gift card, volunteering, contributing funds, or supporting one of its guilds (such as the Project Kids Cancer Cure Guild).

http://www.seattlechildrens.org
(206) 987-2000
4800 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle

 


 

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We earn the trust and loyalty of our brokers and clients by doing real estate exceptionally well. The leader in our market, we deliver client-focused service in an authentic, collaborative, and transparent manner and with the unmatched knowledge and expertise that comes from decades of experience.

© Copyright 2021, Windermere Real Estate/Mercer Island.

Community May 21, 2021

Thank You for Helping Us Support Eastside Baby Corner!

UPDATE—Our Drive Made a Difference for EBC!

We want to thank all of our clients, friends and family who pitched in to raise items and funds for the Eastside Baby Corner. In addition to your generous donations, our agents and owners personally donated a total of $7,772 along with hundreds of childcare items as part of our annual Community Service Day effort. Together, we made a difference for local kids in need. Thank you!

 

 


 

For the past 30 years, Eastside Baby Corner has been there to help kids access the essentials they need to grow, play, learn and thrive. As part of our annual Community Service Day, my office is pitching in to support EBC with funds and the items they need most right now. You can help too! Support local children from birth through 12 years old (and expectant mothers) with a donation of diapers, diaper wipes, shampoo, conditioner, detangler, body wash, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, or funds to purchase those items.

 

IN PERSON DROP-OFF

Drop off new items at my office: 2737 77th Ave SE, Mercer Island 98040 Monday-Friday 8 am-5 pm

Plus, Saturday, May 22nd from 9 am-2pm during our annual paper shredding event (because why not get your old docs shredded for free while you’re doing something great for the community?!)

 

DONATE ONLINE

Contribute funds to allow Eastside Baby Corner staff to purchase the items most needed: Donate funds directly to Eastside Baby Corner

 

SHOP ONLINE

Choose items from EBC’s Wish List of needed items (ships directly to EBC)

 

PRINTABLE FLYER

View the PDF flyer with all the details

 


 

We earn the trust and loyalty of our brokers and clients by doing real estate exceptionally well. The leader in our market, we deliver client-focused service in an authentic, collaborative and transparent manner and with the unmatched knowledge and expertise that comes from decades of experience.

© Copyright 2021, Windermere Real Estate/Mercer Island.

 

CommunityHoliday Season November 4, 2020

Give Back This Season

Local Charities That Would LOVE Your Help

 

In his poem, When Giving Is All We Have, Alberto Álvaro Ríos wrote,

“We give because someone gave to us.
We give because nobody gave to us.
We give because giving has changed us.
We give because giving could have changed us.”

With need especially keen this year during the pandemic, many of us are looking for ways to be “the helpers” for others. Below are some of our favorite Seattle-area organizations who are in need of time, resources, toys, and more to help improve the lives of homeless and low-income families in our area. You might also check out these tips on how to make the most of charitable giving. Together we can make the holidays a little brighter for everyone!

 


 

YOUTH CARE: Homeless Youth Off the Streets Preparing for Life

Each night in King County, almost 1,100 unaccompanied youth and young adults experience homelessness on any given night, and around 70% of these youth sleep outside because of lack of shelter or housing. Why? A national study found that over 90% of homeless youth reported family conflict and 1/4 suffered from abuse and neglect before they reached the streets. YouthCare builds confidence and self-sufficiency for homeless youth by providing a continuum of care that includes outreach, basic services, emergency shelter, housing, counseling, education, and employment training. Lend a hand by participating in the Survival Needs Drive, delivering a warm meal, donating cash or most needed items, hosting a virtual fundraiser, or hiring a YouthCare graduate.

http://youthcare.org/
(206) 694-4500
2500 NE 54th Street, Seattle

 


Northwest Harvest

Northwest Harvest’s mission is to end hunger in Washington. They partner with 375 food pantries, meal programs, and high-need schools across the state to provide nutritious food and promote good health for those in need. You can help by hosting a virtual food drive, making a cash donation, or volunteering (children age 9 and up can volunteer with you!).

http://www.northwestharvest.org/
1 (800) 722-6924
SODO Community Market Food Bank: 1915 4th Ave S, Seattle
Kent Warehouse: 22220 68th Ave S, Kent

 


http://www.marysplaceseattle.org/

Mary’s Place helps homeless women, children and families from the greater King County area. You can help by participating in their giving tree tag program now through December 11th. You can also volunteer your time, donate wishlist items, or share your used clothing, blankets, and coats.

http://www.marysplaceseattle.org
(206) 621-8474
Donation Center in SODO: 9 South Nevada St, Seattle
Mary’s Place at the Regrade: 720 Blanchard St, Seattle

 


 

