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From the Executive Director
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
2014 was an incredible year for the Helpline! We made a critical difference in the lives of thousands of our neighbors, preventing hundreds of evictions, moving people from homelessness into secure housing, keeping lights on for families and seniors, and ensuring that everyone has adequate clothing and food. Our growth and impact are because of your extraordinary support -- once again demonstrating the compassion and generosity of our community.
Our record-breaking year of service was the result of a record-breaking year of fundraising. Almost 700 of you donated to the Helpline in 2014 -- another record! From the Fun Run to the most successful ever Taste of Queen Anne to record sales at our beloved Helpline Christmas Tree Lot, your support moved and inspired us throughout the year. A special shout-out is in order to all of the individuals and businesses who donated time and services recently at the tree lot. This is a huge undertaking that wouldn't be possible without all of the volunteers who helped fill 67 cashier shifts, Sellen Construction, Cedar Grove Composting, Safeway, and of course our hard-working partners, Boy Scout Troop 72.
As awareness grows about the need in our community, you have also responded generously with donations of clothing, food, and other items. We saw a dramatic increase of in-kind donations this year, keeping our clothing bank and food pantry well-stocked. Our clients continue to reap the benefits of the numerous food and clothing drives initiated by school groups, Girl Scout troops, local businesses, and individuals.
One of the things that makes our community so amazing is your response when we ask for volunteers. This last year you helped pack Weekend Food for Kids bags, served Champagne at our Taste of Queen Anne, and worked as crossing guards at the Fun Run. Every day in our office, volunteers assist clients, answer phones, schedule appointments, enter data, sort and organize clothing, help create our newsletters, and much more. We now have a robust and growing database of volunteers who are essential to our day-to-day operations. (Interested in volunteering? Please complete a volunteer application on our website -- QueenAnneHelpline.org/Volunteer).
In short, it is you, the members of the communities we serve -- Queen Anne, Magnolia, and South Lake Union -- who are responsible for our incredible year. It is your support, enthusiasm, time, and skills that allow us to impact so many of our neighbors in need. You make our work possible, and for that we are deeply appreciative.
With gratitude,
Lisa
Lisa Moore, Executive Director
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Visit to Tent City 3 at SPU
Resilience. Community. Inspiring. These are some of the words that come to mind after my co-worker Lisa Barnes and I took a tour of Tent City 3, our newest neighbors currently located at SPU. Our visit was an unexpected eye-opener.
It is easy to accept the stereotypes of what a homeless encampment is: bedraggled, dirty, disorganized. What a cool surprise to discover Tent City is just the opposite. Run by SHARE/WHEEL, it is a carefully organized and efficient community, offering much more than just shelter to its 100 residents. Tent City has clearly enforced policies requiring sobriety, nonviolence, cooperation and participation. We were amazed to find a small village with numerous communal tents providing space for dining, food storage, food prep, TV, computers, office, bookkeeping, and donations. While there are no cooking facilities, they do have a coffee maker and microwave and we received a lesson in how to make scrambled eggs in the microwave (hint: liquid is key). Tents and bikes are donated by Costco; sleeping bags, hygiene products, and clothing are donated by community members; and Greater Seattle Cares, a partner organization, coordinates hot evening meals donated by community groups.
The residential area houses singles, couples, and men's and women's dorm-style tents with 10 beds each. While no families currently live there, occasionally there are families with kids, most recently a father with his four children. Part of the smart design of Tent City is placing all of their tents several inches above the ground, resting on wooden pallets covered with plywood, resulting in raising the interior temperature 5-10 degrees. There is a portable shower, porta-potties, and every resident is given two bus tickets daily so they can get to appointments and work. We asked how the Helpline can assist and were told their greatest needs are bottled water and plywood (they also use plywood to cover the paths).
Our hour-long visit was inspiring and so different than what we'd expected; we left feeling that everyone in our community would benefit from seeing Tent City themselves. I highly recommend a visit -- you'll find they are gracious hosts and, in turn, I know it means a lot to them to see welcoming neighbors. For more information or to arrange a tour please check out the SHARE/WHEEL website: ShareWheel.org. We are happy to accept donations of bottled water on their behalf; please call first to schedule a time to drop off.
Lisa
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Helpline is a Beneficiary of 2015 KCTS Sweater Drive
The Helpline is thrilled to be one of the beneficiary organizations for adult items donated through the KCTS Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Sweater Drive! Running January 12 - February 8, 2015, the drive collects new or gently worn sweaters, coats,and cold-weather gear. Last year's Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Sweater Drive collected more than 7,500 sweaters and coats -- 5,336 pounds of warm clothing -- for families in need throughout Seattle and King County!
Items can be donated at collection bins located at any PCC Natural Markets or Sound Credit Union location in Western Washington, or at KCTS's Seattle Center studio. More information can be found at the KCTS9 Sweater Drive website.
"All of us, at some time or other, need help. Whether we're giving or receiving a sweater, each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world. That's one of the things that connects us as neighbors -- in our way, everyone is a giver and receiver." - Fred Rogers
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Volunteer Spotlight - Liz Spaulding
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Liz and her family moved to Seattle last year from San Diego. Her husband works for Starbucks Corporate and they have a 9 year old daughter. Liz's background is in social work and she has worked in nursing homes and hospitals. In her free time she enjoys volunteering at her daughter's school, running, yoga, and reading.
When Liz moved to Seattle, she wanted to find a way to get involved in the community and learn about non-profits in the area. She says, "I feel so fortunate to have found the Queen Anne Helpline. I appreciate that the Helpline allows our community to literally help our neighbors. What a wonderful way to strengthen our community. I enjoy volunteering at the front desk because each day is so different. Sometimes it is working with a client to find just the right suit for a big job interview; other times it's as simple as taking the time to listen and validate a client's experiences. I feel like the employees, volunteers, and clients at the Queen Anne Helpline are all so respectful and kind, I truly enjoy the time I get to spend there."
Liz is a tremendous asset to our team here at the Helpline. Her warmth, compassion, and social services background all contribute to the exemplary service she provides to our clients; she is always willing to go the extra mile to make sure they have what they need. We are so grateful to have her help!
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Current Helpline Needs
Our current donation wishlist includes hygiene products and food donations for our healthy food bags, which help clients who may have run out of food stamps by the end of the month or who may have larger families to feed. The food items we need are:
Jars of peanut butterCanned fruit Crackers (boxes with sleeves of crackers, like Ritz or saltines, are preferred) Granola bars We are also seeking volunteers in the following areas:
- Website Maintenance. We are looking for someone with WordPress expertise to help maintain our website. This is an ongoing but sporadic need with varying weekly time commitments.
- Social Media Coordinator. In this fun opportunity you'll help with regular Facebook posts, tweets, and LinkedIn updates. Will include taking photos and researching news and other media for relevant links.
- Graphic Design/Production Help. We are seeking someone familiar with Publisher and possibly Adobe Illustrator to assist us with updating print and other communications material on an as needed basis. We are also looking for a talented creative person to help design our 2015 Fun Run t-shirt. Great for a budding designer's portfolio!
If you are interested in one of these opportunities, please complete a volunteer application at QueenAnneHelpline.org/Volunteer. If you wish to donate food or hygiene products, please call to arrange a drop off time. Thank you!
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The Queen Anne Helpline is so grateful for our active community
of volunteers, donors and participants!
Each of you gives us the support we need to do the work we do every day.
Please consider making a donation to help support local families, seniors,
and individuals. You can donate here or visit our website:
Queen Anne Helpline
311 West McGraw
Seattle, WA 98119
206-282-1540
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STAY CONNECTED  
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