Hopelink

Hopelink provides critical services to homeless and low-income families, children, seniors, and people with disabilities on north and east King County. You can help by donating food or grocery gift cards to their food bank, or making a cash donation to support their “Lend a Hoping Hand” holiday giving campaign.

https://www.hopelink.org/
(425) 869-6000
8990 154th Ave NE, Redmond

 


 

Treehouse

 

Did you know less than 50% of Washington state youth in foster care graduate from high school? Treehouse seeks to level the playing field by providing academic and other essential support foster kids need to graduate at the same rate as their peers, with a plan for their future. You can help by hosting a holiday drive, purchasing items on their holiday wish list, volunteering, or donating.

https://www.treehouseforkids.org/
(206) 767-7000
2100 24th Avenue S./Suite 200

 


 

 

With a mission to help people in need of immediate food assistance, the Emergency Feeding Program partners with 120 local agencies to distribute 42,000 meals of quality, nutritional food per week and ensure that no one will go hungry tonight. With volunteering limited this year due to COVID, your cash contribution would be most appreciated.

https://www.emergencyfeeding.org/
(425) 277-0300
851 Houser Way N, Suite A, Renton

 


Eastside Baby Corner

 

Eastside Baby Corner was founded by a local pediatric nurse concerned about the large numbers of babies in her practice who began life without basic essentials like adequate food, clothing, beds, or safety equipment. Today Eastside Baby Corner’s locations in Issaquah, Northshore and Bremerton collect, purchase, and distribute essential care items such as formula, diapers, car seats, warm coats, school supplies, and more for babies and children in need. You can help out by donating goods or cash, shopping off their wish list, volunteering or organizing a drive.

Eastside Baby Corner:
http://babycorner.org

(425) 865-0234
1510 NW Maple St, Issaquah

 


Toys for Tots

Last year, King County Toys for Tots donated 85,169 toys to 61,092 local children in need. Consider helping out this year by making a cash donation, or asking your organization to become a toy drop site.

https://fort-lewis-wa.toysfortots.org
Coordinator: GySgt Edward Chapman, 760-405-3203

**2020 toy donation locations and times to be announced**

 


Food Lifeline

Every year, nearly 40% of our country’s food ends up in landfills, while millions go hungry. Food Lifeline attempts to solve both problems by rescuing millions of pounds of surplus food from farmers, manufacturers, grocery stores, and restaurants. They then deliver this healthy and nutritious food to more than 300 food banks, shelters and meal programs across Western Washington–providing the equivalent of 116,000 meals every day for hungry children, adults and seniors. You can help by volunteering (opportunities are available for kids as young as 6, too!), donating funds or hosting a food drive.

https://foodlifeline.org/
(206) 545-6600
815 S 96th St, Seattle

 


See the source image

Wellspring helps low-income and vulnerable individuals, children and families in Seattle and King County address issues such as mental health, family homelessness, early learning, basic needs, and domestic violence intervention. Each year they help thousands of children and families break cycles of instability, homelessness, and adversity to achieve positive, permanent change. You can help by donating to their Giving Together holiday campaign or getting your children involved in the Kids Helping Kids youth philanthropy program.

http://wellspringfs.org/
(206) 826-3050
1900 Rainier Avenue South, Seattle

 


 

Seattle Children's Hospital Research Foundation

 

Founded and run by a group of philanthropic women over 100 years ago, Seattle Children’s mission is to provide hope, care and cures to help every child live the healthiest and most fulfilling life possible. You can help their patients by donating a new toy or gift card, volunteering, contributing funds, or supporting one of its guilds (such as the Project Kids Cancer Cure Guild).

http://www.seattlechildrens.org
(206) 987-2000
4800 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle

 


 

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© Copyright 2020, Windermere Real Estate / Mercer Island

Community November 15, 2018

Give Back This Season

Thanks & Giving: Charities That Would Love Your Help

 

Looking to share your bounty this holiday season? Below are some of my favorite Seattle-area organizations who can use your time, household items, toys, and more to help improve the lives of homeless and low-income families in our area. You might also check out these tips on how to make the most of charitable giving.

 


Northwest Harvest

Northwest Harvest’s mission is to end hunger in Washington. They partner with 375 food pantries, meal programs, and high-need schools across the state to provide nutritious food and promote good health for those in need. You can help by volunteering at the Cherry Street Food Bank in Seattle (children in 3rd grade or older are welcome to volunteer with you!). You can also host a virtual food drive or make a cash/vehicle donation.

http://www.northwestharvest.org/
1 (800) 722-6924
Cherry Street Food Bank: 711 Cherry Street, Seattle
Kent Warehouse: 22220 68th Ave S, Kent

 


 

Mary's Place

 

Mary’s Place helps homeless women, children and families from the greater King County area. With a list of families that has double this year, the need for help is higher than ever. You or your organization might consider supporting their giving tree (donations due by December 7th) or joining in the Brooks Holiday Fun Run on December 1st benefiting the No Child Sleeps Outside campaign. You can also volunteer your time, donate wishlist items, or share your used clothing, blankets, and coats.

http://www.marysplaceseattle.org
(206) 621-8474
Donation Center in SODO: 9 South Nevada St, Seattle
Family Center in North Seattle: 1155 N 130th St, Seattle

 


 

Hopelink

Hopelink provides critical services to homeless and low-income families, children, seniors, and people with disabilities on north and east King County. You can help by donating food or grocery gift cards to their food bank, contributing unwrapped toys to their holiday gift room, or volunteering to help with their holiday giving events.

https://www.hopelink.org/
(425) 869-6000
8990 154th Ave NE, Redmond

 


 

YouthCare

 

Each night in Seattle, 700-1,000 young people are homeless and most were traumatized before they reached the streets. YouthCare builds confidence and self-sufficiency for homeless youth by providing a continuum of care that includes outreach, basic services, emergency shelter, housing, counseling, education, and employment training. Lend a hand by volunteering, hosting a drive, or hiring a YouthCare graduate.

http://youthcare.org/
(206) 694-4500
2500 NE 54th Street, Seattle

 


 

Treehouse

 

Did you know less than 50% of Washington state youth in foster care graduate from high school? Treehouse seeks to level the playing field by providing academic and other essential support foster kids need to graduate at the same rate as their peers, with a plan for their future. You can help by volunteering, hosting a drive or donating to their holiday program.

https://www.treehouseforkids.org/
(206) 767-7000
2100 24th Avenue S./Suite 200


 

Emergency Feeding Program

 

With a mission to help people in need of immediate food assistance, the Emergency Feeding Program partners with 240 local agencies to distribute 50,000 bags of quality, nutritional food and ensure that no one will go hungry tonight. You can help by donating these most needed foods or making a cash contribution.

https://www.emergencyfeeding.org/
(425) 277-0300
851 Houser Way N, Renton

 


Eastside Baby Corner

 

Eastside Baby Corner was founded by a local pediatric nurse concerned about the large numbers of babies in her practice who began life without basic essentials like adequate food, clothing, beds, or safety equipment. Today Eastside Baby Corner’s location in Issaquah, Northshore and Bremerton collect, purchase, and distribute essential care items such as formula, diapers, carseats, warm coats, school supplies, and more for babies and children in need. You can help out by volunteering, donating, or organizing a drive.

Eastside Baby Corner:
http://babycorner.org

(425) 865-0234
1510 NW Maple St. in Issaquah
6524 NE 181st Street, Suite 6, Kenmore1463 NE Dawn Road, Suite B, Bremerton

 


https://fort-lewis-wa.toysfortots.org/images/lco-sites/lco-logos/tft-ZxAsQw-logo.jpg

Since 1947, The U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots program has distributed 548 million toys to 251 million children in need. Consider helping out this year by donating a new toy, volunteering, or asking your organization to become a toy drop site.

https://fort-lewis-wa.toysfortots.org
Click Here for Toy Drop Off Locations
Coordinator: Gunnery Sergeant James Wells, (253) 720-9858

 


Food Lifeline

Every year, nearly 40% of our country’s food ends up in landfills, while millions go hungry. Food Lifeline attempts to solve both problems by rescuing millions of pounds of surplus food from farmers, manufacturers, grocery stores, and restaurants. They then deliver this healthy and nutritious food to more than 300 food banks, shelters and meal programs across Western Washington–providing 97,000 meals every day. You can help by volunteering (opportunities are available for kids as young as 6, too!), donating funds or hosting a food drive.

https://foodlifeline.org/
(206) 545-6600
815 S 96th St, Seattle

 


Wellspring Family Services

Wellspring helps low-income and vulnerable individuals, children and families in Seattle and King County address issues such as mental health, family homelessness, early learning, basic needs, and domestic violence intervention. Each year they help thousands of children and families break cycles of instability, homelessness, and adversity to achieve positive, permanent change. You can help by donating to their Giving Together holiday campaign or getting your children involved in the Kids Helping Kids youth philanthropy program.

http://wellspringfs.org/
(206) 826-3050
1900 Rainier Avenue South, Seattle

 


 

Seattle Children's Hospital

 

Founded and run by a group of philanthropic women over 100 years ago, Seattle Children’s mission is to provide hope, care and cures to help every child live the healthiest and most fulfilling life possible. You can help their patients by donating a new toy or gift card, volunteering, contributing funds, or supporting one of its guilds (such as the Project Kids Cancer Cure Guild).

http://www.seattlechildrens.org
(206) 987-2000
4800 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle

 


ABOUT WINDERMERE MERCER ISLAND

We earn the trust and loyalty of our brokers and clients by doing real estate exceptionally well. The leader in our market, we deliver client-focused service in an authentic, collaborative and transparent manner and with the unmatched knowledge and expertise that comes from decades of experience.

 

© Copyright 2018, Windermere Real Estate/Mercer Island.

 

CommunityHoliday Season November 17, 2015

Make “Spring Cleaning” A Holiday Tradition

Spring cleaning – a centuries’ long tradition welcoming warmer weather and longer spans of daylight – has morphed into slang for a major cleaning or organizing project applicable at any time of year. So whether you are tackling a deep clean in the living room, or organizing the heck out of your child’s Lego collection, it can be said you are spring cleaning!

As we’re approaching the holidays, a time when we create wonderful memories with our own family, we have discussed with Grace and Julia the reality that not every family has the means to give gifts during this season.  So my girls decided that we should inject some spring time into the upcoming holiday season and clean their rooms and donate toys and clothes with lots of life left in them to those who need them

When it came to their hefty stuffed animal collection, however, there was a bit of resistance.  Grace and Julia have collected mountains of stuffed animals over the years. Each of these gently loved toys held special meaning for them. While the girls struggled at letting them go, the thought of a helping a child in need made the cleaning project go smoother. 

I came across an organization that repurposes those stuffed animals to help those who are facing a traumatic experience. The Stuffed Animals for Emergencies (S.A.F.E) organization, a nonprofit which has a local chapter here in on the Eastside, collects and redistributes gently used stuffed animals for children in emergency situations. The cleaned toys are given to local police and fire departments, homeless shelters, church organizations and nonprofits benefitting children, who then give the toys to kids in need of some comfort during stressful situations. 

Once we read about how our wonderful stuffed animal friends could really help kids in need, Grace and Julia became excited about sharing their stuffed toy collections. It was so important to my girls that the animals not be sold (even if the proceeds went to something charitable). The thought that their stuffed animals could make an impact on a child during a scary emergency situation made all the difference. As we packed up our bags we reminisced, laughing and talking about where each came from. We took pictures of the super special animals to cherish our memories of them. I have to tell you, it was a joyful, freeing experience for both Grace and Julia.

When we finished our cleaning tasks, we contacted our local chapter volunteer, "Beverly C" in Redmond, and she responded immediately with her address and instructions. When we dropped our bags off, the girls and I promptly received a wonderful email from Beverly thanking us for our donation. The whole experience was easy to implement and gave my girls the meaning they needed to let go of those special items to make space in their bedrooms.  Both my girls and I recommended S.A.F.E to a number of our friends, who have since decided to make their own donations.

If you are facing a similar situation with your kids, because they do not want to let their stuffed animals go, sit down at the computer together and read about S.A.F.E. They have even put together a video to watch that explains how volunteers sort, clean and distribute the stuffed animals.  The minute your children can picture being in a situation where it would be comforting to have a soft furry friend to hug, this cleaning chore becomes a win as opposed to a loss.

Another opportunity to do some major pre-holiday cleaning is right around the corner, and it will greatly benefit those in the Seattle area who cannot afford a bicycle. My office, Windermere Mercer Island, will be hosting a bike drive in our parking lot on Sunday, December 12th.  We’re partnering with Bike Works, a local nonprofit that keeps bikes, bike parts and bike accessories out of the landfills while teaching youth and adults how to repair and maintain bicycles. With Bike Works kids can learn how to refurbish bikes and in the process earn their own bicycles through community service. Part of that community service involves repairing bikes to their prime working conditions for other children, who otherwise would not be able to afford a bike.

If you have bikes and bike parts, please bring them to my office located at 2737 77th Ave SE on Mercer Island during our bike drive on December 6th.  Volunteers from Bike Works will be on hand from 12-3pm to collect the bikes and parts, to take back to their facility in Columbia City.  The bikes that have seen better days will have all the usable parts removed from them and the rest of the bike responsibly recycled.  Bikes in good condition will be given tune ups and refurbished to prime condition.  They will be either given to low income youth through the UGottaGetABike and Kid Bike-O-Rama programs, to low income adults in need of a commuting bike through the Bikes-For-All, or sold at an affordable price at the BikeWorks bike shop. All proceeds from sales at the bike shop are used to support all the programs offered by Bike Works including sliding scale summer camps, Earn-A-Bike after school classes, adult repair classes and twice-a-month open shop time. 

It feels so good to enter the holiday season with a clean, clutter free home – especially when you know the items you no longer need can be of great help to someone else. I’d love to hear from you about other local organizations that could benefit from our holiday inspired “spring” cleaning.  Please share in the comment section!